Cookoovaya near Mavili Square in Athens is the modern-Greek room from chef-owner Periklis Koskinas, opened in 2014 by a Greek-chef collective and now under his sole command.
Must order: The seasonal carte with the Greek wine list and the cellar's by-the-glass picks.
Tip: Book the inner garden room in spring; the open kitchen counter is the best winter seat.
Address: Chatzigianni Mexi 2, Athina 115 28, Athens
Spondi in Pangrati has held a Michelin star since 2002, the contemporary French kitchen behind the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens that still sets the city benchmark.
Order: The Discovery tasting menu with the optional wine pairing from the Greek-leaning cellar.
Tip: Book three weeks ahead on the site; the courtyard tables open in May for warm-weather candlelit dining.
Nolan on Voulis is the Bib Gourmand Greek-with-Asian-influences room near Syntagma, kept since 2017. Chef Michalis Nourloglou took over the kitchen in late 2024.
Order: The sharing carte; ask for the kitchen's three small-plate picks and add a noodle dish.
Tip: Lunch is the easier seating; book ten days ahead for dinner Thursday through Saturday.
Birdman on Voulis is chef Ari Vezene's Japanese-Greek robata grill: a long open counter for yakitori, kushiyaki and dry-aged niku with Greek seafood and citrus.
Order: The neck-to-tail yakitori with a few skewers of seasonal seafood from the robata.
Tip: Counter seats see the cooking; book a side seat for two and order across the menu.
Delta at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre in Athens-Kallithea holds two Michelin stars and a Green Star for fermentation-led Greek cooking.
Order: The full twelve-course tasting menu with the optional wine pairing.
Tip: Book a month ahead; the architecture is the warm-up so allow time for the foundation walk.
Spondi in Pangrati has held a Michelin star since 2002, the contemporary French kitchen behind the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens that still sets the city benchmark.
Order: The Discovery tasting menu with the optional wine pairing from the Greek-leaning cellar.
Tip: Book three weeks ahead on the site; the courtyard tables open in May for warm-weather candlelit dining.
Hytra at the Onassis Cultural Centre is one Michelin star for contemporary Greek cooking with a top-floor view across Athens to the Acropolis in warm weather.
Order: The seasonal tasting menu; the rooftop summer terrace opens June through September.
Tip: The seventh-floor summer bar is a separate booking from the winter ground-floor dining room.
CTC in Kerameikos is Alexandros Tsiotinis's one Michelin star for creative Greek cooking, in a converted post-industrial space west of central Athens.
Order: The chef's tasting menu with optional wine pairing from the all-Greek list.
Tip: The dining room is small and the kitchen seats are the best in the house, ask when booking.
