ATHENS

New 3-Star FNL Restaurants

CTC

Award: Three FNL Stars, Greek Haute Cuisine

#michelinStar #blindTastingMenu #metaxourgeioCool

CTC in Metaxourgeio is chef Alexandros Tsiotinis’s blind tasting-menu restaurant, built around Greek ingredients, seasonality, and a technique. The courses travel your tastebuds through the Greek pantry with imaginative skill and a deeply personal perspective. The upgrade to three FNL stars confirms CTC as one of Athens’ most important fine-dining addresses.

Makris Athens

Award: Three FNL Stars, Greek Haute Cuisine

#michelinStar #tastingMenu #dateNightSplurge

Makris Athens in Thisseio brings the Makris name from its Corfu origins at Domes Miramare to a historic building where a glass floor reveals ancient archaeological remains beneath the dining room. The setting is contemporary in design but layered with history, and the kitchen matches it: flavors, aromas, bold natural touches, and a playful sense of theatricality drawn from both ancient and modern Greece, delivered through a tasting-menu format with Michelin-starred credentials already in place.

Botrini’s

Award: Three FNL Stars, Greek Haute Cuisine

#michelinStar #italianMeetsGreek #chicAndRefined

Ettore Botrini’s Chalandri restaurant remains one of Greece’s best-known fine-dining addresses. The kitchen, led by Ilias Doukas, works through Greek and Italian memory, with his personal Corfiot and Tuscan references, refined and creative technique, and Mediterranean products in a tasting-menu format. The atmosphere is polished, arty, and residential, with formal yet friendly service and a complex gastronomic philosophy.

Delta

Award: Three FNL Stars, International Haute Cuisine

#twoMichelinStars #fermentationForward #avantGarde

At the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, progressive Delta is Greece’s only two-Michelin-starred restaurant and one of Athens’s most ambitious fine-dining addresses. Executive chef George Papazacharias leads a 12-stage tasting menu of contemporary Greek cuisine, using preservation, fermentation, and close work with small producers to turn the Greek landscape into a highly technical, visually striking dinner.

Pelagos

Award: Three FNL Stars, International Haute Cuisine

#michelinStar #coastalLuxury #sustainableCatch

Housed in the impressive Four Seasons Astir Palace Athens, Pelagos brings fine dining to the Athenian Riviera with sophisticated seafood dishes and eclectic Mediterranean ingredients, brought to the fore by chef Luca Piscazzi’s coastal cooking.

Spondi

Award: Three FNL Stars, International Haute Cuisine

#athensClassic #frenchInfluence #oldSchoolFineDining

Spondi, in Pangrati, remains Athens’s most established address for French-influenced haute cuisine and one of the city’s longest-running fine-dining landmarks. Its tasting menus are defined by technical cooking, luxury ingredients, formal service, a deep cellar, and the discreet elegance of its garden and dining salons.

Veritable

Award: Three FNL Stars, European Cuisines

#authenticFrenchBistro #provençalSoul #wineForwardDining

In Neo Psychiko, Veritable is a French bistro by chef Alain Parodi and Christine Bassard Parodi, built around the cooking of southern France. The à la carte menu works with rustic French recipes, good seasonal ingredients, sauces, patés, terrines, meats, fish, and desserts, with a cellar where French wine is part of the restaurant’s identity.

New 2-Star FNL Restaurants

Abra Ovata

Award: Two FNL Stars, Fusion And Ethnic, Upgrade

#lakesideSetting #asianFusion #vouliagmeniSunset

Abra Ovata in Vouliagmeni belongs to the cosmopolitan side of the Athens Riviera, with a polished restaurant-bar setting close to the sea. Its à la carte menu is arranged around Land, Sea, and Farm sections, combining Mediterranean ingredients with Asian and Latin American references, raw preparations, grilled dishes, and fermented elements.

Ateno

Award: Two FNL Stars, Contemporary Greek Cuisine, Upgrade

#contemporaryGreek #creativefForce #freshIngredients

In central Athens, Ateno is chef Nikos Karathanos’s all-day restaurant, deli, and “cookery,” with contemporary Greek food in a bright, casual setting. The cooking takes familiar Greek dishes out of their usual shape, keeping their flavor clear while giving them a cleaner, lighter, more current city style.

