Food and Drink in Athens
Where locals actually eat and drink, the hand checked favourites outside the tourist centre, and the dishes unique to the city.
Eat and Drink15 placesWhere locals actually eat and drink.Local Favourites5 placesA short, hand checked list of places worth leaving the tourist centre for.Taste of Athens26 dishesThe dishes and drinks unique to the city, already part of our A to Z Travel Dictionary…Restaurants264 placesMichelin, Golden Toques and modern Greek kitchens.Tavernas205 placesKoutoukia, ouzeries, cook shops and Piraeus fish tavernas.Nine old tavernas that never changeFeatureGastronomos picked nine old tavernas in and around the centre; all nine on our map.Souvlaki and street food115 placesKalamaki, gyros, kontosouvli and kebab.Bars168 placesWorld’s 50 Best Bars, wine bars, rooftops and rebetiko.Cafes and kafeneia126 placesGreek coffee, kafeneia and specialty roasters.Bakeries and sweets127 placesBougatsa, loukoumades, patisseries and ice cream.Beach bars22 placesThe Athens Riviera from Glyfada to Sounio.
Want to cook them at home? All 71 recipes A to Z.
Eat and Drink
More in Eat and Drink ›Eat and DrinkTo Souvlaki tis Madame Sousou, KolonakiA souvlaki place in Kolonaki, on Maraslis at the corner of Alopekis, a short walk up from Kolonaki Square.Eat and DrinkAma Lachei stis Nefelis, ExarcheiaA mezedopoleio on Kallidromiou 69 in Exarcheia, set in an old school building with a garden courtyard that comes into its own on a warm evening.
Eat and DrinkKostasHandmade pork and beef souvlaki near Syntagma since 1950.
Eat and DrinkO ThanasisA charcoal grill institution on Monastiraki's famous souvlaki street.
Eat and DrinkKostasHandmade pork and beef souvlaki near Syntagma since 1950.Eat and DrinkO ThanasisA charcoal grill institution on Monastiraki's famous souvlaki street.Local Favourites
More in Local Favourites ›Local FavouritesVaggelis & AlekosA family run oinomageireio tucked into a shaded arcade off Frantzi, serving slow cooked home food (mageirefta that changes daily, plus fish and seafood depending on the…Local FavouritesTo TrikykloGreek and Mediterranean cooking done with more care than the unassuming setting suggests, leaning on fish and seafood.Local FavouritesTo MikrakiThe value pick in Psirri: a small, unfussy place where the bill still surprises people, in a neighbourhood that has spent a decade getting more expensive.Local FavouritesThe ClumsiesAn all day bar and a long running entry on the World's 50 Best Bars list.
Taste of Athens
More in Taste of Athens ›
Taste of AthensMelitzanosalataThe smoky aubergine dip, charred over a flame then beaten with garlic, olive oil and lemon.
Taste of AthensAvgolemonoA silky egg and lemon sauce or soup (often with chicken and rice), a cornerstone of Greek home cooking.
Taste of AthensBougatsaA breakfast pastry of crisp filo filled with semolina custard (sweet) or cheese, dusted with sugar and cinnamon.
Taste of AthensDolmadesVine leaves stuffed with rice and herbs (sometimes minced meat), served warm or cold with lemon.Photo credits on this page
- Kostas: Photo: Miyagawa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- O Thanasis: Photo: CHMunro, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Melitzanosalata: Photo: Badseed, CC BY-SA 3.0 (also offered under GFDL), via Wikimedia Commons
- Avgolemono: Photo: robin.norwood, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bougatsa: Photo: Konstantinos Stampoulis (Geraki), CC BY-SA 2.5 (multi licensed, also GFDL 1.2 and CC BY-SA 2.0 and 1.0), via Wikimedia Commons
- Dolmades: Photo: Heidi Bauer, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons