Map: Makrigianni & Koukaki Restaurants
Map: Restaurants in Central Athens & Psyrri
Greek food is simple...and simply delicious. There’s little point in seeking out trendy, non-Greek eateries. Locals and tourists alike fill endless tavernas, mezedopolios (eateries selling small plates called mezedes—known internationally as meze), ouzeries (bars selling ouzo liquor and pub grub), and other traditional eateries dishing up the basics.
I’ve listed restaurants by neighborhood (see the maps on here). You probably won’t be able to resist dining in the Plaka one night, but in that very touristy area, prices are high and quality is mixed. Gazi and Psyrri—very different but equally worthwhile dining zones—are a short walk beyond the Plaka. I’ve also listed good options near the Acropolis Museum, in Makrigianni and Koukaki.
Athenians like to eat late (dinnertime is typically 21:00-24:00). When you sit down, you’ll be asked if you want a basket of bread, often with napkins and flatware tucked inside (a bread and cover charge of €0.50-1 is standard). Menus are usually in Greek and English. Many tavernas will have a display case showing what they’ve been cooking for the day, and it’s perfectly acceptable to ask for a look and point to the dish you want. Bring cash; credit cards aren’t always accepted. For tips on tipping, see here. Smoking is banned in enclosed spaces, such as restaurants and bars, so smokers sit outside. Despite the law, many bars and some restaurants allow smoking inside, too.
The four Greek food groups are olives (and olive oil), salty feta cheese, tasty tomatoes, and crispy phyllo dough. Virtually every dish is based upon these four building blocks.
Greeks are justly proud of their olive oil: Their country is the third-largest producer in the EU, and they consume almost seven gallons per person a year. Common, edible Greek olives include the purple and almond-shaped kalamata; black, wrinkled throubes; and large green halkithiki (often stuffed).
The best-known Greek cheese is feta, varying from soft, moist, and mild, to sour, hard, and crumbly. Other cheeses include mild, yellow kasseri and sweet, nutty graviera.
Flaky phyllo-dough pastries called “pies” (pita, not to be confused with pita bread) can be starters in restaurants or purchased from a bakery for a tasty bite to go. Look for spanakopita (spinach), tiropita (cheese), kreatopita (beef or pork), meletzanitopita (eggplant), and bougatsa (with a sweet cream filling).
Small plates called mezedes (meh-ZEH-dehs) are a great way to sample several foods. The most common is Greek salad (a.k.a. horiatiki, “village” salad), with chopped tomatoes, rich feta cheese (in a long slab that you break apart with your fork), olives, and onions, all drenched with olive oil. Other typical mezedes are pantzarosalata (beet salad), bekri meze (“drunkard’s snack”—chicken, pork, or beef cooked with wine, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaves), dolmathes (grape or cabbage leaves stuffed with meat or rice), taramosalata (fish-roe dip), and saganaki (fried cheese).
My favorite snack is souvlaki pita—grilled meat (often pork or chicken) wrapped in pita bread. Souvlaki goes well with tzatziki, a thick, garlicky yogurt-and-cucumber sauce. Souvlaki stands are all over Greece. Just order and pay at the cashier, then take your receipt to the counter to claim your meal. Souvlaki places also sell hearty Greek salads and plates of meat shaved from gyros (cooked by stacking meat on a metal skewer and vertically slow-roasting it), along with wine, beer, and ouzo to wash it down.
Casseroles include the classic moussaka, with layers of minced meat, eggplant, and potatoes under cheesy béchamel sauce or egg custard; and its meat-and-pasta cousin pastitsio (“Greek lasagna”). Arnaki kleftiko is slow-cooked lamb wrapped in phyllo dough or parchment paper, while stifado is beef stew with onions, tomatoes, cinnamon, and cloves.
Gavros is a seafood appetizer similar to anchovies—drizzle with lemon juice, and eat everything but the little tails. Marinated and grilled octopus is htapothi; grilled or fried red mullet is barbounia. Psari plaki is fish baked in the oven with tomatoes and onions.
For dessert, look for baklava (phyllo dough layered with nuts and honey), kataifi (thin phyllo fibers—like shredded wheat—layered with nuts and honey), ekmek (custard-/whipped-cream-topped cake made of honey-soaked phyllo fibers), or loukoumades (honey-soaked doughnuts).
Water, generally cheap and rarely carbonated, is served in bottles. There are two basic types of Greek wines: retsina (resin-flavored, rarely served) and nonresinated wines. Retsina wine, a post-WWII rotgut with a notorious resin flavor, has long been famous as the working man’s Greek wine. If pine sap is not your cup of tea, there are plenty of other wine options. With its new generation of winemakers (many of them trained abroad), Greece is receiving more recognition for its wines. Beer is mostly imported, but you will find local brands (Alpha, Fix, Vergina, and Mythos). Cloudy, anise-flavored ouzo and the even-better tsipouro brandy are worth a try, and rich, golden-colored Metaxa liqueur is for after dinner.
