Are you planning a trip to Athens anytime soon? I’ve compiled a list of the finest restaurants in Athens city, encompassing a diverse range of cuisines. There really is something cooking for everyone, from real traditional Greek recipes to unique homemade Middle Eastern specialities!
That’s why I’ve been able to select popular eateries with outside or inside dining and ‘takeout’ to ensure that you don’t miss out on the gastronomic delights on offer.
Let’s take a look at some of the top dining options in Athens:
Hoocut, located in Agias Irini square, (Monastiraki) offers gourmet quality street food with a twist serving grilled pork, chicken, lamb, minced beef, and black pig sausages. Also, on the menu is piroshki, (dough buns with fillings), excellent nutritious soups, homemade pies, squid with Imam (aubergine stuffed with onion, garlic, and tomatoes), and falafel (chickpea fritters).
Kostas Souvlaki (Agias Irinis square), also in the square, this timeless traditional souvlaki eatery, which opened in 1950, delivers the best ground beef patties, pork, and other meats wrapped in pita bread with creamy tzatziki (yoghurt and cucumber dip). The renowned ‘souvlatzidiko’ (skewer shop) has an outstanding reputation for appetising and sustainable cooking because all veggies,spices, and herbs are acquired locally.
Makedonikon Bakery’s Bougatsa, sells the best traditional bougatsa (a Greek custard pie made with phyllo) from Greek Macedonia and can be found in Exarchia, near the centre. The celebrated bakery not only makes this favourite pita but also produces the rich and buttery cheese bougatsa from northern Greece, as well as the smaller shortcrust ‘Kourou’ pastry filled with feta cheese, green pepper, tomato and spices.
Epirus Eatery (Oinomageirion Ipiros) is renowned for its healthy tripe soup ‘patsas’. The historic eatery is located amid the butchers at the back of Varvakeios market, Athens’ biggest food market is located between Monastiraki and Omonoia. Chicken soup, sea bass, and beef stews are among the meals served at the ancient eatery.
Atlantikos is tucked away in the quiet back lanes of Psirri. This maritime-style restaurant serves up some of the city’s best fish. There is a selection of seafood and grilled or oven fish recipes on the menu, as well as traditional Greek cuisine. Food is produced in an open kitchen, and casual outdoor and indoor dining is available all year. A popular dish is ‘Savoro’, a delicately pan-fried white fish with blackcurrants and rosemary.
Feyrouz on the corner of Karori and Agathonos street is a Middle Eastern restaurant in Athens and a popular choice for first-class Lebanese cuisine. The eatery also serves tea and ibrik coffee, as well as classic street cuisine, curries, soups, sweets, truffles, and ‘lachmatzounia’ (a delicate hand-rolled dough baked with various toppings). Feyrouz, the family cook also roasts spices and prepares delectable vegetarian and vegan foods.
Seychelles in the downtown neighbourhood of Keramikos near Metaxourgeio offers visitors homecooked traditional delicacies such as herb pie with wild plum chutney, smoked fish with greens, rooster in wine sauce, and grilled sea bass. There’s an open kitchen where you can watch the food being produced, as well as outdoor seating in the summer.
Telis Steak House (O Telis) is a historical restaurant on Evripidou street, in Athens. It is famous for serving the greatest pork chops in the city and has welcomed celebrities from over the world. Telis has been cooking traditional Greek food in Psyrri since the late 1970s, including his acclaimed appetiser, the very hot and spicy ‘bouyourdi,’ a dish of green peppers, tomato, and feta grilled over the fire.
Pandora Bakery, Acropolis bakes freshly made pastries, bread, delectable cakes, and home-cooked Greek daily. The bakery’s mouthwatering spinach and cheese pies which you can watch being baked right there on the premises, along with their traditional ‘pasticcio’ dish of bechamel and ground beef are favourites. Their layered sweet pastry dish, ‘baklava,’ packed with chopped nuts and syrup is also worth stopping by for.
Nolan restaurants, located on Voulis street downtown serves Beijing and Vietnam street food, including, their all-time favourite fried chicken. The contemporary restaurant also serves up an inspiring menu of Greek Mediterranean dishes influenced by Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Peruvian, and Chinese cuisine. Mini-sandwiches of shrimp and anchovy with chilli and coriander in rice paper, as well as steamed bao buns with pulled pork cheeks and a pear and carrot dipping sauce, are some of the examples of their appetisers
Kali Oreksi! – Bon Appetite!
By Anna Tzogia
