290 Best Restaurants in Greece

The go-to taverna for the islanders, Tholos is nestled in the pine forest spilling down from the Temple of Aphaia on the road down to Agia Marina. The wonderful views through the trees down to the sea are complemented by the flavorsome rustic dishes served at this establishment. Meat grilled to your taste is the staple here. The veal in a rich herby tomato sauce with macaroni is another favorite, and most of the vegetables are either home-grown or locally sourced. Another reason to dine here is to take a welcome hiatus from the somewhat frenetic summer high-season energy that grips the rest of the island.

This restaurant, located in picturesque Mikrolimano, is a cornerstone of Greek fine dining. Helmed by chef Lefteris Lazarou, the first Greek chef to earn a Michelin star, the restaurant offers a seafood-centric menu that marries tradition with innovation. Standout dishes include red shrimp tartare with citrus and lemongrass, cuttlefish risotto, and grilled squid with ouzo gel. The setting—overlooking the marina—adds to the allure, making it a must-visit for those seeking refined maritime cuisine in Athens.

Daphne's is one of the most exclusive (and at times priciest) food destinations in Plaka, but the food is worth it. 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 the baby rooster with lemon-oil sauce, tender lamb wrapped in vine leaves, rabbit stew, and the traditional moussaka) help make this one of the area's classic stops for a high-end experience.

Though it's not situated in Votsi, the restaurant is just a 10-minute drive away, and it's one of the island's most unmissable properties, not least for its delightful restaurant serving up exceptional modern Greek cuisine. Merging in total complement to its natural surroundings, the restaurant's unobtrusive tables, chairs, and canopies are spread out across an olive grove on Leftos Gialos beach, one of the island's most beautiful, with pine forest springing from untouched headlands. The menu features Greek and Alonnisos specialties, and are expertly-cooked by chef Michalis Jovas. There are three luxury villas available to book here, should you never want to leave. 

Fiskardo's harbor is lined with restaurant terraces, but Irida's is the pick of the bunch. Reliably good seafood is the difference-maker, with comforting staples such as shrimp saganaki (in a spicy tomato sauce laced with cheese) supplemented by the odd culinary gem like the sole in champagne sauce. It also runs a rather nice boutique shop around the corner, filled with jewelry, hats, and pretty knitted bags.

Although it's named after one of the world's most exotic destinations, this restaurant is almost provincially Greek in its ingredients but postmodern in culinary attitude. In a neighborhood that's especially à la mode among artists from all over, the neo-traditional element is played up for its unpretentious and familial charm, but don't fool yourself, this place is decidedly "in."

Opposite Avli, and part of the same stable, on one of Rethmynon's myriad pretty walkways, this is a modern reinvention of the classic Greek rakadiko—a place to eat small plates and drink raki. Don't assume the food is an afterthought to drinking, though, this is top-quality mezedes. Plates come thick and fast; it's food to be shared. Think imaginative Cretan tapas—sutzuki (spicy beef sausage), askolymbri (marinated hand-picked mountain greens), pastourma (crispy spiced pork cigar rolls), and hot feta with caramelized figs. It's relaxed dining, in a stylish setting reminiscent of an old grocery store, and perfect for a group of friends.

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.

Since 1922, three generations of the Roussos family have offered hospitality and fine food in this tiny blue-and-white taverna. Outside, tables overlook the caldera; inside, murals and artworks are by the owner. Traditional recipes and local ingredients are given room to shine and are presented well by the attentive staff. If you are lucky enough to get a reservation, the cozy atmosphere may well find you chatting with fellow diners who are just as pleased with their choice.

Though known for its seafood, the handsomely decorated old rooms, beautiful walled garden, and panoramic view from the roof terrace found here are equalling enchanting. Mussels in wine, scallops in vodka sauce, shrimp risotto in an ouzo sauce, as well as simply grilled fish fill the menu. A side dish might be sautéed squash with wild glistrida (purslane), grown in the restaurant's own gardens.

Popular among locals, this venerable Turkish-Greek joint has a catch-all menu that hits every comfort-food high note. Zucchini flowers filled with lip-smacking Greek cheese, aubergines bursting with meat, and filling pastitsio complement a vast choice of souvlakis and Turkish-style kebabs.

With mouthwatering dishes inspired by cuisine from Asia Minor and Greece, and ingredients from both the land (seasonal vegetables and quality meats) and the sea (fresh shellfish and seafood), this is one of the top places in the area for a meal. The menu changes with the seasons, but luscious desserts such as the delicious profiteroles and homemade ice cream are a must-try year-round. Whether you visit during the hot months, when white tables with colorful mats are laid out along the pedestrianized Old Town street, or during winter, when tsipouro-sipping locals huddle over loaded platters, Ap’Allou can best be described as cozy, jovial, and a joy (with a gourmet twist) for the tastebuds.

In an herb-filled multitier courtyard that leads to a barrel-vaulted dining room, some of the finest food for miles is skillfully prepared. Refined, distinguished dishes are its calling card; sophisticated but true to their traditional roots. Most remarkable is that the same high culinary and aesthetic standards have been maintained for nearly four decades. The focus is on the ingredients, the majority of them local and organic, artfully transformed into a cooking of rare elegance. Reservations are essential in season.

A native Patmian, Benetos Matthaiou, and his American wife, Susan, operate this lovely restaurant abutting a seaside garden that supplies the kitchen with fresh herbs and vegetables. These homegrown ingredients find their way into a selection of Mediterranean-style dishes that are influenced by the couple's travels and include house-cured anchovies, the island's freshest Greek salad, and juicy slow-roasted meats.

