Athens vibrant restaurant scene is marked by a delightful culture of casual, convivial al fresco dining. From a quick souvlaki to a drawn-out evening sharing round after round of meze and tsipouro, city life is built around the simple pleasures of eating and sharing food, so you are spoilt for choice. A new generation of chefs draws inspiration from Greece’s regional cuisine and local produce; This results in an interesting blend of culinary sophistication and grandmas’ home-style cooking.
Below, you will find some of my favorite restaurants where you can eat well without spending a fortune.
Nolan
Since Nolan’s opening in 2016, the culinary landscape in Athens has become significantly more thrilling. Nevertheless, this cozy spot remains among the most sought-after dining experiences in the city. The short, deceptively straightforward menu excels at sophisticated comfort food, such as the panko-crusted cod burger in a bao bun or chicken nuggets bobbing on a sea of silken mashed potato.
Döner Tzh
Döner Tzh was opened in Nea Smyrni by Yilmaz and his wife Sultan a few years ago. From the outset, their aim has been to serve dishes from Turkey that are difficult to find in similar restaurants in Athens. The seasoned beef doner, meaning “rotating, is cooked in a vertical cast-iron structure with charcoal holders, which gives a distinct flavor to the meat. Here you can also find Mandi, handmade dumplings filled with minced beef and lamb, served with a sour sauce of yogurt, garlic, melted butter, mint and two different hot peppers.
Feedέλ Urban Gastronomy
In this cozy restaurant you will enjoy Greek dishes in a very “Nouvelle Cuisine” approach, cooked with absolute care. In contrast to older typical Greek cuisine, Chef Koutsopoulos and his Team, offer a version of modern Greek cooking, which is characterized by lighter, more delicate dishes and with an increased emphasis on presentation.
Karamanlidika tou Fani
Housed in a beautiful 19th-century neoclassical building on the lower side of busy Ermou Street in the Monastiraki neighborhood, Karamanlidika tou Fani is the kind of place that you always hope to find when you travel. There is a well-priced menu including hot and cold meze plates with a wide selection of meats and cheeses, sourced from artisanal producers all over the country. The highlight though, is Prosfournia, baked in the wood-fired oven. The dough is made with high-quality local flour and are topped with their excellent cheeses and/or cold cuts to create a delicious result that is head and shoulders above pizza.
Park Bench
It was opened in August 2018 and it is located in a green square in the backstreets of Koukaki neighborhood. Great seating, simple but stylish design and an open kitchen that put transparency on cooking procedure. Their menu has hints of Asian and Mediterranean cuisines, with a long list of traditional Greek ingredients which are paired and plated in a more contemporary, fusion style.
Mani Mani
One of the restaurants recommended by The New York Times for visitors in Athens—and rightly so—is situated within a neoclassical building on Falirou Street. For more than a decade, it has been offering Greek cuisine inspired by the owners birthplace of Mani in the Peloponnese, from where many of the ingredients used to prepare the menu are obtained. The space, elegantly simple and beautiful, is organized into separate rooms, maintaining the original structure of the building.
Linou Soumpasis k Sia
The rise of the new-age taverna is the city’s ultimate foodie flex: creative, contemporary Greek cuisine that circles back to the simple pleasures of homestyle cooking. No one has articulated this as exceptionally well as Linou Soumpasis k sia. Here, the menu changes daily according to season, weather and availability, with a commitment to using only the freshest, raw produce with minimal waste. Its kakavia (fish soup) is already a legend in town, but even a simple tomato salad is unforgettable.
Rakor
Picture your home kitchen expanded to its fullest, surrounded by good friends and filled with your favorite foods. This is the essence of Rakor restaurant in Kerameikos. The concept was born from the minds of Marinos and Gianna, aspiring to craft a laid-back dining spot where classic dishes take on a new identity. The menu changes daily, infusing even the simplest dish with a creative touch. Soups receive their deserved attention, salads evolve into complete meals, and even the most straightforward chicken dish stands out as excellent.
Written by Dimitris Papageorgiou
