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$ | Kolonaki |
Located on pedestrian Voukourestiou Street, where all the most luxurious fashion boutiques are, the Italian-style café serves freshly ground, high-quality espresso and cappuccino and a fresh daily platter of sandwiches and sweets. It is named after the 16th-century pope who gave his blessing to the then-exotic coffee bean.
Voukourestiou 3, Athens, Attica, 10564, Greece
Known For
- Chichi coffee drinking
- Elegant location
- Good, albeit expensive, sandwiches and desserts
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$$ | Plaka |
Daphne's is one of the most exclusive (and at times priciest) destinations in Plaka. The Pompeian frescoes on the walls, the fragments of an ancient Greek building in the garden, and the tasteful restoration of the neoclassical building in terra-cotta and ocher hues also contribute to a pleasant and romantic evening. The refined Mediterranean and Greek dishes (such as pork with celery and egg lemon sauce, fricassee of melt-off-the-bone lamb with greens, rabbit stifado and the traditional moussaka) help make this one of Athens's better restaurants.
Lysikratous 4, Athens, Attica, 10558, Greece
Known For
- Refined Greek cuisine based on quality produce
- Exclusive surroundings
- Excellent Greek wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$$ | Makriyianni |
This famous, historic restaurant just happens to be the spot where movies are often filmed because of its astounding location, looking out to exquisite views of the Acropolis, and it has been an idyllic dining spot for the world's glitterati for decades. Today's plush, renovated establishment serves high-quality, traditional Greek and international dishes with a creative twist. You'll be able to choose from sea bass fillet with fennel risotto, zucchini, and lemon; slow-cooked lamb with orzo; or moussaka with a goat milk béchamel. You can still get traditional Greek appetizers like stuffed vine leaves and grilled octopus. Desserts are similarly international in scope, from baklava to chocolate soufflé.
Rovertou Galli 43, Athens, Attica, 11742, Greece
Known For
- Exclusive ambience
- Magnificent Acropolis views
- A mix of Greek and international food
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$ | Makriyianni |
On a tiny street, across from Takis Bakery, one of Athens's best, is a small spot with outside seats that serves coffee and fresh juices in the morning and turns into something quite different from noon. As the clock strikes 12, you'll hear bubbles and the chatter intensify as drinks (especially Spudorato and other Buglioni wines from Italy, Aperol spritzes, and craft beer from Tinos island) are poured into glasses. These are happily paired with premium cold cuts and cheeses from Greece and around the world. The charcuterie is served until midnight.
Zitrou 20, Athens, Attica, 11742, Greece
Known For
- High quality wines
- Cozy, buzzy ambience
- Takis bakery across the road (owned by the same people)
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$$$$ | Syntagma |
With a skillfully-curated modern Greek-Mediterranean menu of haute cuisine dishes and an excellent wine list, this classic restaurant on the rooftop of the legendary Grand Bretagne hotel makes for an idyllic fine dining experience. Premium meats, hand-picked seasonal ingredients, and the freshest fish are served. Add to that some of the most stunning 360-degree views of the city under the twinkling sky and abundant greenery all around and you're sure to enjoy a stellar dinner.
Vas. Georgiou 1A, Athens, Attica, 10564, Greece
Known For
- Fantastic city views, including the Acropolis
- Creative and flavorsome gourmet dishes
- A stylish VIP crowd
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$ | Koukaki |
In-the-know locals will patiently queue here to get their fill of a fantastic, freshly made sandwich stuffed with deli ingredients of their choice. This small, family-run 1980s place is both vintage and progressive, and despite its huge fan-base remains completely unpretentious. Choose among ingredients like cheeses, chutneys, cold cuts, pickled or marinated vegetables, and seafood to create the sandwich of your dreams, made with fresh artisanal bread. You can also buy fresh salads and freshly-pressed fruit and vegetable juices.
Veikou 41, Athens, Attica, 11471, Greece
Known For
- An excellent variety of deli ingredients
- Friendly, personalized service
- Freshly baked, artisanal bread
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sunday
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$$ | Gazi-Kerameikos |
Housed in a cool, airy building with modern and traditional touches, this lively example of a neo-taverna serves mama's cooking but infused with Gazi's creative energy. Regional specialties, great barrel wine served in lovely carafes, and a familial atmosphere make dining here a pleasure. Warning: when the neutral-tone interior gets busy, it gets almost psychedelically loud. Thankfully, there are outside tables on the street where you can dine in good weather.
