151 Best Restaurants in Greece

On a cliff-side setting by the brilliantly painted huts of Mandrakia is the island's best fish taverna. The very essence of summer is to be had on the large terrace on the waterfront. The view is sublime but the food more than punches its weight. Order a bottle of white from their well-chosen list and enjoy the best seafood with the waves splashing by your feet. With a no reservations policy, be prepared to wait for a table.

This traditional Turkish coffeehouse dubiously claims to be the oldest of its kind in Europe. Whether or not the claim has legs, it has belonged to the same family for over 200 years, and its creaking floor and topsy-turvy interior are testament to its advanced age. If the 14th-century setting and authentic decor doesn't hook you, the coffee will. No matter your vice—whether it's caffeine, nicotine or sugar, this is the spot—it also doubles as a shisha and baklawa bar. Annoyingly, and counterintuitively, it opens late morning.

Choose among classic specialties at this old-fashioned mezedopoleio (restaurant serving mezes) founded in 1932: fresh fish grilled or fried, delicately flavored pastas, delightful seafood and traditional meat dishes. Try the cheerful barrel red or ouzo, fine companions to your meal. The decor is no-nonsense ouzeri, with marble tables, dark wood, and framed memorabilia. It's a favorite of attorneys, politicians, and local office workers. A new branch of this eatery has recently opened at Mitropoleos 34, in Central Athens, with the same menu but a more modern interior.

A successful cooperative venture that has been delighting locals with their delicious seafood and veggie innovations for a few years now. Apart from the regular table seating there is a stainless steel bar in front of the open kitchen where you can watch the chefs strut their stuff up close as you chow down. Every tantalizing dish is well thought out and is interestingly presented. Why not start with the cheeses, served with pickled fern and nettle, a myrtle jam and a sprinkling haroupi crumbs? Moving on, the black bean cassoulet with smoked swordfish and cod roe or the pan-fried crayfish finished with a garlic goat butter are outstanding. The wine list is decent, house wine fine but here the drink of choice seems to be raki.

This romantic spot serves seafood and traditional Greek fare at a quiet edge of the seafront, with the sea caressing the beach just a few feet from the tables as classical music tinkles in the background. Fresh fish is grilled with a blend of mountain herbs, and the succulent pork served with plums is an island speciality not to be missed. Attentive service is a standout, even on this friendly island.

This social enterprise restaurant was founded by four Greek women seeking to integrate the refugee population into island society. Volunteer-run and offering employment to refugees from the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond, the refugee chefs cook a global cuisine: you can start your meal with Syrian tabbouleh, then have Ethiopian fava stew as a main, and an Afghan sweet for dessert. Pick up a copy of their cookbook as a souvenir of your visit.

An intimate little garden, away from the wind and noise, is a secret culinary haven where candlelit tables carry dishes for the gods in the moonlit sky above. Nostimon means "delicious," and it doesn't disappoint as it offers tasty modernized Greek classics. The cooking is authentic but elevated with interesting flavors and textures—an average Greek taverna this is not.

The wine barrel by the front door is the first hint that this cozy ouzeri, tucked into a side street off the harbor, is a place to sit back, relax, order the house tipple, and indulge. The dark-wood setting is truly gorgeous, and daily specials present some innovative takes on the classics; the stuffed onions and the pork with plums are especially delicious, while the six-hour slow-cooked lamb leg deserves a special mention. An old standby is the pork bebelis, sliced tenderloin slathered in a delicious pepper and cream sauce that is best when liberally mopped up with bread—the ultimate Galaxidi comfort food.

Family portraits hang below a wood-beam ceiling that shows off its 19th-century distillery origins, but it is the jasmine-scented yard that sees most of the theater. Traditional cuisine is combined with modern gastronomy to great applause—this is food worth cheering. Turkish influences appear in the use of citrus, soft fruits, spices, and salads are particularly inventive, but let the menu lead you where you fancy; you will not be disappointed.

Also know as Elias's Garden restaurant, this simple taverna with a traditional Greek menu and a waterfall in the garden attracts everyone from visiting royalty to Olympic-medal winners. Kids get their own pethika piata (kids' plates). Unusual appetizers include spicy fried feta with peppers and grilled mushrooms. Among the main dishes are beef stamna (baked in a covered clay pot with herbs, potatoes, and cheese), rabbit with onions stew, a range of local village sausages and perfectly fried vegetable croquettes.

