30 casual dining worth the trip across Greece, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Greece guides.
Diporto ★ 4.8 · Athens
psyrri · Sokratous 9, Athina 105 52
Diporto on Sokratous and Theatrou has poured Attic retsina from barrels since 1887, a basement koutouki in Athens with no sign and a handful.
Tip: Lunch only from late morning until the pans empty, often by 17:00; no menu, no English spoken.
Mavro Provato ★ 4.7 · Athens
pangrati · Arrianou 31-33, Pangrati
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.
Tip: Book three days ahead for dinner; lunch tables on the pavement are walk-up after 14:00.
Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani ★ 4.7 · Athens
psyrri · Sokratous & Evripidou 1, 10552, Athina
Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani on Sokratous is the Athens deli-mezedopoleio for Asia Minor cured meats: Karamanli pastourma, sausages and small plates.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The deli counter runs 08:00-21:00 if you want to take meats home with you.
Mourga ★ 4.7 · Thessaloniki
Christopoulou 12, Thessaloniki
Chef Giannis Loukakis's Ladadika restaurant operates at the creative edge of northern Greek cooking. Kitchen leans market-driven creative greek.
Charoupi ★ 4.7 · Thessaloniki
Doxis 4, Thessaloniki
Chef Manolis Papoutsakis opened Charoupi in 2017 to bring Cretan ingredients and technique to Thessaloniki. Kitchen leans cretan modernist. At Doxis 4.
Karavitis Tavern ★ 4.6 · Athens
pangrati · Pausaniou 4 Pangrati, Athina 11635, Greece
Karavitis in Pangrati has cooked Athens taverna food since 1926, a rustic courtyard with barrels of house wine and the bekri-meze stew that defines the room.
Tip: No reservations are taken; arrive before 21:00 on weeknights and before 20:30 on Saturdays.
Olympos Naoussa ★ 4.6 · Thessaloniki
Leoforos Nikis 5, Thessaloniki 546 24
The 1926 waterfront landmark reopened in 2022 as one of the city's most ambitious restaurants under FNL-recognised chef Dimitris Tasioulas. Family-friendly.
Trizoni Exclusive ★ 4.6 · Thessaloniki
Doxis 1 and Salaminos 12, Thessaloniki
Chef Asterios Sousouras's daily-supply seafood restaurant in Ladadika earned an FNL Best Restaurant Award star in 2025 and is one of the most admired fish.
Taverna tou Oikonomou ★ 4.5 · Athens
petralona · Kydantidon 32, Athina 118 51
Taverna tou Oikonomou in Ano Petralona is the Athens mageirio that has cooked home-style food since 1930, with 15 to 20 daily dishes brought out of the pan.
Tip: No microwave and no menu; you point at the trays. Closes when the pans run out, often by 22:00.
Mezen Salonica ★ 4.5 · Thessaloniki
Rogoti 3, Thessaloniki
Mezen's never-ending relay of small seafood plates arriving until you stop them has made it one of the most imitated formats in Thessaloniki.
SinTrofi ★ 4.5 · Thessaloniki
Doxis 7, Thessaloniki
SinTrofi's zero-waste kitchen and biodynamic wine cellar in Ladadika represent one of Thessaloniki's most principled dining propositions. At Doxis 7.
Clochard ★ 4.5 · Thessaloniki
Mitropoleos 11, Thessaloniki 546 22
Clochard's monthly-changing menu and exceptional Greek wine list make it the most wine-forward bistro in Thessaloniki. Kitchen leans french-greek bistro.
Mavri Thalassa ★ 4.5 · Thessaloniki
Nikolaou Plastira 3, Kalamaria, Thessaloniki 551 32
Founded in 1926, Mavri Thalassa in Kalamaria is Thessaloniki's most storied seafood institution. The wine cellar holds over 300 labels. For a casual visit.
Manimani ★ 4.4 · Athens
koukaki · Falirou 10, Koukaki, 117 42
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.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Sunday lunch from 14:00 is the easiest service to find a window seat.
Atlantikos ★ 4.4 · Athens
psyrri · Avliton 7, Psiri, Athina 10563, Greece
Atlantikos in Psyrri Athens is the central seafood pick: Avliton 7 fires the daily catch on the grill from lunch through to past midnight every day.
Tip: The annex across the lane opens at 18:00 weekdays and 13:00 weekends; book the original room.