Helios

Award: Two FNL Stars, Fusion And Ethnic, Upgrade

#latinAmericanFlavors #fourSeasonsPool #longLunch

Also at Four Seasons Astir Palace Athens, Helios is the resort’s lively poolside restaurant, with Manuel Martin del Campo Braeuner listed as executive chef. Its à la carte menu is Latin American with Asian accents, built around ceviches, tiraditos, tacos, tostadas, grilled meat and fish, and a bright seaside setting.

Iodio

Award: Two FNL Stars, Fish Restaurant, Upgrade

#kolonakiPolish #playfulMenu #shellfishLovers

Iodio, which quickly became a top Kolonaki seafood spot,is a seafood restaurant shaped by two-Michelin-star chef Georgianna Hiliadaki, with Danae Voridou and Easmia Balaska also linked to the culinary team. Its à la carte menu treats fish with a contemporary Greek eye, from raw seafood and whole-fish “head to tail” cooking to bottarga, sea urchin, shellfish, and desserts that play with nori, mastiha, pistachio, and old Athens references. 

Napul’e

Award: Two FNL Stars, European Cuisines, Upgrade

#authenticNeapolitan #italianComfort #suburbanGem

Napul’e in Vari brings authentic Neapolitan cooking to the southern suburbs, with top-notch Italian comfort food. The menu presents plentiful opportunities for indulgence in Italian nostalgia – from the antipasti and pasta and pizza dishes to mains that include mouthwaterig meats, set in a relaxed and ebulliant space.

NYX

Award: Two FNL Stars, Fusion And Ethnic, Upgrade

#acropolisView #rooftopSushi #japaneseAsianFusion

NYX, inside Academia Hotel, is a central Athens rooftop restaurant with a creative Japanese and Asian-fusion drive. The varied menu includes artfully presented varieties of sushi and contemporary Asian seafood concepts created by Chef Dimitris Kotsalis; and then there’s the stunning Acropolis view, exciting cocktails and a dynamic playlist.

Restaurants Retaining 2 FNL Stars

Aleria

Award: Two FNL Stars, Contemporary Greek Cuisine

#neoclassicalSetting #modernGreek #reliableExcellence

Aleria remains one of Athens’s most dependable modern Greek restaurants, housed in a neoclassical building with a courtyard and an idiosyncratic, lived-in elegance. Chef Gikas Xenakis cooks Greek-Mediterranean food through à la carte and tasting menus, with dishes built around seasonality, well-sourced legumes, seafood, and meat, handmade pasta, and the rich flavors of the Greek table in a contemporary, creative version.

Basegrill

Award: Two FNL Stars, Meat Restaurant

#meatHeaven #loudAndProud #peristeriPilgrimage

Basegrill in Peristeri is one of Athens’ defining meat restaurants. It prides itself on its wide selection of meat cuts, aged meats, ancient breeds and off the menu items, combined with classic Greek elements. It is informal and cool, with the appetite of a modern meat taverna.

Brutus Tavern

Award: Two FNL Stars, Meat Restaurant

#urbanGril #kolonakiSocial #carnivoreChic

Brutus Tavern in Kolonaki brings meat dining into a central, urban, and wine-friendly. The kitchen focuses on meat – especially a broad choice of prime quality steaks – grilling, rich, satisfying sides, and dishes that work well with a social table.

Cookoovaya

Award: Two FNL Stars, Contemporary Greek Cuisine

#neverOutOfStyle #seasonalFish #designerPlates

Cookoovaya in Ilisia is a major name in modern Greek dining, because Chef Periklis Koskinas has reached the highest high standard by working with top-quality products, especially fish, in a way that is intuitive, traditional, creative and comforting. Their motto is “Apheresis” – sticking to the simplest, purest, most authentic and highest quality.

Gallina

Award: Two FNL Stars, Modern Bistro

#bistroChic #koukakiCool #luxeBarFood

Gallina in Koukaki belongs to Athens’ new generation of modern bistros. The compact, contemporary menu offers the chance to share dishes and enjoy of a variety vibrant flavors at once in a chic urban setting. Also great for after work cocktails at the bar with inventive bites.