Konstantinoupoleos 70, Athens, Attica, 11854, Greece
Known For
- Traditional home-style favorites like slow-cooked lamb and stuffed grape leaves
- Lively atmosphere great for groups of friends
- Excellent house wine
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$ | Omonia Sq. |
For a true taste of bygone Athens, don't miss Krinos, an endearingly old-timey café that serves Athens's best loukoumades—irresistible, doughnutlike fritters sprinkled with cinnamon and drizzled with a honeyed syrup based on a Smyrna recipe. Krinos has been serving the treat since it opened its doors in the 1920s.
Aiolou 87, Athens, Attica, 10531, Greece
Known For
- The city's best loukoumades
- Excellent cream pies (bougatsa)
- Kaimaki ice cream
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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$$$ | Kolonaki |
Located on the rooftop of the St. George Lycabettuys hotel, this restaurant offers some of the most jaw-dropping panoramic vistas of the city as well as high quality dishes. Upon enetering the restaurant guests are immediately faced with a wall of photos presenting all the celebrity guests who have dined here. Arrive at sunset and start with a cocktail as you look out to the Acropolis and the sea behind it, a truly breathtaking view. The menu is based on Greek-Mediterranean ingredients, recipes, and tastes and the food is sophisticated and generally pleasing but not as remarkable as what your eyes will feast on.
Kleomenous 2, Athens, Attica, 10675, Greece
Known For
- Stunning panoramic views
- Fine dining with good service
- Elegant ambience
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$ | Syntagma |
There's nothing like an ice cream to revive flailing, sweaty spirits on a hot day of touring the city. Le Greche serves fresh, handmade ice cream made with pure ingredients and inspired by Italian gelato, as well as cakes and sorbets.
16 Mitropoleos, Athens, Attica, 10563, Greece
Known For
- High-quality ice cream and sorbet
- Central location
- Good coffee
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$ | Gazi-Kerameikos |
Athenians have been known historically as meat lovers, but they are beginning to discover the merits of creative, sophisticated, and delicious vegetarian cuisine. The popularity of this bistro attests to the fact with a modern and playful layout that includes a charming back garden and a seasonal menu packed with guilt-free, nutritious vegan and vegetarian choices. The food here offers a wealth of taste bud-pleasing flavors. Try the Greek salad on a rusk made from carob, topped with almond "goat" cheese, and sip the lemonade with turmeric, agave, and cayenne pepper. The restaurant eagerly explores all avenues in healthy, trendy cuisine.
Dekeleon 23, Athens, Attica, 11854, Greece
Known For
- Raw vegan homemade cheeses
- Fresh, crispy salads and vegan burgers
- Gluten-free and raw options
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$ | Kolonaki |
Fresh pasta cooked to order and made to go make Mailo's, recently opened and super-popular, a great option for anyone craving a quick, hot meal without the fuss. This place is especially ideal for families or shoppers wanting to stop for a quick bite that's nutritious, packed with flavor, and prepared. There are a few seats outside if you'd rather sit.
Patriarchou Ioakim 39, Athens, Attica, 10675, Greece
Known For
- Fresh pasta
- Great variety of recipes
- Freshly made food
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$$ | Monastiraki |
In the city's main shopping district, the compact but modern Melilotos offers a large variety of refreshing, quick-bite options based on traditional Greek dishes with influences from other cuisines. The menu offers a large array of dishes at reasonable prices. Grilled meats, wholesome salads, Greek pastas, macrobiotic and vegetarian options, as well as quality coffee and dessert are all on the menu.
Kalamiotou 19, Athens, Attica, 10560, Greece
Known For
- A modern take on traditional Greek
- Healthy options
- Reasonable prices
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$$ | Plaka |
Melina is dedicated to its namesake, the dynamic Never on Sunday actress turned Minister of Culture, Melina Mercouri. Set on a scenic, village-style Plaka street framed by pink bougainvillea, the tables are always packed. On a hot afternoon try the delectable club sandwich on crisp sourdough bread, creamy egg salad, or seafood salad; at night try the peppered fillet or "Melina chicken." The desserts here are great, too, including a rich chocolate sokolatina (pudding cake) and a syrupy orange portokalopita cake (made from shredded phyllo), with a strong Greek coffee.
