Whole octopus tenderised on a rock, then char-grilled over coals with olive oil and oregano, served with capers, red onion and a wedge of lemon. The Greek seaside meze, ideal with chilled ouzo.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
Greek fishermen have been pounding octopus on coastal rocks to soften the connective tissue for millennia; the Aegean diet documented by Homer included it. Athens absorbed the dish through Aegean and Cycladic migrant tavernas in the 20th century; today every fish taverna in Athens, from Atlantikos in Psyrri to the Piraeus harbourside, serves it as the signature seafood meze. The proper preparation involves boiling the octopus first to tenderise (often in wine or with the cork from a wine bottle, the home tradition), then grilling to char.
Common allergens: Shellfish
Tip from the editors. The cork is a Greek home tradition for tenderising; restaurants skip it but boil first then grill. Never grill octopus raw or you'll get rubber bands.
Atlantikos in Psyrri Athens is the late-night seafood pick on Avliton 7, the small dining room and annex where the daily catch goes on grill until 01:00.
Try: Grilled octopus and the daily catch
Order: The grilled octopus, sea bream carpaccio and a chilled assyrtiko by the glass.
Tip: The annex across the lane opens at 18:00 weekdays; book the original room.
Manimani in Koukaki cooks the food of the Mani peninsula in a neoclassical building near the Acropolis Museum in Athens: cured pork siglino and handmade.
Signature: Siglino, Sausage from Mani, Handmade Mani pasta
Order: The siglino with handmade pasta and a half-litre of the rosé from the Peloponnese.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Sunday lunch from 14:00 is the easiest service to find a window seat.
Mavro Provato in Pangrati Athens is the daily mezedopoleio favourite for small-plate Greek cooking, Greek wine by the glass and a sidewalk of regulars.
Signature: Saganaki, Smoked aubergine, Pork tenderloin with prunes
Order: The smoked aubergine, the saganaki and a half-litre carafe of house white.
Tip: Book three days ahead for dinner; lunch tables on the pavement are walk-up after 14:00.
Karavitis Tavern on Pausaniou in Pangrati is the 1926 neighbourhood taverna with a rustic courtyard, barrels of house wine and a point-at-trays system.
Why locals love it: Pangrati neighbourhood taverna since 1926 with a rustic courtyard, barrels of house wine, and an order-by-pointing system that keeps the tourist trade away.
Tip: No reservations are taken; arrive before 21:00 on weeknights and before 20:30 on Saturdays.
Taverna tou Oikonomou is a greek room in Petralona. No microwave and no menu; you point at the trays. Closes when the pans run out, often by 22:00.
Why locals love it: Petralona mageirio that has cooked from the same pans since 1930, far from the centre, with locals at every table and no menu offered.
Tip: No microwave and no menu; you point at the trays. Closes when the pans run out, often by 22:00.
More cities are in research. Want grilled octopus (htapodi sti skara) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.