Deka Trapezia ★ 4.4 · Thessaloniki
Stratigou Kallari 4, Thessaloniki 546 22
Chef Manolis Papoutsakis's no-reservation meze room in Ladadika brings Cretan ingredients to a walk-in format. Kitchen leans cretan meze. Booking recommended.
Iliopetra ★ 4.4 · Thessaloniki
Aischylou 5, Thessaloniki 546 34
Small, intimate, and reservation-only even at the casual price point, Iliopetra near Ano Poli was the most talked-about opening in Thessaloniki in early 2025.
Glykanisos ★ 4.4 · Thessaloniki
Megalou Alexandrou 46, Pylaia, Thessaloniki 555 35
The Sotiroudis brothers' seafood table in Pylaia has been one of Thessaloniki's most important fish restaurants since 2008. Kitchen leans creative seafood.
Maitr and Margarita ★ 4.4 · Thessaloniki
Fragkon 3, Thessaloniki 546 26
Open September to May only, Maitr and Margarita brings a genuinely seasonal approach to Ladadika. Kitchen leans seasonal natural wine bistro.
Klimataria ★ 4.3 · Athens
psyrri · Plateia Theatrou 2, Athina 105 52
Klimataria on Theatre Square in Athens has poured taverna food since 1927, the Psyrri institution where giant barrels line the wall and rebetiko plays most.
Tip: Live music runs most evenings from around 22:00; book a fortnight ahead for the weekend.
Nea Folia ★ 4.3 · Thessaloniki
Aristomenous 4, Thessaloniki
Since 1967 Nea Folia near Ano Poli has served the old Thessaloniki dishes: kavourmas of Xanthi beef, smoked mackerel with samphire, soutzoukakia of buffalo.
Ergon Agora ★ 4.3 · Thessaloniki
Pavlou Mela 42, Thessaloniki 546 22
Ergon Agora combines a grocery-deli marketplace with a full-service restaurant across two floors on Pavlou Mela. At Pavlou Mela 42. Booking recommended.
Athinaikon ★ 4.2 · Athens
exarchia · Themistokleous 2, Athina 106 78
Athinaikon on Themistokleous is the Exarchia ouzeri of record in Athens, an institution opened in 1932 that moved to its current corner in 1989 with vintage.
Tip: The Mitropoleos sister room is the modern outpost; the Themistokleous original is the destination.
Ouzeri Tsinari ★ 4.2 · Thessaloniki
Alexandras Papadopoulou 72, Thessaloniki 546 33
Thessaloniki's oldest surviving ouzeri, trading in some form since 1865 near the Kapani market. Kitchen leans ouzeri, traditional meze. Booking recommended.
Diagonios 1977 ★ 4.2 · Thessaloniki
Egnatia 159, Thessaloniki 546 21
Diagonios has kept the same corner on Egnatia since 1977, serving the city's most consistent pork souvlaki skewers until 3am on weekends. At Egnatia 159.
Salonika Restaurant ★ 4.2 · Thessaloniki
Megalou Alexandrou 2, Thessaloniki 546 40
The Makedonia Palace dining room on the waterfront offers modern Greek cuisine with the best views of the Thermaikos Gulf in the city. Booking recommended.
Taverna Saita ★ 4.1 · Athens
plaka · Kydathineon 21, Plaka, Athina
Taverna Saita on Kydathineon is the rare Plaka room in Athens cooking for locals. The Zacharopoulou family has fried bakaliaros skordalia since 1970.
Tip: Pavement tables face the quiet end of Kydathineon, away from souvenir shops; book ahead.
Tzitzikas kai Mermigas ★ 4.1 · Athens
syntagma-historic-centre · Mitropoleos 12, Athina
Tzitzikas kai Mermigas on Mitropoleos in Athens has cooked Greek small plates with seasonal ingredients off Syntagma Square for three decades.
Tip: Lunch from 13:00 is the easier seating; book three days ahead for Friday and Saturday dinner.
Canteen ★ 4.1 · Thessaloniki
Dodekanisou Gounari 7, Thessaloniki 546 22
Canteen on Gounari has established itself as the reliable all-day room in the city centre with strong brunch trade, good coffee, and a menu that stretches.
Ouzeri Aristotelous ★ 4.1 · Thessaloniki
Aristotelous 8, Thessaloniki 546 23
Tucked into a covered atrium off Aristotelous Square between Irakliou and Tsimiski, Ouzeri Aristotelous serves the full Thessaloniki meze repertoire: stuffed.