Hervé

Award: Two FNL Stars, International Haute Cuisine

#michelinStar #visionaryMagic #sensorialJourney

Hervé in Petralona, helmed by visionary Chef Herve Pronzato presents a singular gastronomic approach in an intimate and stylish urban setting, presented via a 15-course tasting-menu. The innovative and colorful dishes are influenced by international cuisine, classic French technique, street food and markets and seasonal inspiration.

Kinjo

Award: Two FNL Stars, Fusion And Ethnic

#suburbanJapanese #freshFishFocus #understated

Kinjo in Vrilissia represents the suburban backbone of Athens’ Japanese and fusion dining. Chef Nikos Politakos works with sushi, sashimi, nigiri, usuzukuri, fresh fish, and Japanese technique, turning simple yet high quality ingredients into complex flavors.

Matsuhisa Athens

Award: Two FNL Stars, Fusion And Ethnic

#nobuPedigree #blackCod #rivieraSplurge

Matsuhisa Athens, at Astir Palace in Vouliagmeni, brings Nobu Matsuhisa’s Japanese-Peruvian magic to the Athenian Riviera. From Matsuhisha bites and cold and hot dishes to robata grill plates, tempura and toban yaki selections, all prepared to perfection, this place is a league of its own.

Hytra

Award: Two FNL Stars, Greek Haute Cuisine

#greekHauteCuisine #rooftop #modernGreekPioneer

Hytra has long been one of Athens’ major modern Greek fine-dining restaurants. Diners can order a la carte, the vegetarian Think Green menu or try one of two degustation menus to enjoy pure, mainly local ingredients prepared in a modern and exploratory way.

Papaioannou Restaurant

Award: Two FNL Stars, Fish Restaurant

#fishInstitution #classicGreekSeafood #multigenerational

Papaioannou is one of the great names in the Athens fish-restaurant category. The kitchen is built around whole fish, shellfish, raw seafood, grilled preparations, and wines that suit the sea. From shellfish that brings the sea to your lips, and raw or marinated dishes to fish that is perfectly steamed, fried, baked or grilled, the attewntion to detail and culinary skill comes through in every bite.

Patio

Award: Two FNL Stars, International Haute Cuisine

#farmToTable #vouliagmeni #intimateFineDining

At The Margi Hotel in Vouliagmeni, Patio offers fine dining in a boutique-hotel setting close to the Riviera. Seasonal menus, produce from the hotel’s farm, and quality Greek ingredients, make this place a special dining experience.

Seeds

Award: Two FNL Stars, Contemporary International Cuisine

#globalReferences #contemporaryInternational #creativeIngredients

Seeds in Ilisia belongs to Athens’ contemporary international gastronomy field. The ingredients translate into a menu with global references presented through a modern restaurant lens.

Sense

Award: Two FNL Stars, Contemporary Greek Cuisine

#acropolisMuseumViews #rooftop #contemporaryGreek

Sense, at AthensWas Hotel, is Alexandros Charalabopoulos’s contemporary Greek fine-dining restaurant, currently built around two degustation menus marking its 10-year evolution. The cooking revisits Greek gastronomy through updated regional references, signature dishes from the restaurant’s past, and a more formal rooftop tasting-menu

Soil

Award: Two FNL Stars, International Haute Cuisine

#gardenToPlate #organicTasting #elegantButGrounded

Soil in Pangrati is Tasos Mantis’s Michelin-starred, Green Star-awarded restaurant, with a single tasting menu shaped by his Alepochori garden. The cuisine is modern Greek fine dining with a farm-to-table logic.

Travolta

Award: Two FNL Stars, Fish Restaurant

#modernFishTaverna #sharingPlates #urbanEnergy

Travolta is the Liakos brothers’ seafood restaurant, developed with Anestis Lazaj into one of Athens’s most distinctive fish addresses.

Pharaoh

Award: Two FNL Stars, Traditional Greek Cuisine

#fireAndVinyl #bibGourmand #exarchiaCult

Pharaoh in Exarchia is a Bib Gourmand restaurant and natural-wine bar where chef Manolis Papoutsakis cooks Greek tradition over wood fire, charcoal, and wood-fired ovens.

