Top Restaurants in Greece: 30 editor picks

30 restaurants worth the trip across Greece, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Greece guides.

Peskesi ★ 4.8 · Heraklion

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

Peskesi cooks Cretan recipes from its own farm at Haraso inside a restored stone mansion in central Heraklion. Book ahead, the room fills nightly.

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

Merastri ★ 4.7 · Heraklion

Old Town · Chrisostomou 17, Iraklio 712 02

Merastri has cooked over a wood oven in Heraklion since 1998, closing lamb in the fire for hours and finishing pork fillet with staka and oven potatoes.

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

Mourga ★ 4.7 · Thessaloniki

ladadika · Christopoulou 12, Thessaloniki

Chef Giannis Loukakis writes the menu each morning based on what the organic market and fishers deliver. Located in Ladadika. Kitchen leans creative seafood.

Parasties ★ 4.6 · Heraklion

Old Town · Chandakos 81, Iraklio 712 02

Parasties runs an open wood fire opposite the Historical Museum in Heraklion, turning out smoked steak, big pork fillets and long-cooked Cretan plates.

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.

Olympos Naoussa ★ 4.6 · Thessaloniki

waterfront · Leoforos Nikis 5, Thessaloniki 546 24

Olympos Naoussa reopened in 2022 after thirty years in a 1926 building on Nikis Avenue. Located in Waterfront. Priced at €€€. Kitchen leans modern greek.

Trizoni Exclusive ★ 4.6 · Thessaloniki

ladadika · Doxis 1 and Salaminos 12, Thessaloniki

Chef Asterios Sousouras brings the family seafood heritage from a Halkidiki fish taverna into a refined Ladadika room. Kitchen leans creative seafood.

Mavro Provato ★ 4.5 · Athens

pangrati · Arrianou 31-33, Pangrati

Mavro Provato in Pangrati is the daily Athens mezedopoleio favourite for small-plate Greek cooking with regulars on the pavement from 14:00.

Tip: Book three days ahead for dinner; lunch tables on the pavement are walk-up only from 14:00 onwards.

Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani ★ 4.5 · 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.

Diporto ★ 4.5 · Athens

psyrri · Sokratous 9, Athina 105 52

Diporto on Sokratous and Theatrou has poured Attic retsina from barrels in Athens since 1887, a basement koutouki with no sign and a handful of daily dishes.

Tip: Lunch only from late morning until the pans empty, often by 17:00; no menu, no English spoken.

The Walls ★ 4.5 · Heraklion

Old Town · Kosma Zotou 6, Iraklio 712 01

The Walls plates crab samosas, duck and sea bream in a garden inside the Venetian walls of Heraklion, the city's most composed modern Greek cooking.

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

Erganos ★ 4.5 · Heraklion

Old Town · Georgiadou 5, Iraklio 712 01

Erganos has fed a mostly local room beside Kazantzakis park in Heraklion since 1986, with goat, meatballs and a long list of Cretan vegetable plates.

Tip: The taverna sits beside Kazantzakis park, a short walk uphill from the Archaeological Museum.

Herb's Garden ★ 4.5 · Heraklion

Old Town · Epimenidou 15, Iraklio 712 02

Herb's Garden runs the Lato hotel roof in Heraklion from April to October, looking straight at Koules over fish, Cretan cheeses and seasonal salads.

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

Mavri Thalassa ★ 4.5 · Thessaloniki

kalamaria · Nikolaou Plastira 3, Kalamaria, Thessaloniki 551 32

Founded in 1926 as a harbour kafeneio, Mavri Thalassa now operates one of Thessaloniki's most serious seafood tables in Kalamaria. Priced at €€€.

SinTrofi ★ 4.5 · Thessaloniki

ladadika · Doxis 7, Thessaloniki

SinTrofi's zero-waste philosophy shapes the kitchen and the cellar: the menu changes daily by season and market availability, and the wine list.

Mezen Salonica ★ 4.5 · Thessaloniki

ladadika · Rogoti 3, Thessaloniki

Mezen's never-ending philosophy: small plates arrive continuously until you signal otherwise. The tiny Rogoti Street location runs no reservations.

Clochard ★ 4.5 · Thessaloniki

centre · Mitropoleos 11, Thessaloniki 546 22

Clochard operates at the intersection of French bistronomic discipline and Greek ingredient pride. Kitchen leans modern greek-french bistro.

Ouzeri Tsinari ★ 4.5 · Thessaloniki

ano-poli · Alexandras Papadopoulou 72, Thessaloniki 546 33

Tsinari has stood on this Ano Poli corner since 1865, originally a cafe during the Ottoman period. Priced at €. At Alexandras Papadopoulou 72.

Atlantikos ★ 4.4 · Athens

psyrri · Avliton 7, Psiri, Athina 10563, Greece

Atlantikos in Psyrri is the central Athens 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.

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: cured pork siglino and handmade pasta.

Tip: Closed Mondays. Sunday lunch from 14:00 is the easiest service for booking a window seat.

Karavitis Tavern ★ 4.4 · Athens

pangrati · Pausaniou 4 Pangrati, Athina 11635, Greece

Karavitis in Pangrati has cooked the Athens taverna canon since 1926, a rustic room with a courtyard, barrels of house wine and the bekri-meze stew.

Tip: No reservations are taken; arrive before 21:00 weeknights and before 20:30 on Friday and Saturday.

Taverna tou Oikonomou ★ 4.4 · 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 from the pan.

Tip: No microwave and no menu; you point at the trays. Closes when pans empty out, often by 22:00.

Thigaterra ★ 4.4 · Heraklion

Ammoudara · Andrea Papandreou 109, Ammoudara, Iraklio 714 14

Thigaterra cooks to a declared Slow Food brief on the Ammoudara strip west of Heraklion, working Greek producers and Cretan seas rather than a fixed menu.

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

Apiri Greek Eatery ★ 4.4 · Heraklion

Old Town · Agion Deka 5, Iraklio 712 01

Apiri Greek Eatery reworks Greek standards on Agion Deka in Heraklion, grilling octopus and sea bass and charring a wild greens pie over coals.

Tip: Small room, so book for dinner. Lunch is quieter and the same kitchen is running the grill from 13:00.

Ippokampos ★ 4.4 · Heraklion

Venetian Harbour · Sofokli Venizelou 3, Iraklio 712 02

Ippokampos is the seafront ouzeri Heraklion sends visitors to, grilling the day's catch and pouring raki at pavement tables across from the water.

Tip: Tables spill across the promenade opposite the water, and the seafront ones go first on a summer evening.

Ouzeri tou Terzaki ★ 4.4 · Heraklion

Venetian Harbour · Lochagou Marineli 17, Iraklio 712 02

Ouzeri tou Terzaki has poured raki in a quiet port alley in Heraklion since 1978, sending out mezedes, moussaka and whatever the boats landed.

Tip: The alley off Plateia Agiou Dimitriou is easy to miss. Aim for the port end of Lochagou Marineli and look for the chairs.

Tip: Lunch from 13:00 is the easier seating; book three days ahead for Friday and Saturday dinner.

Top Restaurants in Greece