45 Best Restaurants in Greece

One of the best brunch spots in Athens, this cosmopolitan space has won international awards for its coffee roastery and baristas. A beautifully restored Neoclassical building with an airy atrium and a large outdoor yard is the perfect place on pretty pedestrian Iraklidon Street to start the day’s expeditions in the shadow of the Acropolis. The coffee is famously good, roasted daily at their factory in Gazi, and available to take home for home brewing, but the bar mixes a fine cocktail, too.  

Elegant Aeglí Zappiou, an excellent, classic spot for a Greek coffee and bites experience, was reopened recently after an impressive renovation on its interiors that have now turned it into a classy venue for a multitude of events. Inside the Zappeion park that borders the National Garden and next to the open air Aigli cinema, it sprawls among fountains and flowering trees offering tranquility. It's an ideal spot to have a work meeting, read your book or relax with friends, and the restaurant serves a quality array of Greek and international dishes.

Housed in an 18th-century fortress at Mikro Kamini, Castello offers sophisticated Mediterranean dishes, including seafood, premium beef cuts, and signature carpaccio and tartare. Enjoy fine dining paired with magnificent sea views from terraces overlooking the beach.

The young trio of owners—Yiannis, Kostas, and Alexandros—energize this beach taverna just 30 meters (100 feet) from Vlichos Beach with friendly, attentive service. Traditional fare ranges from ntakos and lively salads to shrimp linguine, each pairing nicely with house wine or an ice-cold beer. All-white walls with cool-blue accents pop against cascades of pink bougainvillea, and at the rear you’ll find the Hydra Diving Center’s Vlichos base.

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.

Tables sit right in the sand, a few feet from the waterline, and platters of grilled octopus, sardines, and ouzo-friendly mezedes land fast and fresh. Owner Pavlos and his wife Lia open from breakfast till midnight; come early for coffee and loukoumades (doughnuts), stay late for moonlit seafood at prices locals praise as old-school Aegina.

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.

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.

Breakfast is served with a genuine smile at this friendly, family-run café, with superbly comfortable seating facing out to the crystal clear blues of Roussoum beach. The food here is nothing pioneering, but it's familiar, tasty, and well-priced.

Excellent food and true Greek filoxenia (hospitality) await at the combination tourist shop, café, and three-meal-a-day restaurant. Recommended are the loukanika (sausages); rolled, spiced, and spit-roasted meat; and the excellent yemista (stuffed tomatoes and peppers) and papoutsakia (eggplant halves baked with cheese, spiced ground beef, and garlicy tomato sauce). If you want to try the specialty of the area, katsikaki sti souvla (roasted goat on a spit), order at least a day ahead. The krasi hima (house barrel wine) is locally produced, and the owners also serve homemade tsipouro (the Greek version of grappa) in a small carafe served with snacks.

This famous, historic restaurant has often been featured in movies due to its astounding location, looking out onto exquisite views of the Acropolis, and it has been a favored dining spot for the world's glitterati for decades. Today's plush establishment serves confident Modern Greek dishes with classic snacks and brunch dishes available during the day, while in the evening the restaurant offers beautifully presented plates that riff on traditional Greek ingredients allied to bold contemporary techniques. A far-reaching wine card and attentive service make this a must visit for those in search of quality cooking allied to an unforgettable view.

Bright, multicolor decor sets this apart from your average grill shop as does the freshest of food. Family-run, the owners take a real pride in their establishment. Superclean, superfriendly, and all at superprices. Perfect for a just-off-the ferry souvlaki as well as for dinner.

This harbor-front institution has something for everyone. It opens early with espresso, fresh juices, and breakfast, rolls through brunch, lunch, and snacks, then slides into easy dinner plates, sunset drinks, and late-night cocktails. Tea drinkers aren’t forgotten, with loose-leaf blends brewed properly.

Lovely spot in the center of the pedestrianized zone of Monastiraki. The sandwiches have top ingredients, the snacks are carefully prepared, the juices are freshly squeezed, and the coffee is artisanal.

Run by the Paros Kite Pro Center and EuroDivers crew, this is the best place to recuperate after a session on the waves. Great omelets and breakfasts are offered along with pizza, burgers, pasta dishes, and fresh juices. Indulge in retail therapy at the sister surf shop next door.

A cute little breakfast and brunch spot just up from Syntagma Square. Organic produce and homemade jams and cakes make this a great little find, though it's so tiny that it can only cater to a few people. Get there early—it shuts at 2 pm.

The name means "ark of flavors" and the number one bakery in Milos is the place for breakfast in the shaded yard, or to stock up on lunch essentials before a trip to the remote beaches.

Not just for bookish types, but certainly ideal if you are one, this cozy café is ideal for indoor work sessions on your laptop as much as afternoon cocktails (virgin or not). It regularly hosts literature events in the evenings but throughout the day is abuzz with tourists resting after the sights or locals who enjoy waking up in a pretty and tree-shaded environment.

Created by a theater designer with plenty of playful vision and gusto, this cozy, friendly, and decidedly pretty café serves good coffee and some homemade refreshments accompanied by tasty bites like pies and salads throughout the day.

Yogurt-thick smoothies and scrumptious homemade cakes make this the perfect spot for a sugar kick. Gaze out over the yachts in the harbor and indulge your sweet tooth—the syrup-drenched baklava here is the size of a doorstop and every bit as satisfying as it looks.

On a trellised lane by the harbor, this family-run taverna is a Tinos favorite, serving a wide range of Greek traditional and Tinian dishes. Main-course favorites include spicy lamb cooked in paper and calamari stuffed with cheese, tomatoes, and peppers. Starters such as local artichokes in vinegar sauce or hot eggplant slices wrapped around cheese, mint, and green pepper, and a light, rich mille feuille dessert might bookend a meal here. The name means "between us," and a friendly air prevails. The decor is traditional—pale stone walls and high stone arches—the staff is welcoming, and a fireplace in winter and summer air-conditioning keep it open year-round.

A tasty stopover on the road up to Plaka, Mouratos invites you to indulge in home-baked delights. A panoramic view over Adamas and the sea is the setting for hearty breakfasts and Milian specialties. A special wine section is dedicated to the local offerings, a great souvenir.

At one of the best seafront locations on the island, with Little Venice on one side and the windmills on the other, farm-to-table Mediterranean cuisine is the scene-stealer. The menu is plentiful, with diverse choices, but the philosophy is simple—the best organic ingredients from Greek producers cooked simply and with respect. Greek craft beers are well represented as are local wines on the drinks list. While the sea view is very Mykonos, the restaurant's overall design and concept is infused with 1950s Hollywood icons, thanks to the influence of one of the owners, a former LA restaurateur.

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 easygoing and upbeat urban ambience and serves creative as well as classic modern Greek, Asian, 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.

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.

The antithesis of the noisy café-bars that proliferate across the road in Lakka Square. This is defiantly a tea shop; it has no pretensions to nightlife, it just serves wonderful teas in a variety of herbal and dried-fruit profusions on its rooftop terrace. Bliss. 

Phàos, meaning "light" is a serene courtyard café where mornings begin with the best espresso and buttery brioches. Opened in 2023 by two childhood friends, it serves great brunch fare, too—like mascarpone waffles and classic Greek yogurt with fruit and nuts. By night, it's a swanky wine bar.