Residential quarter east of the National Gardens around the old Panathenaic Stadium; home to Spondi, Mavro Provato, Karavitis and the city's mageirio tradition.
Mavro Provato in Pangrati is the daily Athens mezedopoleio favourite for small-plate Greek cooking with regulars on the pavement from 14:00.
Signature: Saganaki, Smoked aubergine, Pork tenderloin with prunes
Order: The smoked aubergine, the saganaki and a half-litre carafe of house white.
Tip: Book three days ahead for dinner; lunch tables on the pavement are walk-up only from 14:00 onwards.
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.
Signature: Bekri meze, Stuffed vine leaves, Lamb chops
Order: The bekri meze stew with stuffed vine leaves and a carafe of the house red.
Tip: No reservations are taken; arrive before 21:00 weeknights and before 20:30 on Friday and Saturday.
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.
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.
Order: The full tasting menu; the kitchen runs on what arrived that morning from small farms.
Tip: The Green Star menu skews vegetable-forward; flag allergies and preferences when booking.
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.
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.
Signature: Bekri meze, Stuffed vine leaves, Lamb chops
Order: The bekri meze stew with stuffed vine leaves and a carafe of the house red.
Tip: No reservations are taken; arrive before 21:00 on weeknights and before 20:30 on Saturdays.
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 after 14:00.
Signature: Saganaki, Smoked aubergine, Pork tenderloin with prunes
Order: The smoked aubergine, the saganaki and a half-litre carafe of house white.
Tip: Book three days ahead for dinner; lunch tables on the pavement are walk-up after 14:00.
Pnyka in Pangrati Athens has baked since 1981 from a wood-burning oven, sourdough only with the stone mill in-house, with the Kotsaris family running the bakery across generations.
Tip: The Pangrati branch holds the stone mill; the carob loaf is the long-keeper to take home.
Worth the queue: Stone-mill wholemeal sourdough
Karavitis in Pangrati has cooked the Athens taverna canon since 1926, a budget Greek dinner of bekri-meze, vine leaves and chops with house wine for around EUR15.
Try: Athenian taverna plate with house wine
Tip: No reservations are taken; arrive before 21:00 on weeknights and before 20:30 on Saturdays.