Want sublime seafood pasta or risotto? Head to a place like this one, where the owner is a local fisherman and everything served is the catch of the day. Here the family cooks traditional village recipes and Macedonian specialties, such as melitzana horiatiki (an eggplant, tomato, feta, garlic, and olive oil salad). Try the catch of the day served head to tail. The owner's efforts have received gourmet awards for dishes like his lively tuna carpaccio, yet the place remains unpretentious and reasonably well priced for a seafood restaurant. They even produce their own olive oil, wine, and tsipouro. Don't confuse this modern, cream-hued restaurant with the snack bar with the same name up the road.

Magic happens in the kitchens of this farm-to-table eatery. A handwritten menu in a school exercise book guides you around the local approach of the Psatha family; if they can't grow it or rear it themselves, they don't sell it. The ingredients in front of you are born of the sun and the earth, all served in a leafy courtyard where geraniums fight for space with herbs for the pot. Quirky touches abound—your bread hangs from the back of your chair in a string bag, and meals are served on handmade terracotta—but it all makes sense in this singular evocation of the island's terroir.

Hidden away in a more tranquil part of the old town, this gorgeous restaurant hits the spot for those seeking a bit of peace and quiet away from the crowds. The tables, scattered across a large cobbled square, are shaded by an enormous, gnarled ficus tree, with the backdrop of a UNESCO-listed site of antiquity—the partially ruined Ottoman mosque of Recep Pasha. On the menu are slow-cooked meats, pasta, and popular seafood dishes; plus, it has a dedicated gluten-free and vegetarian menu.

Included in the Michelin guide each of the four years since it opened, this fine-dining restaurant just minutes from Syntagma Square is led by chef Giorgos Toklas, who reimagines flavors and textures through his unique vision. The beautifully presented dishes that make up the restaurant's tasting menu (diners can also order à la carte) are delectable, delicate, and deeply satisfying. Starting with fluffy sourdough bread with a perfectly crunchy exterior accompanied by a caramel-like butter with truffle powder, diners are treated to dishes like raw bonito with almonds, maple, and chili sauce, cod wrapped sushi-like in nori and dressed in champagne sauce and lamb with a creamy, tangy Kalathaki cheese and semi-dry olives. Pairing options are available and the cocktails are refreshing and well-mixed; do not leave without trying the Okio margarita, made with tequila, homemade mango cordial, and Caslamansi citrus from the Philippines—the very definition of umami bliss. 

If the smell of grilled meat is following you around Skopelos Town, it's likely wafting from this place. Meat and seafood are the specialty here, but the wide selection of traditional Greek sides will more than cater to diners who aren't so heavy on the meat. The atmosphere, set among the rustic courtyard of an old olive oil factory, is tranquil and romantic, and the service unhurried and friendly. Portions are large, so arrive hungry.

This spot where Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas once danced is a vision in minimalist island stone and white. The restaurant-bar is set in the high-ceiling Hydra Nautical Club and the deck outside, which affords an exquisite sea view. Gourmet seafood dishes, and lively salads are the light standards that will help ensure you keep the energy levels up if you choose to stay on and dance the night away as the night time revelry kicks in and cocktails start flowing.

Dine on the seafront veranda in movie-star style at the iconic Poseidonion Grand Hotel, where this award-winning restaurant serves local island dishes that have been inventively redefined. Many ingredients come straight from the hotel's own organic farm, harmoniously complementing the headlining fresh seafood. The renewed menu now centers on traditional Greek flavors with an elegant twist, with even gigantes giant beans in tomato sauce being transformed in a comforting yet more refined experience. The sommelier is happy to help you pair your dishes of choice with some of Greece's finest wines. All this overlooking Poseidonion Square and the Argo-Saronic gulf beyond. Reservations are essential. Next door is the trendy Palms Bar where they serve delicious cocktails and sushi.

Though an increasing number of restaurants are catering to vegans and vegetarians these days on the island, restaurants where you can find truly outstanding such dishes are thin on the ground. This ingenious restaurant rises to that occasion. The soy-and-lentil moussaka is as light and cheesy as anything you'll ever taste, which accompanies an ever-changing menu of bites and larger dishes, most with a Middle Eastern influence.

Fancy dining with the sand between your toes and the waves lapping nearby? Palatia on Agia Anna Beach fits the bill with traditional fare and a stunning view. Decorated in simple Cycladic style, with tables on the beach itself the menu features fresh seafood specialties and Naxian plates created with locally sourced ingredients. The whole beach dining scene can only be bettered if accompanied by a blazing sunset.

