462 Best Restaurants in Greece

Steps away from Ammoudi beach, this tavern serves up Cretan classics on a sea-scented veranda overlooking the ocean. Proud of their local ingredients, the family-led team at Arismari offer traditional flavors that respect their culinary heritage. Strong on simply prepared seafood and fish, the menu also offers snails and sea herbs collected from the neighboring shores. Perhaps best is to take a slice of the pie of the day, some freshly fried calamari, and to raise a glass of house wine to the waves that break on the sands.

Ark is part of the Asteras Complex, an attempt to turn a strip of coast into your entire day: lounging, dinner, drinks, dancing. Ark, however, is focused on the culinary side, and under the guidance of chef Yannis Baxevanis it is a tempting affair. By day the café churns out smoothies, excellent coffees, and cakes; by night its waterside setting (including tables that line a jetty jutting into the harbor) indulges chef's Greek-French culinary leanings, from organic beef tenderloin served with a potato tart, to his signature wild local sea bass cooked in a wood-fired oven.

An alternative to the classic Greek taverna can be found at this boutique-style restaurant. Owner and chef Dimitri Doxakis harnesses his experience working in kitchens in England, France, and Switzerland to create a fusion of French, Italian, and Greek cuisine, with dishes like chicken leg crusted in Parmesan, beetroot risotto, and a signature salad with green apples, avocado, and a lemon-honey vinaigrette. For dessert, few can resist the chocolate croquettes and mandarin slices in a vanilla cream sauce. The seating area is a modern cubist design highlighted with purple and green wall lights.

Famously known as Zonars until falling into new ownership recently, Athenee is one of Athens's most established and elegant restaurant-cafés, where a multitude of international film stars, academics, and politicians have sipped their coffee since 1939. Located on the cosmopolitan Voukourestiou street, the plush Art Deco decor, elegant atmosphere, and sophisticated crowd create a feeling of nostalgic old-style luxury combined with modern urban liveliness. Throughout the day Athenee caters to all culinary desires, offering plush brunches, modern Greek dishes, exciting varieties of sushi, mouthwatering pastries, and perfectly mixed cocktails.

For a fancy coffee (think espresso mixed with sambuca), sweet crepes, or an impromptu meal, stop at this restored Neoclassical-style mansion and watch the crowds on Apostolou Pavlou. The seating in the square in front of the restaurant bordering the ancient agora has one of the best views of the Acropolis in town.

Avli has a wide array of mezedes, salads, soups, and mains, which cater to all diners. The chefs source ingredients locally whenever possible and combine them in inventive and innovative ways, such as with the pork fillet, which comes accompanied by a sauce made from the island's famous Corfu-grown kumquats. Standard local classics include tsigarelli (refried greens in a spicy-hot sauce), marinated anchovies, and zucchini fritters, while delicious pies change daily according to what's available.

Once a very well-kept secret, today Avli fills fast, so waiting a little for a table is pretty common. Bear in mind it's hard to find, but if you do walk past its inconspicuous entrance, you'd be missing out on uniquely satisfying small plates and bottomless carafes of barrel wine. Dining here remains a unique experience in a village-like backyard that is nothing like the rest of Athens. Foreign artists and Greek business people alike find refuge here, especially when they want to take the afternoon off and indulge a little.

Overlooking pretty Platis Gialos Beach, Avli tou Thodori offers beachfront dining in an elegant Cycladic setting. More of a taverna than banging beach bar, the focus is on an eclectic Greek-centered menu and excellent presentation. The name of the restaurant translates to Thodori's yard, a dedication to owner Thanassis Kousathanas's late father, a Mykonian fisherman whose black-and-white portraits are hung with pride.

Tables meander out onto the alley at this relaxed Plaka restaurant where the focus is on fresh flavors, and classic recipes are refined but still recognizable. This is traditional Greek cooking at its best with a confidence in ingredients that taste of their environment. The personable staff keep things moving, even handing out wine to those waiting to dine. It is worth the wait.

For such a tiny spot in a narrow street just off Syntagma Square, this small but stylish vegan-vegetarian favorite has many devoted fans. The comforting food appeals to health-conscious diners who appreciate the friendly atmosphere and a menu including ethnic and macrobiotic cuisine. Options include mock burgers, pizza, heartwarming curries, and raw food desserts. Its vitamin-rich juices and smoothies helped start a juice bar trend in the capital. 

Serving Thessaloniki's most well-known fish-and-chips since 1940, this is a classic hangout where you can get your fingers greasy as you dig into crispy fried cod and fresh-cut fries. Your fish-and-chips are always accompanied by pungent skordalia garlic dip and casually served on grease-proof paper. Drink it down with a glass of tsipouro on ice, and if you are still hungry, try the stuffed eggplant or shrimp and feta saganaki as well.

In an airy Neoclassical mansion with a leafy, opulent courtyard—paved with original painted tiles, canopied by huge date palms, and illuminated by colored lanterns—Balthazar truly feels like a summer oasis in the middle of Athens. The quality and flavor is kept high on the up-to-the-minute Mediterranean menu, adding exotic touches from Asia and the Americas alongside a separate sushi card—all of which go brilliantly with a few well-mixed cocktails. The crowd is hip, moneyed, cosmopolitan, and beautiful, and in summer they enjoy The Green Room, a stylish club inside the building.

Fine views from the rear terrace overlooking the rock-topped clocktower and valley accompany tasty waffles, cakes, pastries, and coffee. This café dates back to the 1950s, though it had a makeover a couple of years ago. It's still one of the most adorable spots in town. 