Lysiou 22, Athens, Attica, 10556, Greece
Known For
- Buzzy atmosphere
- Good food you can linger over
- Traditional desserts
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$$ | Kolonaki |
Inspired in its decor and the names of the dishes on the menu by old Hollywood glamour, this was Athens's first farm-to-table restaurant. Having received several awards over the years for its top quality ingredients—mainly organic and sourced from small producers—as well as its great service and many healthy comfort-food options, it's also set up in Kifissia and Mykonos. The all-day restaurant has an easy-going and upbeat urban ambience and serves creative as well as classic modern Greek, Mediterranean, and North American-inspired cuisine to suit all tastes, moods and dietary requirements. You can head here for a full brunch, lunch, or dinner or order a great bottle of wine accompanied by several appetizers to share with friends. If you have a sweet tooth, don't miss out on the dairy and sugar-free olive oil ice cream, which comes in several indulgent flavors.
Omirou 60, Athens, Attica, 10672, Greece
Known For
- Top quality ingredients put together in a flavorsome way
- Many healthy, tasty choices for vegans and vegetarians
- Excellent brunch menu
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$$ | Syntagma | Mediterranean
A recent addition to the trendy Syntagma nightlife scene, Noel is the kind of bar-restaurant that people talk about with a smile on their face. The casual and modern Mediterranean menu is wide ranging and internationally oriented, including everything from pizzas to pastas to chicken curry. Its bold "holiday" theme is bolstered by a high-ceilinged interior decorated with exotically dark Italian Renaissance art juxtaposed with in-your-face Christmas-inspired glee in the form of twinkling lights and feel-good tunes. The avant-garde cocktail menu is inspired by dramatic figures like the Lord of Lombardy.
Kolokotroni 59B, Athens, Attica, 10562, Greece
Known For
- Cheerful holiday theme
- Excellent and innovative cocktails
- Brunch
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$$ | Syntagma |
With a near-cultish following since it opened a few years ago, Nolan is the only restaurant in town serving original Greek-Asian cuisine, creatively prepared with Michelin-style attention by its Greek-Japanese executive chef/owner. The dishes here are designed to be shared, so diners can taste as many of the intriguing combinations of fusion ingredients as possible. The food is sophisticated, sometimes complex, yet always comforting and fun.
Voulis 31--33, Athens, Attica, 10557, Greece
Known For
- Original, playful recipes
- Unique, comforting flavors
- Uplifting vibe
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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$ | Syntagma |
Sip quality coffee in the pretty garden setting of a neoclassical mansion-turned-museum. Whether you want to see the country's most extensive collection of coins spanning through the ages or just head for the café to meet a friend, the experience is always pleasant. The menu includes salads, light snacks, and desserts as well as wine and soft drinks.
Panepistimiou 12, Athens, Attica, 10671, Greece
Known For
- Live jazz music every Thursday night
- Sophisticated and scenic ambience
- Good coffee
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$ | Plaka |
Traditional-looking Glikis and its shady, secluded courtyard are perfect for a Greek coffee or ouzo and a mikri pikilia (a small plate of appetizers, including cheese, sausage, olives, and dips).
Aggelou Geronta 2, Athens, Attica, 10558, Greece
Known For
- Pikilia, ouzo-accompanying appetizers
- Young crowd
- Shady spot for a refreshment
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$$ | Plaka |
On a picturesque pedestrianized square, this is one of the oldest tavernas in Plaka (established 1932). Although not as good as it was during its glory years when intellectuals and artists sat here sipping retsina until the early hours, it's still worth a stop. It is a district landmark—set midway between the Tower of the Winds and the Museum of Greek Popular Musical Instruments. Most of the crowds prefer to relax under the courtyard's plane trees (which give the place its name) rather than dine inside the cozy dining room, at least when the weather is pleasant. Locals come here because the food is good Greek home cooking. Don't miss the oven-baked potatoes, lamb or veal casserole with spinach or eggplant, the stuffed squid, and the cheap but delicious barrel retsina. It's also open for lunch.
Diogenous 4, Athens, Attica, 10556, Greece
Known For
- Beautiful setting under plane trees
- Traditional Greek cooking like stuffed squid and lamb casserole
- Pitchers of the house retsina
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. June–Aug. No dinner Sun., No credit cards