Tudor Hall

Award: Two FNL Stars, International Haute Cuisine

#classicService #acropolisPanorama #powerDinner

Tudor Hall on the seventh floor of the King George hotel, Tudor Hall is Nikos Livadias’s Michelin-starred contemporary Greek restaurant. It serves a short à la carte menu and a tasting menu, translating Greek ingredients and heritage dishes into a formal hotel fine-dining style with strong wine service and Acropolis views.

Vezené Athens

Award: Two FNL Stars, Modern Bistro

elegantBistro #classicTechnique #ilisia #creativeComfort #sommelierPick

Vezene Ari Vezene’s restaurant serves modern Greek food from a wood-fired kitchen, with an à la carte menu built around local seafood, sustainable meat, offal, charcuterie, and regional Greek cooking. The setting is lively, urban, and open-kitchen in spirit, with the food carried by fire, sourcing, and full-flavored ideas. 

Category: Contemporary Greek Cuisine

Yaboo Bar Restaurant

Award: One FNL Star, Contemporary Greek Cuisine, Newcomer

#newcomer #piraeusBuzz #barMeetsRestaurant

Yaboo Bar Restaurant in Piraeus is a restaurant-bar with culinary direction by superstar chef Georgianna Hiliadaki and head chef Aggelos Kotsiris. Its à la carte menu combines contemporary Mediterranean cooking with Greek tradition, in a social, music-led setting made for dinner, drinks, and a long evening.

Metropolis Roof Garden

Award: One FNL Star, Contemporary Greek Cuisine

#hotelRooftop #historicCenterViews #safeChoice

On the roof of Electra Metropolis Hotel, Metropolis Roof Garden serves à la carte creative Mediterranean cuisine by executive chef Charis Zevgoulis. The restaurant has a white-tablecloth rooftop setting, Acropolis views, and a Greek-Mediterranean menu that includes seafood, meat, pasta, and vegan dishes.

Category: Traditional Greek Cuisine

Giouvetsakia

Award: One FNL Star, Traditional Greek Cuisine

#traditionalGreek #southernSuburbHood #comfortFood

Giouvetsakia in Glyfada is Haris Tzitzis’s traditional Greek restaurant, with Eva Pasanikolaki in the kitchen and daily market shopping at the center of its identity.

Category: Contemporary International Cuisine

The Ziller’s

Award: One FNL Star, Contemporary International Cuisine, New Entry

#cathedralView #boutiqueHotel #contemporaryDining

The Ziller’s is a Michelin-starred rooftop restaurant by executive chef Vasilis Roussos. Dinner is served through two tasting menus, Synecdoche and Synthesis, with creative Greek cooking, local ingredients, and a formal terrace setting facing the Acropolis.

GB Roof Garden

Award: One FNL Star, Contemporary International Cuisine

#glamorDining #reliableQuality #panoramicViews

The GB Roof Garden is led by executive chef Asterios Koustoudis and chef de cuisine Giannis Rokanas. Its à la carte menu was refreshed this year around Mediterranean grand-hotel cooking, Greek produce, historic hotel recipes, and one of Athens’s most established dining views.

Category: Modern Bistro

Asotos

Award: One FNL Star, Modern Bistro, New Entry

#eastMeetsGreek #pangrati #neighborhoodBistro

Asotos in Pangrati is chef Michalis Merzenis’s Rogue Taverna, with Greek food, wine, cocktails, and a busy square-side mood. The menu takes familiar Greek dishes into a looser modern register, with family references from Kastellorizo and Egypt and a taste for fuller, louder flavors.

Dylan

Award: One FNL Star, Modern Bistro, Newcomer

#neighborhoodDining #greekIngredientsTwisted #kypseliCool

Dylan in Kypseli is a small restaurant with a short daily menu, a rock-bar character, and a compact, informal atmosphere. Chef Vangelis Veis cooks more seriously than the setting first suggests, with food that changes often.

Winter Garden

Award: One FNL Star, Modern Bistro, New Entry

#grandeBretagneGlamour #chicDishes #powerLunch

Winter Garden at the Hotel Grande Bretagne is the hotel’s grand city lounge, with executive chef Asterios Koustoudis overseeing the menu.

Rick’s Athens

Award: One FNL Star, Modern Bistro

#northernSuburbs #comfortBistro #socialEvening

Rick’s Athens in Kifisia is a dark, clubby American steakhouse and restaurant-bar, with executive chef Dimitris Stamoudis and chef de cuisine Angelos Andrianakis.

