The Zillers in central Athens is one Michelin star for refined Greek cooking, in the Mitropoleos boutique hotel of the same name with views to the cathedral.
Must order: The rooftop seating with the seasonal tasting menu when the weather is warm.
Tip: Hotel guests book the rooftop bar separately; the restaurant tables face the cathedral.
Address: Address: 54 Mitropoleos, Historic Centre, 105 63, Athens
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.
Aleria in Metaxourgeio, Athens is Gikas Xenakis's modern Greek room in a neoclassical building, open since 2006 with a tasting carte and a courtyard.
Order: The chef's seasonal tasting menu with the optional Greek-only wine pairing.
Tip: The neoclassical courtyard opens late spring; the indoor room is the place to dine in winter.
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.
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.
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.