Celebrating Japanese grill culture, this buzzy place serves up a stream of little plates that make your taste buds dance. As one of visionary chef/restauranteur Ari Vezenes' numerous successful ventures in the city, it highlights very carefully sourced and thus limited-edition ingredients sourced from quality producers. You'll find dishes like beef nigiri (served with truffle mayo or wasabi) made from rare cuts, delicacies like chicken hearts or chicken skin skewers cooked in the open-fire kitchen, lamb chops with Japanese chimichuri and succulent beef gyoza, all to be washed down with refreshing drinks like the highball with Japanese whisky with tart green apple, lime and ginger or craft beer. Inside, vinyl records play and people eat and chat at the bar and high tables.

A cozy, family-run restaurant with an ambitious menu that reinvents classic Greek cooking, with dishes like prawn saganaki and seafood couscous. A "krassotiri" crème brûlée makes the most of the island's famous soft cheese, while mains offer an even more tender touch, with pork cheeks nestled atop a chickpea ragout stealing the show. Excellent value for such skilled, imaginative food.

After a decade, Buddha Bar is still some of the best beach dining on Mykonos, showing off its Greek-island incarnation as part of the renowned upscale chain known for world music, celebrity DJs and chefs, and inspired cocktails. A Japanese, Chinese, Thai, and Peruvian-inspired menu may seem out of place in Greece, but the immaculately presented food is popular with the chic and well-heeled crowd who love the boho atmosphere.

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.

High in the White Mountains, lambs and goats roam free on the family farm, while on lower pastures in Sfakia, vegetables are tended to. These top-notch ingredients are transformed in the wood oven that dominates the dining room in this backstreet beauty. Moussaka is as fat as an airport paperback but with more action, Mizithra cheese comes with home-baked bread, and those lamb and goats are cooked tsigariasto—slowly in a clay pot. Authentic, this is the true traditional taste of Crete and where the locals come for a taste of home. Reservations recommended as there are often queues by early evening.

Everyone—not just sailors—will appreciate the spectacular location of this classy restaurant, tucked under the northern wall of the Venetian-era Old Fortress beside the yacht club harbor. The food is Greek but offers elevated twists on traditional favorites, using pickled, smoked, and cured ingredients to beautiful-tasting effect. Dishes from all over Greece include Santorini-style fava dip and a salad featuring local nouboulo ham (aka, Corfiot "prosciutto").

In Thessaloniki's new thrust of innovative gastronomy, this hot spot is the tip of the spear. It is notable that chef/co-owner Manolis Papoutsaki served an apprenticeship at the three-Michelin-starred Frantzénin in Stockholm. As a result, dining here is a full throttle Greek degustation experience that blows away the constraints of tradition and will have you sampling Greek ingredients in a new and unexpected way. Expect to share five to six dishes between two people—the wait staff will gladly help you navigate the 25 plate menu, or alternatively splurge for the a la carte "Chef's Prayer" for a rapturous experience.

Even weathered Athenians can't help but gasp at the vista from this restaurant, and the cuisine keeps the sense of awe going—so do the prices but if you're seeking a truly luxurious experience this restaurant is sure to provide it. Delicate as well as rich flavors, with a broad array of raw dishes like fish carpaccio or tartare and sushi rolls, Asian dishes like crispy duck with steamed pancakes, or Italian, like smoked burrata salad, asparagus risotto and mushroom ravioli, or linguine with lobster and black truffle, offer deep comfort and elegant delight. The cocktails are perfectly mixed, and the wine list is exciting.

Who wants some tasty Italian food with a view? This place does what it says on the tin—great pasta and pizza for all. Handmade on the premises every day, the dishes are authentic and use ingredients from the local area to great effect. A punky soundtrack and a funky cocktail list add to the happy aura in this hillside gem.

On a mountain perch above Chania is one of the most singular restaurants in the whole of Crete. A holistic approach is taken---this is farm-to-table eating but ramped up to the nth degree. Your meal is cooked in traditional clay pots that sit over the wood fire, as they have no electricity in the kitchen. Ingredients come from the family farm and they produce everything in-house, organically, of course---only the salt comes from the coast 20 km (12.4 miles) away. There is no menu, merely what is in season that day, but all tastes are catered for by the friendly staff. It's not fancy, nor is it fast, but it is honest and truly memorable as an experience of Cretan food and hospitality.

A standout among the many affable places along the harbor front, Elia is a little more sophisticated than its neighbors and with a modern European focus offers a refreshingly eclectic take on Greek cuisine with a big nod to local flavors. Fish-focused, the dishes are meticulously presented and as pretty as a picture. As you would expect, the wine list is full of Samian vintages as well as a few of the best from the rest of Greece.

A 10-minute walk south of the center takes you across the river and into the suburbs, where you'll find this friendly, effortlessly retro neighborhood taverna. Inside, jazz music echoes the vintage ad posters for 1950s Greek cigarettes and long-gone liquors, while the menu is a treasure trove of hearty classics, from Spartan dishes like pork with olives and orange to the lightest of moussakas. It's great value and a peaceful break from the cramped plateia terraces.

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.

Perched just below Corfu's brooding New Fortress, whose name it borrows, this restaurant serves up knockout traditional Greek dishes with a side of rustic romance from its lovely surroundings—all soft lighting and swaying trees. Tables are tucked beneath stone arches, with sunset skies over the harbor, and plates that really pop—like citrusy ceviche, rich seafood pasta, and fall-apart lamb. It's stylish but unpretentious.