Simul

Award: One FNL Star, Modern Bistro

#flavorPacked #refinedCasual #michelinGuide

Simul in Kolonaki serves both à la carte dishes and a tasting menu in a relaxed restaurant setting.
In his 10th year at Simul, chef Nikos Thomas’s cooking is modern Greek, seasonal, and ingredient-led, with clear, bold and deeply satsfying flavors and technique kept in service of pleasure.

Category: Gastrotavernas

Stou Lou

Award: One FNL Star, Gastrotaverna, New Entry

#greekWineRestaurant #kerameikosEdge #respectForTradition

Stou Lou in Kerameikos is a Greek wine restaurant with chef Giannis Galanopoulos in the kitchen and Alex Loumiotis as host. The à la carte menu works with Greek rustic cooking, seasonal produce, a broad Greek wine cellar, and a warm, bohemian dining style. 

Akra

Award: One FNL Star, Gastrotaverna

#fireCooking #sourdoughExpertise #evolvingMenu

Akra in Pangrati is the all-day restaurant by chef Yiannis Loukakis and pastry chef Spyros Pediaditakis. The menu changes daily, with sourdough, pastry, Greek produce, wood-fired cooking, and an open-kitchen setting at the center of the experience.

Taverna ton Filon

Award: One FNL Star, Gastrotaverna

#pureFlavors #chicSimplicity #cozyVibes

Taverna ton Filon in Kolonos keeps the spirit of the old neighborhood tavern that stood there before its current owners took over. The cooking is simple, Greek, and ingredient-focused, with a relaxed dining room, Greek wine, ouzo, tsipouro, and a menu that respects tradition without freezing it in place.

Category: European Cuisines

Monzù

Award: One FNL Star, European Cuisines

#italianGardenDining #modernTastes #classicReferences

Monzù in Kifisia is an Italian restaurant set in a late 19th-century mansion with a garden and an elegant, northern-suburbs mood. The menu centers on handmade pasta, risotto, Neapolitan pizza, aperitivi, Italian wines, and seasonal Italian cooking. 

Ora by Ettore Botrini

Award: One FNL Star, European Cuisines

#botriniStandard #familyRecipes #modernMediterranean

At One&Only Aesthesis in Glyfada, Ora is Ettore Botrini’s Greek-Italian, contemporary Mediterranean restaurant. The all-day concept links his Greek and Italian heritage with seasonal resort dining, in a Riviera setting designed for long lunches and polished evening meals.

Category: High-End Beach Restaurants

Krabo

Award: One FNL Star, High-End Beach Restaurant

#mykonianVibes #vouliagmeniCove #seafoodAndCocktails

Krabo in Vouliagmeni a beach restaurant with a Mediterranean menu served between sunbeds, cabanas, pergolas, cocktails, and sea views. Its kitchen works with local and organic ingredients, fresh fish from local fishermen, meats, vegetables, pasta, and summer dishes made for a seaside day that easily flows into dinner.

Category: Fusion And Ethnic

Birdman

Award: One FNL Star, Fusion And Ethnic

#lateNightTokyo #yakitori #noFrillsCool

Birdman in Syntagma is Ari Vezene’s intimate Japanese pub and grill, inspired by Tokyo yakitori bars and jazz-kissa listening culture. The counter-led menu focuses on neck-to-tail yakitori, kushiyaki, robata-style grilling, rare-breed beef nigiri, weekly donburi or udon, and sharp drinks. 

Ex-Machina

Award: One FNL Star, Fusion And Ethnic

#pangratiGlobal #creativeMenu #eclecticVibe

Ex-Machina in Pangrati is Adam Kontovas’s modern fusion restaurant with a zero-waste mindset and a lively, open-ended evening mood. The menu changes often and moves through Greek produce, raw fish, smoked flavors, Asian touches, grilled dishes, and personal combinations that belong to the chef’s own restless style. 

RawBata

Award: One FNL Star, Fusion And Ethnic

#rawBar #asianInspired #lightAndFresh

RawBata in Ambelokipi marks the return of chef Polychronis Damalas with a compact restaurant built around Greek ingredients and Asian technique. The cooking brings together raw fish, comfort Greek references, market produce, generous flavor, and the chef’s familiar taste for direct, high-energy plates.

