Looking for restaurant recommendations in the Plaka area of Athens. Outside eating a must.

Go to Kolonaki neighborhood for authentic Greek food.

Rooftop restaurant of the Electra Metropolis Athens hotel.
(if you stay there, the included breakfast is great too)

As we walked up the main drag of the Plaka, dozens of owners tried to coax us into their place, all had outdoor seating.
The menus were remarkably similar. We just looked over the plates of the diners. & went in when we saw something we liked.

Plaka is full of tourist trap restaurants. Avoid anywhere that has hawkers outside, and places with pictures of menu items displayed outside the premises. HappyTrvlr has a good suggestion to look in Kolonaki, a fashionable residential area in central Athens with many upscale restaurants.
https://www.greeka.com/attica/athens...oods/kolonaki/

We loved our casual lunch of souvlaki at O Thanasis (Mitropoleos 69, just off Monastiraki Square) with a very large outside seating area.

Their tzatziki was wonderful, as well as chicken souvlaki, pork souvlaki, and shish kebab (with mixed lamb and beef). Our visit was many years ago, please check their more recent reviews.

Kolonaki is right up the hill from Cycladic and Benaki museums, not far from Syntagma Sq. My friend used to live there.

The Plaka is filled with tourist traps. I'm not saying the food isn't good but it's mostly geared to tourists.

You'll have better results by going to the Psiri District just behind Athinas St.

Lots of locals, more atmosphere and a lively scene.

Athens is filled with numerous tavernas and you'll be overwhelmed with options, so many that it's almost impossible to decide.

Avoid tavernas with gaudy colorful photos of food and mostly in English.

You can check out the many tavernas I've been to not only in Athens but all over Greece. Most are not geared to tourists with better prices and more atmosphere.

Hover your cursor over a photo to get a description.

https://tinyurl.com/yyrqkp2x