Where to Eat in Athens: 14 Best Restaurants

Greece is known for its rich history, being the birthplace of world-renowned empires and cultural heritage, and its capital of Athens is no exception. 

The beating heart of the country’s mainland, the coastal city is also the largest in Greece, brimming with crumbling ruins, fascinating museums, and a fantastic foodie scene. 

In fact, Athens has developed a reputation over the years thanks to its delectable cuisine and excellent restaurants. In recent years, the city has transformed its culinary offerings to accommodate hip and modern eateries serving fusion and fine dining. But still, it manages to preserve the traditional and age-old restaurants, showcasing the very best of authentic and hearty greek cuisine. 

We’d even go as far as to say that Athens is a foodie paradise, allowing guests to sample a wealth of international, and local, flavors and dishes all in one place with some of the most experienced chefs and gastronomes in the world. 

So, for those looking to sample some of the best food to eat in Greece, this is the place to be. This is why in this blog post we have highlighted the best spots to eat and the best Athens restaurants, to offer visitors the ultimate culinary experience in this city. 

Whether it be fine dining or traditional tavernas to eat in Athens, prepare to be taken on a culinary journey to discover Greece’s unique cuisine for yourself in one of the greatest food destinations in the world.

Aleria  

Offering stylish and contemporary dining alongside innovative cuisine, Aleria Athens Restaurant is one of the best establishments offering fine dining in Athens. 

Located in the central Metaxourgeio neighborhood, Aleria is housed in a 19th-century neoclassical setting in which the eatery’s head Chef, Gikas Xenakis, produces some of the best food in Greece. He utilizes modern culinary techniques to tantalize diners’ palettes, in dishes including Crab with fennel, peach, and chamomile, and pear with pumpkin seed, fir tree honey, and lemon balm, which is why it’s considered to be one of the top restaurants in Athens.

Aleria is open from 7 pm until 12:30 am from Monday to Saturday. 

Vassilenas

Taking a more urban approach to its fine dining, Vassilenas has been honing its craft in creating some of the best Athens cuisine since its opening in 1920. 

This eatery has been on a journey, from what once was a quaint taverna in the poorer Piraeus neighborhood in the early 1900s, it is now a thriving modern restaurant offering cosmopolitan and contemporary Greek cuisine to its guests. 

Vassilenas prides itself on its exceptional service, and its utilization of the best fresh produce, alongside advanced culinary techniques, to produce truly unique and unrivaled dishes. 

The restaurant is open from 7 pm until 12 am from Monday to Saturday and from 1 pm until 5:30 pm on Sunday.

360° Cocktail Bar and Restaurant 

If you’re in search of one of the best restaurants in Athens with a view, then look no further than 360° Cocktail Bar and Restaurant. 

It’s one of the many fancy restaurants in Athens, offering panoramic views of the city from its rooftop terrace. The restaurant is set in Monastiraki in the city and offers an exceptional dining experience in which guests can also savor exquisite views over Athens’ skyline.

The restaurant and cocktail bar is open from 9 am until 3 am from Monday to Friday and from 9 am until 4 am on Saturday and Sunday. 

GB Roof Garden

The eatery GB Roof Garden offers delicious Mediterranean and modern haute cuisine alongside views of a selection of Athens’ best sites, including the Parthenon and Syntagma Square.

What’s best about this venue is its views across to the Acropolis of Athens, the city’s UNESCO World Heritage Site and most widely recognized landmark. 

A great location if you’re thinking about where to go for dinner, GB Roof Garden is open from 6:30 am until 11 am and 1 pm until 2 am from Monday to Friday, and from 7 until 11 am and 1 pm until 2 am on Saturday and Sunday. 

Orizontes

Often regarded as one of the best restaurants in Athens, Orizontes’ unrivaled rooftop views are so amazing that you’ll even need to get a cable car to get there.

The Mediterranean restaurant serves mainly seafood cuisine and guests can sit on its panoramic terrace situated atop Lycabettus Hill. We’d recommend going at night, where you can savor the delicious dishes by candlelight, with the glistening lights of the city below. 

Serving some of the best Greek food in Athens, Orizontes is open from 9 am until 2 am from Monday until Saturday and from 9 am until 12 am on Sunday. 

Sense

Serving up locally sourced and seasonal dishes on its spectacular rooftop terrace, Sense Rooftop Restaurant offers modern Greek cuisine at its finest. 

Sense is situated in the city’s historic center, offering views of the charming ancient streets of Athens, alongside the striking Acropolis.

You’ll find the restaurant on the top of the 7th floor of the hotel AthensWas, and it’s a perfectly idyllic spot for a romantic greek dinner with a partner. 