Sushimou

Award: One FNL Star, Fusion And Ethnic

#12SeatsOnly #skillAndFreshness #bestSushiInAthens

Sushimou in Syntagma is a tiny sushi counter, with 12 stools and a strict omakase format. Chef Antonis Drakoularakos’s set menu serves only raw fish and rice, mainly sashimi and nigiri, with Greek fish, no rolls, no cooked dishes, and no vegan options. 

Category: Meat Restaurants

Kivotos

Award: One FNL Star, Meat Restaurant, New Entry

#simplicityFirst #qualityMeat #northernSuburbs

Kivotos in Kifisia is a long-running meat restaurant with a garden and a loyal north-side following.
The à la carte menu is built around grilled meats, Greek meat classics, handmade pies, cooked greens, and domestic cuts prepared with the confidence of an old-school grill house. 

Ox Meat Taverna

Award: One FNL Star, Meat Restaurant, New Entry

#classicGreekMeat #modernTavernaTwist #primeCuts

Ox Meat Taverna in Ilisia calls itself a contemporary version of the classic Greek grill house.
The menu uses charcoal, wood oven, and pan cooking for selected meats, special cuts, Greek grill recipes, pies, dips, and cooked dishes with a modern but recognizably Greek character. 

Beefbar Athens

Award: One FNL Star, Meat Restaurant

#internationalBrand #vouliagmeniRiviera #streetFoodMeetsLuxury

Beefbar Athens in Vouliagmeni brings the Monte Carlo-born steakhouse brand to the Athenian Riviera. The à la carte menu works across premium beef cuts, raw preparations, grilled dishes, barbecue-style plates, and the brand’s more casual “street food” signatures, in a polished seaside resort setting.

Drakoulis Dry & Raw

Award: One FNL Star, Meat Restaurant

#dryAged #butcherExpertise #luxuryMeat

Drakoulis Dry & Raw in Kolonaki belongs to Stratos Drakoulis’s high-end meat world, which began with premium beef retail. Kobe, Wagyu, Black Angus, dry-aged cuts, beef sashimi, steaks, sauces, and a glossy late-night mood define the restaurant’s luxury meat-house identity.

Telemachos Athens

Award: One FNL Star, Meat Restaurant

#steakhouseCulture #downtown #noNonsense

Telemachos Athens in Syntagma is the Tsiligiris family’s city meat restaurant and wine bar. The menu combines Greek meat knowledge with a French-style rotisserie, Josper grilling, tartare, carpaccio, premium cuts, and a serious wine program.

Category: Fish Restaurants

Akti

Award: One FNL Star, Fish Restaurant

#vouliagmeniBySea #simpleAndGood #coastalClassic

Akti in Vouliagmeni is a Riviera seafood restaurant with executive chef Aris Lykakis, open from lunch until late, with music, sea views, and a holiday mood.Its Greek seafood menu is based on line-caught fish, local produce, sustainable ingredients, and relaxed coastal cooking.

Atelier Papaioannou

Award: One FNL Star, Fish Restaurant

#refinedSeafood #topShelfFish #elegantDining

Atelier Papaioannou in Neo Psychiko is George Papaioannou’s more contemporary city expression of the Papaioannou seafood tradition. The menu keeps fish at the center, with raw preparations, fish soup, shellfish, pasta, seasonal vegetables, and a no-waste approach to seafood.

Dourambeis

Award: One FNL Star, Fish Restaurant

#historic #classicFishTaverna #modernTwists

Dourambeis in Piraeusis a classic Greek fish restaurant run by the Dourambeis family, with a loyal local clientele and a long reputation for fresh seafood. The cooking is direct and traditional, built around the day’s catch, shellfish, simple salads, and grilled fish.

Ouzeri Aegeon

Award: One FNL Star, Fish Restaurant

luxuryResort #lagonissi #greekOuzeri #seafoodTable #grandSetting

At Grand Resort Lagonissi, Ouzeri Aegeon is a seasonal seaside ouzeri by the Papaioannou restaurant group, with bay views, Greek music, and a resort version of the island fish table.
Fresh fish, seafood meze, Greek specialties, ouzo, and slow lunches by the water define the experience.

