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Top Best Restaurants in Athens Greece- Where to eat- fine Dining tavernas in Attiki – Food
By Germaine Lombardo for CEOWORLD Magazine Updated:February 25, 2010
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Athens is one of the most interesting European capitals and trendy places emerge each season. Here you can enjoy excellent Greek food either in glamorous restaurants or in hidden places, as well as International cuisine at its best. What’s the top place to dine in Athens?
Varoulko
Web: http://www.varoulko.gr
Address: 80 Piraios, Athens
Varoulko, pioneered in offering seafood prepared directly from any other restaurant, not limiting its offering to the classic Greek fish on the grill, but opening the floodgates to a whole new style of cooking, where the fruits of the sea starred in many unusual, creative dishes. Chef-owner Lefleris tries to match his food creations with a big variety of Greek wines produced in different part of the country. Over the years Varoulko offered a stage to local wine producers to show the quality of Greek wines and the uniqueness of some indigenous grape varieties.
Alatsi
Web: http://www.alatsi.gr/
Address: Vrasida 13, Athens, 11528
A causal bar and restaurant just across the street from the Hilton, Alatsi is probably the only eatery outside Crete where authentic Cretian cuisine is served. That may be due to the fact that fresh produce is transported from the Island of Crete every day! The city’s exclusive people—artists, politicians and intellectuals frequent this restaurant for delightful samples of this exotic cuisine.
Orizontes
Web: http://www.kastelorizo.com.gr/
Address: On top of Lycabettus Hill
Certainly the best view in the city on top of one of Athens’ legendary hills, you need to take the funicular up to this restaurant-and be in the mood for a grand meal in a totally over-wrought, flashy space. Chef Yiannis Geldis is one of the big name cooks in Athens, but sometimes his imagination needs reining in. From my dogmatic perspective, I would like to see the pinnacle of the city become a pinnacle of haute Grecque cuisine, but instead it’s a melange of fashionable foam sauces, some nouveau Greek oddballs, such as kasseri fried in a crispy rice crust and succulent Kobe beef. The desserts are very good. orizontes offers an atmospheric night out (the prices are as high as the location), with a cuisine that is a little bit outer-worldly.
Jaipur Palace
Web: http://www.jaipur-palace.gr
Address: Agiou Konstantinou & Themidos 73 Marousi & Lazaraki 63 Glyfada
Glamorous vibes & gustatory excitement are the twin themes at ever-busy Jaipur Palace, whose tapas-style modern Indian food ‘entertains both the palate & the eye’. Under the guidance of Dhananjay Kumar, the restaurant’s executive chef, menu is modern, but packed with favourites, dont forget to ask Restaurent Manager Manvinder for special discounts. Bhindi Masala, Onion bhajis are part of a selection of Indian tapas that also includes chicken tikka masala ‘cocktail sausages’ & chilli paneer on yoghurt cake. But if you’re not up for sharing, order a ‘big plate’ of curry & rice – a mix & match selection of meat, sauces, sides & rice that will see you well fed with change from a tenner.
Filistron
Web: http://www.filistron.com
Address: 23, Apostolou Pavlou str. Thission
The long list of mezedes has classics and more unusual dishes: codfish croquettes with herb and garlic sauce; pork with mushrooms in wine sauce; grilled potatoes with smoked cheese and scallions; and an array of regional cheeses, washed down with a flowery white hima (barrel wine). The service is top-notch.
Jimmy & the Fish
Web: http://www.jimmyandthefish.gr/
Address: 46 Akti Koumoundourou, Piraeus
Located on the seaside of Microlimano Piraeus, Jimmy and the fish attract the city’s elite dining crowd day after day, night after night. People come here not only to gape at phantasmagorical view but also to savour really delicious and original seafood fare. Decorated to pay tribute to the nautical saloons of the 1960’s yachts, it combines the excellence in taste and in quality in a nice and friendly environment!!
Istioploikos
Web: http://www.istioploikos.gr/
Address: Mikrolomano coast, Piraeus
Istioploikos is located right on a deck above the sea, simulating the appearance of a ship and offering a unique panoramic view. It hosts a cafeteria on the deck, serving coffee and snacks during the day and drinks accompanied by loud dance music during night time, and a posh restaurant on the ground floor mainly specializing in seafood.
DAPHNE’S – 4 Lysikratous St, Plaka
Daphne’s has been a hallmark of fine dining in Plaka for almost 10 years, and a reference point for visiting dignitaries, corporate chiefs, and socialites-from Hillary Clinton and Betsy Bloomingdale to Meryl Streep and Luciano Benetton. Situated in a beautifully-renovated old Plaka townhouse, the main dining room is covered with Pompei-style murals. The menu is classic but sophisticated Greek. Appetizers include an astonishingly tender grilled calamari and lamb skewered on toothpicks with light yogurt and mint sauce, with main courses of unusual regional and seasonal fare, such as pork or veal braised with quince or wild greens or eggplant, depending on the season. In the summer there’s al fresco in the inner courtyard. The service is excellent and the owners charming.