Sense is open from 12 pm until 12:30 am every day.

Hytra

Offering a lustrous dining experience, Hytra Restaurant and Bar is a gourmet eatery and Michelin star restaurant in Athens offering an innovative and imaginative culinary experience to its guests. 

Hytra’s menu is unlike anything else, serving distinctive dishes boasting a culmination of rich and varied flavors, using locally sourced ingredients. 

With a modern and welcoming atmosphere, this is one of the most exquisite and famous restaurants in Greece that you can’t miss. 

Hytra is open from 7 pm until 2 am every day of the week.  

Spondi

Spondi Restaurant’s contemporary dining experience allows guests to savor some of the finest Greek and Mediterranean cuisines. 

The Michelin Star eatery’s ambiance and atmosphere are enhanced by its stone vaulted interiors dotted with chandeliers. Changing with the seasons, the menu offers imaginative creations cooked up by the chefs Arnaud Bignon and Kostas Koufalis, experts in their craft, which is why the restaurant serves up some of the finest dishes in all of the local Athens restaurants. 

Spondi is open from 7:30 am until 1 is every day of the week.

Kanaria

Known for serving the best shrimp in the whole of Athens, Kanaria is one of the best places to eat in Athens to sample the seafood delicacies harvested from the neighboring Aegean Sea. 

Whilst many may think a great seafood eatery must have a sea view, the best seafood restaurants in Athens, on the contrary, are located in the city’s historic backstreets. Truly traditional in decor and serving only a select few dishes, Kanaria has hit the nail on the head when it comes to creating mouthwatering seafood options.

Kanaria is open from 8 am until 2 am every day, making it an ideal destination for dinner or lunch in Athens to savor the city’s splendid seafood. 

Varoulko

But if a seafront view is more your style, Varoulko is a Michelin-starred seafood restaurant that guarantees a memorable experience for those in search of traditional Greek food in Athens which incorporates the flavors of the sea to their full potential. 

The restaurant’s renowned chef, Lefteris Lazarou, takes creativity to a new level, offering his unique take on humble Greek dishes that you won’t find elsewhere, such as a traditional minced-meat moussaka made instead with crayfish – a bold and innovative move if we do say so ourselves!

Varoulko is open from 1 pm until 12 am every day.

The Underdog

Having become somewhat of a pillar of Athen’s brunch and breakfast culture, The Underdog offers a welcoming and friendly atmosphere for those in search of a place to perch and experience one of the best breakfast places in Athens. 

Only a 3-minute stroll from the Temple of Hephaestus, offering a central location to start your day, this specialty coffee roasting company serves delicious and sustainable coffee alongside a varied selection of breakfast and brunch options. These are available all day, which makes it one of the top places for eating in Athens if you ever get a hankering for breakfast past midday! It is open daily from 8 am until 7 pm. 

Zampano

Located in a neoclassical building with a chic, industrial interior with elements of rustic character, Zampano is situated in the Psyrri area of the city and continues to serve up some of the best food in Athens for your breakfast or brunch. 

In its delicious breakfast menu items, the restaurant weaves ingredients that are the pillars of Greek cuisine, from sesame and honey to feta cheese and tomatoes, giving you a true flavor of Greece.

Zampano is open from 8:30 am until 12:30 am on Fridays and Saturdays from 8:30 am until 12 am on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and from 8:30 am until 4 pm on Mondays.

The Old Tavern of Psarras

Since 1898, Psarra’s Tavern, meaning ‘old fisherman’s tavern’, has been one of the leaders of Athen’s traditional taverna scene serving hearty Greek cuisine to its diners. Situated in the beautiful city area of Plaka, the eatery is only around the corner from the steps of Monsikleus in a striking neoclassical building with ochre-colored walls.

The eatery has developed its reputation for its fresh fish dishes and traditional, humble Greek recipes. Loved by all, even the most esteemed of intellectuals, including the famous Greek George Katsimballs, the restaurant is a pillar of the community and an unrivaled restaurant in Athens. 

Psarra’s Tavern is open from 11:30 am until 12:30 am every day. 

To Kati Allo 

Run by two generations of Athens locals, To Kati Allo is one of the best tavernas in Athens that you wouldn’t otherwise know is there, making it a hidden gem in the city. 

A quintessential Greek taverna, the restaurant is situated down a charming street not far from the Acropolis Museum, if you’re looking for things to do whilst in the city. The Bakatselos family, who owns the establishment, have been cooking up a storm for locals and tourists alike for over 30 years, giving you a truly authentic dining experience with authentic greek dishes served in a family-friendly atmosphere. 

To Kati Allo is open from 11 am until 12 am every day of the week.