Papaioannou Restaurant

Award: One FNL Star, Fish Restaurant

#ultimateFishDining #luxeVibes #romaticSplashout

Papaioannou, George Papaioannou’s restaurant, is one of Athens’s best-known addresses for Greek seafood dining. The menu is built on fresh local fish, shellfish, raw preparations, whole grilled fish, seafood pasta, and waterfront service that keeps the meal centered on the sea.

Piscis

Award: One FNL Star, Fish Restaurant

#modernChic #freshAndEasygoing #wontBreakTheBank

Piscis in Piraeus’ Mikrolimano is a contemporary seaside fish restaurant from the Papanikolopoulos family. The à la carte menu includes a choice array of raw seafood, Greek ceviche, fish soup, grilled fish, shellfish, sea urchin, shared plates, and Cycladic and Italian touches.

Varoulko Seaside

Award: One FNL Star, Fish Restaurant

#michelinChef #topQuality #classicInstitution

Varoulko Seaside, Lefteris Lazarou’s Michelin-starred seafood restaurant in Piraeus’ Mikrolimano, is a landmark of modern Greek fish cooking. The menu brings fish, seafood, Greek raw materials, and contemporary technique into a formal seaside restaurant with strong wine service.

THESSALONIKI

New 2 FNL Star Restaurant

Kits kai s’ efaga

Award: Two FNL Stars, Traditional Greek Cuisine, Upgrade

greekComfortFood #sharedPlates #likeHomeCooking

Kits kai s’ efaga is the personal Greek restaurant of chef Lena Todoulou-Fevga and Maria Fallia, with a colorful setting and a deep attachment to Epirus. The cooking is traditional Greek rather than trendy, with handmade pies, legumes, meats, seasonal vegetables, and hearty regional dishes given a warmer, more individual stamp. 

Restaurants Retaining 2 FNL Stars

Deka Trapezia

Award: Two FNL Stars, Contemporary Greek Cuisine

#creativeGreek #smallButGourmet #seasonalProduce

Deka Trapezia is the second Thessaloniki project from chef Manolis Papoutsakis and Giannis Papadogiannakis, created around “free meze” for sharing. Its à la carte cooking has a strong seafood and Cretan thread, with Greek ingredients, small plates, fish, shellfish, good wine, and a more ambitious approach than a standard mezedopoleio. 

Mavri Thalassa

Award: Two FNL Stars, Fish Restaurant

#seafoodInstitution #sustainableFish #pureFlavors

Mavri Thalassa is one of Thessaloniki’s established seafood restaurants, with a polished seaside-district identity and a long reputation for fresh fish. The à la carte menu stays close to Greek fish dining, using regional products, fresh raw materials, sustainable sourcing, shellfish, grilled fish, and classic seafood preparations.

Salonica

Award: Two FNL Stars, Contemporary Greek Cuisine

#fiveStarSetting #contemporaryGreek #regionalReferences

Salonica, at Makedonia Palace, on the seafront, is the hotel’s main restaurant under executive chef Sotiris Evangelou. The à la carte menu combines Greek tradition and modern hotel dining, with raw seafood, caviar and oysters, table-side Greek dips, grilled items, pasta, fish, meat, and Macedonian references. 

Haroupi

Award: Two FNL Stars, Traditional Greek Cuisine

#cretanCuisine #authenticIngredients #worthTheSplurge

Haroupi in Ladadika, is chef Manolis Papoutsakis’s Cretan restaurant, opened as a serious Thessaloniki address for the food of his native island. The cuisine treats Cretan classics with respect and clarity, from carob, snails, greens, lamb, rabbit, pilaf, cheeses, olive oil, and raki to a wine list with a strong Cretan accent.

Restaurants Retaining 1 FNL Star

Olympos Naoussa

Award: One FNL Star

#legendaryName #greekMeetsInternational #newChapter

Olympos Naoussa, at On Residence, revives one of Thessaloniki’s historic restaurant names under executive chef Dimitris Tassioulas. The current à la carte restaurant brings Greek, Balkan, and Mediterranean references into a grand dining setting, with seafood, reworked classics, refined vegetables, lamb, and formal service.