If you want good local coffee for half the price of Starbucks and want your money to stay in Greece, you’ll find handy branches of Grigoris Coffee Right (a Greek gourmet coffee chain) all over town. They serve cheap but fancy coffee and offer all the light bites, pastries, and trendy ambience you need. The Mikel Coffee chain is a bit pricier and more posh. In summer, Greeks sip iced coffee drinks. Freddo cappuccino (iced cappuccino) is the drink of choice, though you will also usually find the frappé (iced Nescafé; order it black or white—with milk), freddo espresso (iced espresso), and freddo Mokka. Tavernas and some cafés still serve traditional Greek coffee, made with loose grounds.
| THE PLAKA Avoid the touristy joints on the main drag and head for the more authentic-feeling places on the quieter hillside above, including the stepped lane called Mnisikleous and the streets nearby | |
| 1 $$ Xenios Zeus (ΞENIOΣ ZEYΣ) Mnisikleous 37 tel. 210-324-9514 | Proudly set at the top of the Mnisikleous steps, with good, traditional Greek food inside or out on a terrace (daily 11:00-24:00, closed Nov-March) |
| 2 $$ Geros tou Moria Tavern Mnisikleous 27 tel. 210-322-1753 | Venerable place, with a dining hall, intimate terrace, and tables under the grapevines (daily 12:00-24:00) |
| 3 $$ Palia Taverna tou Psara (“The Old Tavern of Psaras”) Eretheos 16 tel. 210-321-8734 | A big, slick, dish-’em-up eatery with live folk music in lower building and grand rooftop terrace (daily 12:00-24:00) |
| 4 $ Scholarhio Ouzeri Kouklis Mezedes Tripodon 14 tel. 210-324-7605 | Waiters present a big platter of fun, inexpensive mezedes—you choose; lively front terrace and romantic balconies for two; free homemade ouzo with this book (daily 11:00-24:00) |
| 5 $ Klepsidra Café Thrasivoulou 9 tel. 210-321-2493 | Serves light bites, good desserts, traditional coffee, and lots of booze to a young local crowd at tiny tables littering ramshackle steps (daily 9:00-24:00) |
| 6 $$ Brettos Distillery Kidathineon 41 tel. 210-323-2100 | Oldest distillery in Athens (1909), buried in the heart of the Plaka kitsch, with shots and wines by the glass served under huge old casks (daily 10:00-24:00) |
| NEAR MONASTIRAKI SQUARE The go-to area for cheap souvlaki | |
| 7 $ “Souvlaki Row” Monastiraki Square (where it meets Mitropoleos street) | Souvlaki heaven, with three frantic restaurants—Thanasis, Savvas, and Bairaktaris—spilling into the street and serving food to-go or at a table (daily until very late) |
| 8 $ Kosta Souvlaki Agia Irini Square, off Aiolou street | Beloved hole-in-the-wall that’s been serving traditional and cheap skewer-roasted souvlaki since the 1940s (daily 9:00-17:00) |
| NEAR SYNTAGMA SQUARE Urban dining on and near Athens’ main square | |
| 9 $$ O Tzitzikas ki o Mermigkas (“The Ant and the Cricket”) Mitropoleos 12 tel. 210-324-7607 | Modern regional cuisine served at sidewalk tables or indoors in a fun, retro-grocery-store atmosphere (daily 13:00-24:00) |
| 10 $$ Athinaikon Restaurant Mitropoleos 34 tel. 210-325-2688 | A venerable businessman’s favorite, serving a variety of traditional mezedes and Greek and Mediterranean recipes (Mon-Sat 12:00-24:00, Sun until 19:00) |
| 11 $$$ 2Mazi Restaurant Wine Bar Nikis 48 tel. 210-322-2839 | Modern Greek gourmet cooking in a stylish setting with equally stylish locals (daily 13:00-24:00, reservations smart, www.2mazi.gr) |
| 12 $$$ Hotel Grande Bretagne’s Roof Garden Restaurant On Syntagma Square tel. 210-333-0766 | Athens’ finest dining experience and a swanky bar, on a rooftop garden with spectacular Acropolis/city views; dress code (daily 13:00-24:00, reservations required for meals, www.grandebretagne.gr) |
| 13 $$ By the Glass Wine Bar Y. Souri 3 tel. 210-323-2560 | A jazz-cool, relaxed place where you can learn about Greek wines and enjoy plates of mixed Greek cheeses, meats, and upscale nibbles (daily 12:00-24:00) |
| 14 $ Kimolia Art Café (Κιµωλία) Ypereidou 5 tel. 211-184-8446 | A cute little pastel place serving light café fare with reasonable prices and a relaxing vibe (daily 10:00-late) |