Picture this: it's twilight and you're sitting under bitter-orange trees at one of Athens's best fish restaurants, in the heart of Kolonaki (with a view of the Parthenon if you book it in advance) as you sip a perfectly chilled glass of wine and wait for your order of succulent seafood to arrive. There's muted conversation at the gleaming white-tablecloth tables around you, where opinion makers, theater directors, and loyal customers relax. You may start with a bowl of creamy and flavorsome kakavia fish soup that waitress pours out of a large silver teapot, and then progress to steamed mussels and chili-fried shrimp with feta, before digging into a beautifully baked fish like white grouper with orzo and lemon on the grill with seasonal vegetables. Indoors, the cool-in-summer and cozy-in-winter interiors have walls covered by giant, colorful paintings and a silver wall sculpture of fish.

Elegant but unpretentious and located in Piraeus's prettiest spot—the Mikrolimano (little port) marina where sailboats, fishing boats, and yachts bob up and down in the sea—Papaioannou is a classic fish restaurant for those craving every kind of seafood (from mouthwatering razor clams, crawfish with spinach, and sea urchin, to marinated, grilled calamari and fried giant shrimp). For romantics, the ideal time to visit is sunset, although this is a great place to take your family for a fish feast or even have a stylish and tasty business lunch.

This family-run taverna at the foot of Mt. Parnitha is popular for its mountain views and cozy fireplace in the winter, as well as for its serene garden with tall plane trees providing a much needed respite from the summer heat. The menu is built around grilled meat, mostly ribs and chops, served by the kilo on heaping platters. Accompaniments include lightly fried zucchini, eggplant chips for dipping in the yogurt-garlic tzatziki, and delicious pies of wild greens wrapped in thick, hand-rolled phyllo.

Just around the headland west of Yialos harbor, Paradeisos nestles next to the closest stretch of beach to town, where it rents loungers for €5 a day and offers an array of water sports plus chilled beers, snacks, and dips, and even a small library of tattered paperbacks for beach reading.

Totem poles, colorful coconut lamps, tiki masks, and a raffia roof make this beach bar endearing in its evocation of the South Pacific, as if the setting wasn't transporting enough. Serving omelets, fruits, yogurt, and sweet Greek coffee for breakfast, the rest of the day runs an eclectic Asian-Mexican menu, alongside pasta and pizzas. Loved for over 25 years, it attracts a bohemian crowd who appreciate the diverse soundtrack and cracking cocktails.

Kalavrita has far more to offer, dining-wise, than its seaside cousin. This peaceful spot, just south of the busy Kalavrita Square, has an outdoor space away from the crowds, beneath a shady tree. The menu is just as comforting, and the lamb shank is some of the tenderest meat you'll come across. Rustic favorites, from rooster to wild boar, bulk out a menu that doesn't disappoint. 

In a restored sea captain's mansion, stone walls and arches provide the backdrop to some of the best food in Crete: traditional cuisine brought to life with modern techniques and presentation. A 24-acre farm is dedicated to supplying the restaurant with seasonal local produce, much of it organic, and the flavors really shine through. Stand-out bread is made from ancient grains, salads are creative, and there is pure theater when syglino, smoked pork chop, is bought to the table in a paper bag with smoldering thyme and sage leaves. Punchy cheeses, plentiful vegan and vegetarian options, and a brilliant wine list make this a must-go destination. Reservations are needed in high season as it gets very busy.

Set on the shady square where Hippocrates reputedly once taught in the shade of a vast plane tree, Platanos is a breezy space with an airy inner lounge and outdoor tables. Its limited menu of thoughtful mains utilizing only the best local ingredients is testimony to the attention paid to the cookery here—think glazed octopus slathered in grape molasses. Live music accompanies meals on some evenings, to boot.

For one of the best dining experiences in the city look no further than Presvia restaurant/bar. Housed in a carefully restored two-story listed building, formerly the Italian Embassy—hence the name Presvia, the Greek word for embassy. Owners George Tsolis and Yianna Tefa have expertly come up with playful takes on Greek and Mediterranean dishes. In summer you can dine out in the lovely courtyard or on the breezy little porch.

From flaky, buttery croissants to eggs Benedict on smoked salmon-covered brioche to many more sinful and super-satisfying bites and top-quality coffee blends, this is the ideal stop for a leisurely morning start or a quick, delicious escape from the city's frenetic pace.

A 19th-century mansion is the stage for one of Santorini's most storied eateries; a traditional white exterior and glossy painted door lead to a chic interior and a terrace with caldera views on all sides; people call to not only make reservations but to request specific tables. The food is a match for the surroundings; assured and confident, it is an elevated take on the traditional island cuisine with a very seductive wine list to complement it.