IDEAL - 46 Panepistimiou St, Athens
If you’re hankering for an air-conditioned spot with plenty of menu choices and some very good traditional fare, then the famed, old Ideal is just that. The place looks very much like a typical New York diner on the inside, with perhaps one of the longest-serving waitstaffs in the city. The menu is vast and the place is hopping day-in and day-out, especially at lunch. It is one of Athenians’ favorite midtown spots, long-heralded among loyal fans as a pillar of traditional Greek food (although you’ll find no small share of foreign interlopers on the extensive menu).
MARITSA’S - 47 Voukourestiou & Fokilidou Sts, Kolonaki
Maritsa’s has been a Kolonaki hideaway for years now, especially in the summer with its outdoor platformed terrace. It’s one of the loveliest inner city refueling stops and is popular with locals, too. The food is competent, traditional Greek-everything from village salads, beets and feta, grilled meats and more. The zucchini and chickpea fritters are a house specialty, as is the crisp pan-fried fish.
KAFENEIO - 26 Loukianou St, Kolonaki
A famous Kolonaki haunt, with tables on the sidewalk in summer, this is a place to see and be seen (and be as graceful as possible, so as not to slip on the sloping sidewalk that cuts straight through Kafeneio’s outdoor tables). You’ll find all the Greek classics and no small share of Athenian ladies who lunch. The stuffed zucchini are very good-I’ve had some memorable dolmades-and the roast pig is a first-rate choice. The setting is casual, while the prices are more upscale than first appear.
OUZADIKO - 25-29 Karneadou St, Kolonaki
This is my all-time favorite eatery in the center of Athens, one sorely lacking in atmosphere (it’s in the atrium of an empty shopping center) but high on great, traditional fare prepared by someone with a magical touch. Stella, a mignon fireball of an artist-cum-restaurateur, has an expansive menu with some of the most delicious bean and green stews and tasty eggplant dishes (do not leave without dipping a breadstick into her roasted eggplant salad), which are good as any great home cooking can get. ouzadiko is one of the best places to sample really good Greek cooking.
GEFSEIS ME ONOMASIA PROELEFSIS – 317 Kifissias Ave, Kifissia
The name of this sophisticated northern suburb favorite is a mouthful (meaning flavors of designated origin)-a reference to many of the region-specific cheeses, wines, and other specialties on the menu. Both the interior and the garden of this mansion are among metropolitan Athens’ loveliest dining spots. The food is “creative” Greek, and the menu is supervised by one of the most respected women chefs in town, Nena Ismirnoglou, who did a year-long stint at New York’s Milos. The emphasis is on regional ingredients and Greek traditions with a twist. Ismirnoglou’s good grasp of Greek traditional and regional cuisine enables her to go in all sorts of culinary directions without falling prey to fusion confusion.
SPONDI - 5 Pyrronos St, Pangrati
Roasted pigeon layered between truffle-scented potatoes; fillet of red mullet served in layers with sweet onion confit and a sweet fennel-scented biscuit; delicate eggplant cylinders stuffed with pistachios; rabbit, slowly braised in clay, served with delicate monkfish liver and two subtle, artful sauces; olive oil ice cream served in a pool of wine-poached strawberries and garnished with candied olives-it’s not your typical Athens restaurant fare by any stretch of the imagination. No wonder Spondi is the latest restaurant in Athens to receive a Michelin star. Not as flashy or stylized as many of Athens’ newer, upscale restaurants, but it’s housed in a lovely old Athens mansion, with a pleasant intimately-lit garden courtyard. The service is excellent and the wine list stellar. Perfect for a special night out.
SYMPOSIUM - 46 Erectheiou St
One of our favorites, right on the edge of the Acropolis-which is in full view from Symposium’s gorgeous garden. This is a quiet classic that operates far from the maddening crowds. Here you’ll find some of the best raw ingredients in town. owner Vassilis Paparounas, who helped establish some of Athens’ best kitchens before setting up his own restaurant, has now turned his able hands to farming-everything from wild boar, cheese-making to organic vegetables-at a farm in his native Epirus. An avid mycologist, when the seasons are right, Symposium has the city’s most impressive array of wild Greek mushrooms. The food is French-inspired, Mediterranean Greek. The service is excellent, with Vassilis’ wife Eleni presiding hawk-like, over the front of the house.
BOSCHETTO - Evangelismos Park (Vas. Sofias Ave)
Boschetto remains one of the capital’s best eateries, certainly for high-end Italian fare. Set in the cool Evangelismos gardens, this is a favorite haunt for businessmen out to impress, or couples out to woo. owner Thanassis Barlos now spends most of his time tending to his new venture, a Mediterranean restaurant in Florida, but the relaxed, classy atmosphere and smooth efficiency he created decades back is managed by his maitre d’ with considerable aplomb. The menu changes seasonally but the starters are always models of elegance. The wine list is one of the best in town-and one of the few offering vintage Greek wines-though they come at a price.