| 15 $ Avocado Vegetarian Café Nikis 30 tel. 210-323-7878 | Yoga-friendly eatery with lots of energy juices, a passion for organic farming, and nothing with eyeballs (Mon-Sat 11:00-22:00, Sun 12:00-19:00) |
| 16 $ Ariston (AΡIΣTON) Voulis 10 tel. 210-322-7626 | Cheapest hot meal in town; Athens’ top spot for savory and sweet pastries such as spanakopita (spinach pie) and tiropita (cheese pie; open Mon-Sat 7:30-18:00 plus Tue and Thu-Fri until 21:00, closed Sun) |
| 17 $ Konstantinidis Stadiou 3 (Second location in Koukaki at Syngrou Ave. 98) | A local favorite for ice cream and baklava that embraces its “good old days” heritage |
| PSYRRI AND NEARBY Thriving nightlife district with eateries concentrated near Iroon and Agii Anargiri squares and the Central Market | |
| 18 $ Taverna tou Psyrri Eschilou 12 tel. 210-321-4923 | Old and authentic-feeling, with checkerboard tablecloths, garden terrace in back, straightforward menu, and good prices (daily 12:00-24:00) |
| 19 $ O Nikitas (Ο Νικήτας) Agion Anargyron 19 tel. 210-325-2591 | Serves mainly mezedes and good food to a local crowd on a peaceful square (daily 12:00-18:00 plus Wed-Sat until 23:00) |
| 20 $ Avli (αυλή) Agiou Dimitriou 12 (small doorway labeled αυλή) | A long, skinny, and thriving courtyard with a jumble of tiny tables, serving a daily meze plate (daily 12:00-24:00) |
| 21 $ Ta Karamanlidika Evripidou 52 tel. 210-325-4184 | A quality meat-and-cheese shop that doubles as a restaurant, with a mix of Byzantine and Cappadocian flavors, aged cheese, and cured meats (Mon-Sat 12:00-23:00, closed Sun) |
| 22 $$ James Joyce Irish Pub Astiggos 12 tel. 210-323-5055 | Woody escape from Greece with Irish-pub ambience and menu, and top Irish beers on tap (daily until late) |
| 23 $ Central Market 500 yards north of Monastiraki Square on Athinas street | Great place to assemble a cheap picnic of fruits, veggies, olives, cheeses, nuts, meats, and fish (Mon-Sat 7:00–15:00, closed Sun) |
| 24 $ Karayiannis Ouzo Bar In Central Market (on side aisle, midway down the fish section) | Great place for an ouzo and mezedes while enjoying the Central Market action (Mon-Sat 7:30-15:00, closed Sun) |
| 25 $ Koulouri of Psyrri Karaiskaki 23 tel. 210-321-5962 | Serves oven-fresh sesame bread rings, a popular Athenian on-the-run snack sold at corner carts throughout the city |
| 26 $ Bougatsadiko Thessaloniki 1 Iroon Square tel. 210-322-2088 | A bakery where you can watch the pastry master at work and sample some of the city’s best bougatsa—thin pastry with cream inside |
| 27 $ Krinos 87 Aiolou tel. 210-321-6852 | Famed for its loukoumades—doughnuts soaked in honey or sugar syrup (closed Sun) |
| 28 $ Mokka Coffee 44 Athinas tel. 210-321-6892 | Good spot for a Greek coffee made the traditional way—water, grounds, and sugar slowly heated in a tray of hot sand |
| GAZI Trendy, artsy, and gay-friendly former industrial zone at the western edge of Athens’ tourist zone | |
| 29 $$ Kazani Meze Restaurant Persefonis 39 tel. 210-346-4984 | Stylish place that’s sleek yet classic, serving an enjoyable and accessible menu of mezedes (daily 13:00-24:00) |
| 29 $ Kandavlos Souvlaki Persefonis 47 tel. 210-342-4725 | Thriving student hangout with white tables and a clubby crowd, with the best cheap souvlaki in Gazi (daily 11:00-24:00) |
| 29 $ Gazi College Eatery Persefonis 53 tel. 210-342-2112 | Fresh and inviting place for a light meal or drink in the company of university students (daily 8:00-24:00) |
| MAKRIGIANNI AND KOUKAKI Pair of neighborhoods near the Acropolis Museum, filled with tourist-friendly eateries | |
| 30 $$ Mani Mani Falirou 10 (upstairs) tel. 210-921-8180 | A touch of class at reasonable prices, with cuisine from the Mani Peninsula and all-indoor seating (daily 14:00-23:00 in summer, shorter hours in winter, reservations smart, www.manimani.com.gr) |
| 31 $$ Strofi Athenian Restaurant Rovertou Galli 25 tel. 210-921-4130 | My favorite for white-tablecloth, elegantly modern, rooftop-Acropolis-view dining (Tue-Sun 12:00-late, closed Mon, reservations smart, www.strofi.gr) |
| 32 $ To Kati Allo Restaurant Chatzichristou 12 tel. 210-922-3071 | Quintessential hole-in-the-wall on far side of the Acropolis Museum; blackboard menu lists cheap, fresh options (daily 11:00-24:00) |
