Top Fine Dining in Greece

Spondi ★ 4.8 · Athens

pangrati · Pyrronos 5, Athina 116 36

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.

Tip: Book three weeks ahead on the site; the courtyard tables open in May for warm-weather candlelit dining.

Peskesi ★ 4.8 · Heraklion

Old Town · Kapetan Charalampi 6-8, Iraklio 712 02

Peskesi is the Cretan kitchen Heraklion gets judged by, rebuilding near-lost island recipes with produce grown on the restaurant's own farm.

Tip: Ask for the olive oil tasting. The kitchen is supplied by its own farm at Haraso, and the oils are poured alongside rusk.

Delta Restaurant ★ 4.7 · Athens

kerameikos-metaxourgeio · 364 Syggrou Avenue, Kallithea, 176 74

Delta at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre in Athens-Kallithea holds two Michelin stars and a Green Star for fermentation-led Greek cooking.

Tip: Book a month ahead; the architecture is the warm-up so allow time for the foundation walk.

Merastri ★ 4.7 · Heraklion

Old Town · Chrisostomou 17, Iraklio 712 02

Merastri is the wood-oven address in Heraklion for an unhurried Cretan dinner, from lamb closed in the fire to a long list of island bottles.

Tip: Dinner only from 18:00, and the courtyard tables go first at weekends. The Cretan list is worth an extra glass.

Charoupi ★ 4.7 · Thessaloniki

Doxis 4, Thessaloniki

Charoupi opened in Ladadika in 2017 bringing Cretan modernism to Thessaloniki's kitchen. Led by chef Manolis Papoutsakis. Tasting menu €55-80.

Mourga ★ 4.7 · Thessaloniki

Christopoulou 12, Thessaloniki

Mourga straddles the boundary between casual and fine dining: handwritten menus, organic-market sourcing, and a kitchen with genuine creative ambition.

Hytra ★ 4.6 · Athens

kerameikos-metaxourgeio · Petrou Kokkali 1, Athina 115 21

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.

Tip: The seventh-floor summer bar is a separate booking from the winter ground-floor dining room.

CTC Urban Gastronomy ★ 4.6 · Athens

kerameikos-metaxourgeio · 15 Plateon , Athina

CTC in Kerameikos is Alexandros Tsiotinis's one Michelin star for creative Greek cooking, in a converted post-industrial space west of central Athens.

Tip: The dining room is small and the kitchen seats are the best in the house, ask when booking.

Parasties ★ 4.6 · Heraklion

Old Town · Chandakos 81, Iraklio 712 02

Parasties has cooked Cretan food over live fire in the centre of Heraklion since 1999, and is one of the city's steadiest special-occasion rooms.

Tip: Sit where you can see the open kitchen. Staff will walk you through a mostly Cretan wine list if you tell them what you ordered.

Trizoni Exclusive ★ 4.6 · Thessaloniki

Doxis 1 and Salaminos 12, Thessaloniki

Chef Asterios Sousouras runs a hook-to-fork seafood table in Ladadika with daily supply from a network of dedicated fishermen. Tasting menu €75-100.

Olympos Naoussa ★ 4.6 · Thessaloniki

Leoforos Nikis 5, Thessaloniki 546 24

The 1926 building on Nikis Avenue returned to fine dining in 2022 when chef Dimitris Tasioulas took over and earned an FNL star. Tasting menu €60-80.

Soil ★ 4.5 · Athens

pangrati · 5 Ferekidou, Pangrati, 116 35

Soil in Pangrati is Tasos Mantis's one Michelin star plus Green Star for sustainable Greek cooking with Nordic discipline and a fully seasonal carte.

Tip: The Green Star menu skews vegetable-forward; flag allergies and preferences when booking.

Birdman ★ 4.5 · Athens

syntagma-historic-centre · Voulis 35, Athina

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.

Tip: Counter seats see the cooking; book a side seat for two and order across the menu.

The Walls ★ 4.5 · Heraklion

Old Town · Kosma Zotou 6, Iraklio 712 01

The Walls is the most technical cooking in Heraklion, a garden dining room inside the Venetian ramparts, run as a modern Greek gastrobistro.

Tip: The dining room sits inside the Heraklion Tennis Club grounds by the Venetian walls, so allow time to find the gate.

Herb's Garden ★ 4.5 · Heraklion

Old Town · Epimenidou 15, Iraklio 712 02

Herb's Garden is the Heraklion rooftop for an occasion dinner, plating contemporary Greek food above the Venetian harbour from April to October.