This bright, breezy, colorful ice-cream parlor and café overlooks the old harbor and the New Fortress. It's a cool place to relax after exploring the old Campiello neighborhood.

The trendiest and most happening spot for coffee, snacks, and cocktails in Metaxourgeio, Ble Papagalos (Blue Parrot) on a large airy square, is an all-day communal destination. Always abuzz mainly with local youth but also people of varying ages, the charming hangout reflects the up-and-coming area's aspirations as an artsy, hip, green, and friendly locale. Try a fresh homemade dessert with your coffee by day or a light snack and drink by night as you watch the world go by. At night it also hosts swing parties and jazz-theme DJ sets.

This waterside restaurant (go through the bar Del Posto, above, to reach it) is one of the finest seafood spots in town—and there's some competition here. The dining area is level with the water, as the bay laps against the quay; you couldn't get closer to the sea without being in it. The menu is equally indebted to the ocean, working its way from head to the tail. Just pick a fish (bream, seabass, grouper, amberjack, etc.) and a style of serving, such as curried fillet, or roasted tail with a garlic and lemon sauce. There are ready-made pasta combos, of course, and the scorpion-fish linguine in a peppery shrimp broth is a delight.

Set apart from the scrummage of Lindos and buoyed by dizzying views over the bay below, this seductive Italian restaurant does everything well. The food—slow-cooked lamb, melt-in-the-mouth truffle gnocchi, juicy fillet steaks—is never less than glorious, and the house wine is great value. Low lights, good eating, and the ocean breeze make it an intoxicating combination. Book ahead—this spot is popular, for good reason.

Here you'll find contemporary, flavor-packed, and elegant Greek dishes you'll want to linger over for hours. Housed in a Neoclassical building where in 1915 wine and coal was sold, and which in the 1950s turned into the classic Barbagiannis taverna, Cafe Boheme moved from its former base on Omirou Street and opened here during the quiet pandemic years and has quickly developed a loyal clientele. Using fresh, seasonal, and high-quality ingredients inspired by recipes from around Greece with a touch of artistic inspiration, the cuisine at this friendly restaurant is fresh, unpretentious yet sophisticated, and worth returning to try more of. Don't miss out on the succulent grilled sea bream with crispy skin that's served with horta (wild) greens, the goat cheese and dried fig salad, or the turkey meatballs with a cumin-tomato dip. 

Catch a coffee or freshly squeezed mixed-fruit juice at this popular hangout in tree-covered Lakka Square. This is where all the café-bars congregate, their terraces often spilling into one other. It can be a bit packed, but the croissants here are the best in town!

Open and cool, this no-nonsense riverside café serves up waffles, pancakes, pizza, and roasted meats but it is maybe best to take a coffee and some yogurt and honey and watch the water run by.

Stop for an iced coffee and a game of backgammon at this all-day bar-restaurant in the heart of Plaka. If hungry, try a pizza, fresh salad, or pasta and and watch the world go by on buzzy Kydathinaeon square.

Located in a sweet little village a short distance from the main run of Paleokastritsa, this spot has an extensive menu of snacks and light meals, along with cakes and ice cream from local producer Corfu Dolce. It doubles as village store and post office, and has its tabled settled in a pretty cobbled backstreet.

A jasmine-scented front garden, candlelit at night, and an antiques-filled salon are the charming settings in a centuries-old sea captain's house for this traditional taverna. All the classics are there, but perhaps the best approach is to order from the sizable meze selection, wash it down with the very palatable house white, and soak in the cozy atmosphere.

Dining here is on an elevated veranda right above the calm blue waters of Agios Georgios Bay. The line of octopus and mackerel drying in the sun outside is evidence of the captain's pride in serving the freshest seafood on the island. Marcos Pipinos's family boats come in each day with fresh seafood.

Candy lovers of all ages will adore this bright little shop where sweet alchemy happens when multicolor lollipops and sweets are made before your eyes.

Open to nonresidents, this sophisticated eatery is located on the roof of the prestigious Cavalieri Hotel, overlooking the historic center and the sea. The menu is bijou but eclectic, incorporating international classics as well as select Greek dishes; it ranges from imaginative pastas, through seafood like swordfish with grilled vegetables, to U.S. Black Angus steaks, among other dishes.

A breezy veranda at the edge of the village looks down to the sea and across to Naxos. You'll come for the views, but stay for the food—the terraced fields all around supply the raw ingredients that go into the traditional regional cooking. This is food like grandma used to make: hearty, wholesome, and honest.

The perfect way to combine a chic, tasty meal with excellent wines, this place (with siblings in Psyrri on Agatharkou 15, and Acropolis on Drakou 3--5) serves up plenty of oenological expertise and inspiration along with dishes like charcuterie and cheese platters, bruschetti with toppings like goat cheese, strawberry jam and balsamic, warm cuts like smoked tenderloin, salads, and, if you're there at the right time of year, fresh oysters. The extensive wine list includes limited-edition labels and the highly educated staff are more than happy to advise you on pairings and varieties. Group and private wine tastings are also on offer, and you can shop wine and food goodies in-house.

Though all the restaurants on the harbor are loved by locals and visitors alike (each has its own kitchen garden at the rear), Corali enjoys a quieter setting, with shaded seats right up to the seawall. The made-to-order Alonnisos cheese pie that uses "grandma's recipe" is always a lip-smacking pleasure.