Category: Modern Bistro

Marrone Restaurant

Award: One FNL Star, Modern Bistro, New Entry

#mediterraneanSophistication #refinedMenu #versatile

Marrone Restaurant in Kalamaria, is a Mediterranean comfort-food restaurant associated with chef Konstantinos Slampakis. Its cooking has a contemporary, easy-luxury style, with pasta, risotto, carpaccio, ceviche, seafood, meat, and desserts served in a smart northern-seafront setting.

Clochard

Award: One FNL Star, Modern Bistro

#oldWorldElegance #fineDiningBistro #thessalonikiClassic

In the city center, Clochard remains one of Thessaloniki’s classic polished restaurants, now in the Alpha building, with private dining and a strong wine culture. The cuisine is Greek and international, with fresh ingredients, formal service, a grown-up atmosphere, and the kind of menu that suits business lunches as much as evening dinners.

Local

Award: One FNL Star, Modern Bistro

#everydayBistro #solidChoice #centralLocation

Local is a long-running café-bar-restaurant known for wine, cocktails, coffee, and a high-ceilinged urban setting. With chef Giannis Evangelou formulating recent menus, its food sits in modern Mediterranean territory, from pinsa and pasta to Greek comfort dishes and plates made for an all-day crowd.

To Manitari

Award: One FNL Star, Modern Bistro

#choiceIngredients #businessLunchReady #creativeModern

To Manitari has consultant chef Dimitris Pamporis and head chef Thodoris Kaloidis behind its current cooking, creating urban Greek comfort food with a more creative edge, supported by strong ingredients, and a great wine list.

Category: Gastrotavernas

Voukakrato

Award: One FNL Star, Gastrotaverna, Newcomer

#balkanEchoes #northernGreekProduce #woodFireOven

Voukakrato is a Greek restaurant shaped by Nikolaos Tsompanidis, Apostolos Tsaktsiras, and Christina Maou. The food is direct, ingredient-led, and memory-based, with fire, handmade bread, wine, and the multicultural food story of Thessaloniki and Macedonia running through the experience.

Maitr & Margarita

Award: One FNL Star, Gastrotaverna, New Entry

#creativeGastrotaverna #qualityIngredients #flavorForward

In the old commercial quarter, Maitr & Margarita is a relaxed bistro with chef Sokratis Beligiannis cooking in the open kitchen and Roi Apikou handling service and wine. The food is locally based, seasonal, and made for the middle of the table, with Greek and Mediterranean ideas handled in a casual-dining style rather than formal fine dining.

Trygitis

Award: One FNL Star, Gastrotaverna

#simplicityAtItsFinest #classicYetModern #unpretentious

In Konstantinopolitika, Trygitis is a newer Greek gastrotaverna with a grape as its emblem and a chef-led interest in daily sourcing. The cooking takes familiar Greek products into less predictable combinations, with seafood, meat, seasonal vegetables, wine, and a neighborhood-taverna setting sharpened by modern technique. 

Category: Meat Restaurants

Diagonios

Award: One FNL Star, Meat Restaurant

#bestSoutzoukakia #noFrills #thessalonikiInstitution

Diagonios, in the center, is one of Thessaloniki’s classic grill houses, active since 1977 and famous above all for handmade soutzoukakia. The appeal is narrow and exact: grilled meat, gyros, salads, simple sides, fast service, and a local reputation built on consistency rather than reinvention. 

Palia Athina

Award: One FNL Star, Meat Restaurant

#heartyDining #balkanTraditions #neighborhoodTreasure

Palia Athina is an old-school meat-focused Greek restaurant in Kato Toumba with a strong local following, a wine tradition, and a discreet neighborhood setting. Open since 1976, it belongs to the Thessaloniki tavern world of grilled meats, traditional Greek meat dishes, shared plates, and a cellar that regulars take seriously. 

Category: Fish Restaurants

Psi by Mezen

Award: One FNL Star, Fish Restaurant

#tsipouroPairings #smallPlatesBigFlavor #innovativeSeafood

Near Agia Sofia, Psi by Mezen Psi by Mezen is the Mezen team’s fish butchery, deli, and modern fish tavern, with Grigoris Chelmis leading the kitchen. The concept treats fish like meat, with dry-aged cuts, fish sausages and charcuterie, skewers, schnitzels, burgers, pan-fried dishes, and counter service by day.