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A brief guide on where to eat in Athens. The city has a great variety of restaurants, but for the best ones, follow the locals. I’ve had mixed success finding great Greek food by chance, but my friends and hotel staff have never steered me in the wrong direction.
Not included in this post are meals I’ve eaten at or around the Varvakeios Agora.
Where to Eat in Monastiraki, Athens
Monastiraki is full of restaurants. Some are excellent and authentic while others are touristy and serve average to below average food. Thankfully, I’ve had pretty good luck and have found some amazing places. I’ve even made repeat visits to some of them when I return to Athens.
Efcharis
Efcharis is my favorite restaurant in Monastiraki, and quite possibly in Athens. I ate there twice on my last visit in June 2023. It’s located on Adrianou just a few steps from Hadrian’s Library, and features both outdoor and indoor seating.
While I like Kotili for the atmosphere, Efcharis has superior food and equally good service. On my first visit eating alone, I had a Greek village salad and a plate of fried kalamari. I washed it down with an Ikariotissa beer. It was a lot of food but it was excellent.
A few nights later, I took a tour group there for dinner. We started with halloumi cheese, grilled octopus, gigantes, a Greek village salad, and fried kalamari. I ordered a bottle of ouzo for the table to share.
For our main course we shared a huge meat platter filled with loukaniko, grilled chicken, meatballs, grilled pork, kebabs, gyros, fries, tzatziki, baba ganoush, and kolokithokeftedes (zucchini fritters).
Kotili
Kotili is another favorite. It’s located further along Adrianou. Yes, it’s a bit touristy, but it was recommended by family members.
On my first visit, I met my aunt and uncle for dinner there one night. We had a great time and the food was excellent. On my second visit, I decided to take one of my tour groups and they loved it as well. We’ve also recommended it to other family members and friends visiting Athens, and all gave the thumbs up after their experience.
Everything I’ve had at Kotili has been delicious. On my first visit with family, we shared an order of fried calamari and a seafood platter. The platter came with fried smelt, grilled octopus, and prawns. Both were excellent. We washed it down with a bottle of retsina.
On my second visit with a tour group, we started with the feta Kotili, which is feta encrusted with sesame seeds and drizzled with honey. We also had kolokithokeftedes (zucchini fritters), roasted red Florina peppers stuffed with feta and herbs, a Greek village salad, and sheftalia (Cypriot meatballs). For our main course we shared the seafood platter. The group shared a couple bottles of wine as well.
What really makes a dinner at Kotili special is the atmosphere. There’s a live band and dancers every night. They even encourage the tourists to get up and dance, many who were Greek from other parts of the world. The service we’ve had is also friendly and fun with enthusiastic waiters always ready to crack a joke.
Omorfi Poli
Hidden off Adrianou down a narrow alley is Omorfi Poli. It was downstairs from my hotel, Beautiful City Suites, making it a convenient place for dinner. They also have live music in the evenings.
I ate there on my first night, starting with a Greek village salad and a main course of grilled octopus. The octopus was served on a bed of caramelized onions which was a nice touch. I would definitely eat there again.
Muses
Down the block at the corner of Adrianou and Agiou Philippou is Muses. I noticed some locals eating there so I decided to stop in for lunch. It has a view of the Agora and live music.
I had the giouvetsi, which is a beef stew with orzo, tomato sauce, and cheese. The food was very good and I’d like to go back and try more. The friendly service is also a plus.
Bairaktaris
One of my favorite souvlakis in Athens is the take away souvlaki from Bairaktaris, just off Monastiraki Square. I did try a full meal there on afternoon but wasn’t impressed by the quality of the food and unfriendly service. Anyway, the take away souvlaki is definitely amazing.
Thanasis
I also tried souvlaki from Thanasis, just across from Bairaktaris, but it didn’t compare. There was definitely something missing.
DaVinci
Finally, to satisfy your sweet tooth, head to DaVinci on Adrianou. It sits across the street from Kotili and has a good variety of flavors.
Where to Eat in Plaka, Athens
As far as restaurants in Plaka are concerned, I’ll be honest. I haven’t had the best experiences. The majority have been geared towards tourists and I’ve gotten subpar food. Maybe it’s to be expected – Plaka IS one of the most touristy parts of Athens. Not all experiences have been bad, but I’m a little weary when trying out new places in the neighborhood.
Ta Giouvetsakia
I had a great meal with my dad at Ta Giouvetsakia in October 2018. It’s a family owned restaurant operating since 1959. We had a village salad and grilled octopus to start. I tried the stuffed eggplant for my main course. For dessert, we had halva. Everything was delicious but the octopus was a bit rubbery.
Stamatopoulos Taverna
On a group tour I was leading in June 2023, we stopped for lunch at Stamatopoulos Taverna. It was founded in 1882 as a grocery store that also served wine, and has been operating as a taverna since 1965. They also have live music at times.
We shared several different dishes, starting with a village salad, dolmades topped with an egg lemon sauce, zucchini fries, and grilled feta.
Our main dishes were shrimp in a tomato and feta sauce as well as loukaniko. The food was good but not the best. Service was good and prices were fair, and I would try it again.
Xenios Zeus
After visiting the Acropolis in June 2023, I stopped by Xenios Zeus for a late lunch/early dinner. It’s located in a quiet area near Anafiotika.
I had the fixed menu, which started off a meze plate with taramosalata, hummus, tzatziki, gigantes, kolokithokeftedes (zucchini fritters), and a plate of olives. The main course was pork souvlaki with fries, and the dessert was an orange cake (portokalopita) topped with yogurt.
Again, food was alright but had something missing. The souvlaki was a little tough to chew. Service was friendly but at the same time indifferent. I’d skip it next time.
Adrianos (Permanently Closed)
Adrianos is a touristy restaurant in Plaka. We went late on a Sunday night in October 2018 when other restaurants were closing. It was terrible and I feel like I have to warn everyone not to bother.
We started with a village salad which was very good, but it was all downhill from there. The stuffed grape leaves were slimy and probably came out of a can, and the fried zucchini was full of grease.
We also tried the octopus, which was badly overcooked. The best part of the meal besides the salad was the Fix Beer.
Where to Eat in the Rest of Athens
Listed here are restaurants in other areas of Athens.
K.O.T.E.S. (Booze Cooperativa)
My friend Eleni took me to K.O.T.E.S. (Booze Cooperativa) for a beer. This bar is a cool place to have a drink and also has spaces for art exhibitions. There’s live music at times. It’s located on Kolokotroni around the corner from Agia Irini Square.
Saorsa
I also met Eleni for coffee one afternoon at Saorsa. It’s a charming place in an old Athenian communal home on Avdi Square in Metaxourgeio. Definitely sit in the courtyard.
Piatsa
Piatsa in Kolonaki serves a good variety of Greek food, but we went for the souvlaki (which is called kalamaki by Athenians). I like mine made with pork and wrapped up in a pita “ap’ ola” – with everything – tomato, onion, tzatziki, and fries. The one at Piatsa was pretty good although I’ve had much better. Service was friendly and prices are reasonable.
Grigoris
For frappe, I became a regular at Grigoris. It was by far the cheapest frappe in Athens and they made it perfectly every time. There are branches scattered throughout the city, and I often stop at the one on Monastiraki Square.