Tip: Rooftop of the Lato Boutique Hotel, and seasonal: the team moves downstairs to Brillant from November to March.

Mavri Thalassa ★ 4.5 · Thessaloniki

Nikolaou Plastira 3, Kalamaria, Thessaloniki 551 32

Founded in 1926, Mavri Thalassa is Thessaloniki's most storied seafood table. Tasting menu €60-90. Book several days ahead. At Nikolaou Plastira 3.

Clochard ★ 4.5 · Thessaloniki

Mitropoleos 11, Thessaloniki 546 22

Clochard operates at the intersection of French bistronomic discipline and Greek ingredient sourcing. The monthly menu, exceptional wine list.

SinTrofi ★ 4.5 · Thessaloniki

Doxis 7, Thessaloniki

SinTrofi's zero-waste kitchen and biodynamic wine cellar represent Thessaloniki's most principled fine dining. Tasting menu €45-65. Book several days ahead.

Mezen Salonica ★ 4.5 · Thessaloniki

Rogoti 3, Thessaloniki

Mezen's never-ending philosophy of small seafood plates arriving continuously until the diner stops them has made it one of Thessaloniki's most imitated.

The Zillers ★ 4.4 · Athens

syntagma-historic-centre · 54 Mitropoleos, Historic Centre, 105 63

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.

Tip: Hotel guests book the rooftop bar separately; the restaurant tables face the cathedral.

Aleria ★ 4.4 · Athens

kerameikos-metaxourgeio · Megalou Alexandrou 57, Athina 104 35

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.

Tip: The neoclassical courtyard opens late spring; the indoor room is the place to dine in winter.

Cookoovaya ★ 4.4 · Athens

pangrati · Chatzigianni Mexi 2, Athina 115 28

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.

Tip: Book the inner garden room in spring; the open kitchen counter is the best winter seat.

Nolan ★ 4.4 · Athens

syntagma-historic-centre · Voulis 31-33, Athina 105 57

Nolan on Voulis is the Bib Gourmand Greek-with-Asian-influences room near Syntagma, kept since 2017. Located in Syntagma Historic Centre. Book 1 week ahead.

Tip: Lunch is the easier seating; book ten days ahead for dinner Thursday through Saturday.

Thigaterra ★ 4.4 · Heraklion

Ammoudara · Andrea Papandreou 109, Ammoudara, Iraklio 714 14

Thigaterra is the Slow Food table of the Heraklion coast, cooking Greek producers and Cretan sea catch on the Ammoudara strip west of the city.

Tip: Reserve at least three days ahead. The kitchen asks for confirmation before it holds a table, which weeds out no-shows.

Glykanisos ★ 4.4 · Thessaloniki

Megalou Alexandrou 46, Pylaia, Thessaloniki 555 35

The Sotiroudis brothers have built one of Thessaloniki's finest seafood tables since 2008 in Pylaia. Tasting menu €55-75. Book several days ahead.

Iliopetra ★ 4.4 · Thessaloniki

Aischylou 5, Thessaloniki 546 34

Iliopetra at the foot of Ano Poli is small, no-frills, and reservation-essential. Led by chef Giorgos Zannakis. Tasting menu €40-60. At Aischylou 5.

Deka Trapezia ★ 4.4 · Thessaloniki

Stratigou Kallari 4, Thessaloniki 546 22

The more accessible side of chef Manolis Papoutsakis's Thessaloniki operation, Deka Trapezia serves Cretan-rooted meze in a casual no-reservation format.

Maitr and Margarita ★ 4.4 · Thessaloniki

Fragkon 3, Thessaloniki 546 26

Open only September to May, Maitr and Margarita brings a genuinely seasonal approach to Ladadika. Tasting menu €40-60. Book several days ahead.

Brillant ★ 4.3 · Heraklion

Old Town · Epimenidou 15, Iraklio 712 02

Brillant is the winter dining room of the Lato hotel in Heraklion, running Mediterranean and Cretan cooking from November until the roof reopens.

Tip: Brillant is the winter half of the Lato hotel operation. From April the same team moves up to the Herb's Garden roof.

Lola ★ 4.3 · Heraklion

Old Town · Kydonias 21, Iraklio 712 01

Lola is the sharpest small-plates cooking in central Heraklion, a compact room on Kydonias where Mediterranean technique meets Cretan produce.

Tip: Closed Mondays. The room is small and popular with locals, so book if you want a table after 21:00.