BALTHAZAR - Soutsou & 27 Tsoha St, Athens
Balthazar is by far one of the city’s most beautiful and best restaurants. Housed in one of the few neo-classical mansions still standing in downtown Athens, the redesigned, lovely modern garden is filled with huge old date palms. The space has been divided to serve two purposes: The front half is a happening bar-restaurant, while the inner section is a more serene, high-end restaurant. Image and setting aside, the restaurant has a diverse menu, prepared by one of Athens’ most talented young chefs, Yiorgos Tsiaktsiras. The wine list is one of the most select in town.
EDODI – 80 Veikou St, Koukaki
Its name means melody; in this case melody of taste. Chef Michalis Litrivis, like a good jazz musician, improvises on basic riffs learned while working under the late, great Klaus Feuerbach, whose Bajazzo restaurant was generally credited with introducing haute cuisine to the Greek capital. Following Feuerbach’s death in 1999, Litrivis and his brother set out on their own-and we’re thankful they did. There are only eight tables and the focus is on good food and service, seasonal ingredients and unique presentation. There’s really no point in asking to see a written menu, though for legal reasons, there’s one in a drawer somewhere. Just sit back and let the waitstaff seduce you with a parade of dishes (one signature dish is the venison with chocolate sauce).
RUBY CLUB - 7 Navarchou Apostoli St, Psirri
Herve Ponzato-of Spondi fame-opened this classy, fun, small restaurant in the heart of Psirri this past winter. The Ruby Club is his downscale casual restaurant, where he serves well-executed, nicely presented, reasonably-priced Mediterranean food. You’ll find a delicious pumpkin soup for a starter and within it a ravioli that surprises and tastes magnificent. The eggplant, tomato and basil tart bespeaks his Franco-Italian roots. We liked his salmon carpaccio with wasabi, a dish that pays homage to the current sushi craze sweeping Athens. The cannelloni filled with octopus, squid and fennel and served with ouzo sauce is a dish that takes its culinary cues from Greek traditions, while the paper-thin slivers of octopus over arugula with parmesan shavings could easily be characterized as Mediterranean. Ruby Club was one of 2002’s best openings.
TO KOUTI – 23 Adrianou St, Monastiraki
Here’s a place with long-standing fans and one of the few spots in Plaka that seems to cater to Athenians rather than tourists. To Kouti is a cozy well-worn restaurant that closed down for a while and then reopened under the auspices of the same owners-who caved in to popular demand to bring the favorite spot back to life. In summer, the tables line the sidewalk overlooking the ever-beautiful Roman Agora. The food is a potpourri. The best known dish on the menu is the beef with honey sauce, dark, sizzling, sweet-savory strips of soul-satisfying red meat. There are plenty of salads, some interesting takes on traditional Greek fare, dips and more for starters, plus pasta and another house specialty, a variety of grilled sausages. A fine spot for a good meal and intense conversation.
ASTOIVI - 10 Giatrakou St, Metaxourgeio
One of the bar restaurants in Athens that falls short of being super hip-and that’s the reason we like it-Astoivi is laid-back and easy going. The owners got their start in a place of the same name that they run each year on Paros. Summer after summer of success prompted them to try their luck in Athens. They renovated a small old house in Metaxourgeio, replete with a very cozy, tiled inner courtyard which is our favorite place to sit. The food here is simple: lots of pasta dishes, salads, a few fish, chicken and meat offerings and lots to drink. In fact, you could come here only to drink.
ASKLIPIOU GONEIA - 130 Asklipiou & Valsamos Sts, Neapoli
One of the coziest venues in town for quiet dining on good Greek food at prices that won’t sink you into the Aegean. You’ll find a chunky pumpkin soup flavored with coriander among the starters. The chard dolmades are down to earth and delicious. The spicy ground meat pies and the little pies filled with pastourma, cheese and tomatoes are worth fighting over. There are samplings from some unusual Greek fare on the menu too, such as the pasta dish with staka (akin to clotted cream) and caramelized onions, a specialty of Kassos.
MEZE- ORAIA ELLAS 59 Mitropoleos St (or 36 Pandrossou St), Monastiraki (upstairs in the arcade where traditional crafts are sold)
One of our favorite spots for a light lunch, this lovely little mezedopoleio is in the heart of Monastiraki on the mezzanine level of an arcade filled with shops selling traditional Greek crafts and antiques. The array of meze is fairly standard: sliced cukes with salt and olive oil, olives, homemade savory pies, dips and spreads, octopus, salted fish and more, but it’s the atmosphere here that makes us want to take a break from the crushing midday heat and escape up the stairs to Beautiful Greece, which is how this little place’s name translates. You can also just come here for one of the best Greek coffees in town, and a mouthful of spoon sweets.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published.
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jeims on Fri, 14th May 2010 1:38 pm
these are really good tips! im hungry already and cant wait to taste the greek cuisine! i also found this cool website http://www.breathtakingathens.com and it has loads of restaurants and areas of where u can get the best street food!!
coffee break arcade on Mon, 12th Jul 2010 5:05 pm
Finally, run a grammar and spelling usng your coffee break arcade computer, and then read it through again yourself to make sure. Check for words like “their” and “there” or “hear” and “here” and so on, words which spell-checkers fail to correct.
SpaceOdyssey42 on Wed, 14th Jul 2010 12:57 am
Really nice article!