Tzitzikas kai Mermigas on Mitropoleos has cooked Greek small plates with seasonal ingredients off Syntagma Square in Athens for three decades.
Signature: Keftedakia, Kayianas allios, Greek salad
Order: The keftedakia and the kayianas allios with a glass of the house assyrtiko.
Tip: Lunch from 13:00 is the easier seating; book three days ahead for Friday and Saturday dinner.
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.
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.
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.
Tzitzikas kai Mermigas on Mitropoleos in Athens has cooked Greek small plates with seasonal ingredients off Syntagma Square for three decades, a long-running lunch room.
Signature: Keftedakia, Kayianas allios, Greek salad
Order: The keftedakia and the kayianas allios with a glass of the house assyrtiko.
Tip: Lunch from 13:00 is the easier seating; book three days ahead for Friday and Saturday dinner.
Krinos on Aiolou in central Athens has fried loukoumades on the same recipe and decor since 1923, a sit-down counter for the doughnut with honey and a Greek coffee.
Signature drink: Loukoumades with honey, Greek coffee
Tip: Closed Sundays; the queue moves fast and the seated counter at the back is the destination.
Ariston on Voulis behind Syntagma in Athens is the 1910 takeaway-pie bakery where the morning Greek coffee comes alongside the spanakopita on the counter.
Signature drink: Spanakopita with a Greek coffee at the counter
Tip: Stand-up counter only; closed Sundays. The morning pies fly out before 10:00.
Ariston on Voulis behind Syntagma in Athens has baked filo pies since 1910, a takeaway counter where the spanakopita is the order and the bougatsa is the breakfast.
Tip: Stand-up counter only; closed Sundays. The morning pies fly out before 10:00.
Worth the queue: Spanakopita
Krinos on Aiolou has fried loukoumades on the same recipe and decor since 1923 in Athens, the back-row counter where the doughnuts come with honey and a Greek coffee.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the seated counter at the back is the destination, not the takeaway window.
Worth the queue: Loukoumades with honey and cinnamon
Pnyka on Petraki in central Athens is the Syntagma branch of the long-running sourdough bakery, the destination for the buckwheat and zea ancient-grain loaves.
Tip: Mid-morning is the best window; the low-gluten loaves often sell out by lunchtime.
Worth the queue: Buckwheat low-gluten sourdough
Heteroclito on Fokionos in Athens has poured Greek wines since 2012, a 200-label list focused on native varieties with around 20 by-the-glass picks per service.
Signature pour: A by-the-glass flight of Aegean island wines
Wine focus: Greek-only list, native varieties, natural wines
Food: Cheese boards and small plates
Tip: The hard-to-find natural-wine flights are the bartender's pick; ask for the seasonal selection.
By the Glass in Athens is the Ralli Gallery wine bar a short walk from Syntagma, with a Greek wine focus, a wide by-the-glass list and a small Mediterranean carte.
Signature pour: A glass of malagouzia from Epanomi
Wine focus: Greek wines with a wide by-the-glass programme
Food: Mediterranean bistro
Tip: Dine inside the arcade in winter; the courtyard tables open from April through October.
Oinoscent on Voulis in central Athens is the long-running wine bar near Syntagma, a deep Greek and international cellar with a cheese-and-small-plate carte.
Signature pour: A by-the-glass cellar of growers' Greek whites
Wine focus: Greek classics with international growers on the side
Food: Cheese boards and small plates
Tip: The kitchen runs until 23:00; book a fortnight ahead for Friday and Saturday evenings.
The Clumsies on Praxitelous is the Athens cocktail bar of record, on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2015 from Nikos Bakoulis and Vasilis Kyritsis.
Signature drink: Specialty coffee by day, signature cocktails by night
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Specialty coffee runs from 10:00; bookings open six weeks ahead for the back room.
Baba au Rum on Kleitiou has poured tiki and rum-led cocktails in central Athens for over a decade, with 11 consecutive years on the World's 50 Best Bars list to its name.
Signature drink: Rum tiki and tropical cocktails
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Back bar holds over 400 rums; ask the bartender for the agricole flight to start.
By the Glass in central Athens is the Ralli Gallery wine bar a few steps from the National Gardens, with a Greek wine focus and a small Mediterranean carte.
Signature drink: Greek wines by the glass with bistro fare
Food: Mediterranean bistro
Tip: Dine inside the arcade in winter; the courtyard tables open from April through October.
Heteroclito on Fokionos and Petraki in Athens has poured a 200-label all-Greek wine list since 2012, with 20 by-the-glass picks and a back-bar of small plates.
Signature drink: 200-label Greek wine list, 20 by the glass
Food: Cheese boards and small plates
Tip: Pavement tables fill from 19:00; book ahead for the natural-wine flights of the night.
Ariston on Voulis behind Syntagma in Athens is the 1910 takeaway-pie counter where the spanakopita is the order and the bougatsa is the breakfast on the way to work.
Try: Spanakopita, cheese pie, meat pie
Tip: Stand-up takeaway only; closed Sundays. Pies are warm out of the oven all morning.
Barley Cargo on Kolokotroni in central Athens is the city's deepest craft beer bar, 230 international bottles and 70 Greek labels with 17 rotating taps from 2012.
Tip: The three-litre canisters are for groups; the tasting flight is the way to learn Greek craft.
Varvakios on Athinas in Athens is the city's central food market, built in 1886 with a fish hall, a meat hall and the spice and olive stalls on the surrounding streets.
Tip: Go early; the best fish goes by 09:00. The spice and olive shops on Evripidou run later.
Pantopoleion on Sofokleous in central Athens is the grocery store of the Mediterranean Diet, 3000 Greek products from 225 cottage industries, women's coops and rural farms.
Tip: The morning olive oil tasting at the back is free; ask the counter for the day's pour.
The Greek Kitchen on Athinas in central Athens runs the Classic Cooking Class with a market visit and a hands-on three-hour cook, plus a separate evening meze class.
Tip: The Classic Class starts at the Varvakios meat hall; book the morning slot for the calmer market.
CookinAthens runs the Traditional Greek Cooking Class and Meal from a light-filled industrial loft in central Athens, a hands-on session ending in a full dinner.
Tip: Bring an empty stomach; the class becomes the dinner and finishes with Greek wine and dessert.
Ariston on Voulis behind Syntagma in Athens has baked filo pies since 1910, a takeaway counter where the spanakopita is the order and a coffee runs under EUR3.
Try: Spanakopita, cheese pie, meat pie
Tip: Stand-up counter only; closed Sundays. Morning pies fly out before 10:00.
Krinos on Aiolou has fried loukoumades since 1923 in Athens, the EUR5 portion of doughnuts with honey at the back-counter seated room.
Try: Loukoumades with honey, Greek coffee
Tip: Closed Sundays; the seated counter at the back is the destination, not the takeaway window.
Avocado on Nikis on the edge of Plaka in Athens is the vegetarian and vegan wellness cafe, brunch and lunch plates from the founders' yoga-studio kitchen team.
Order: The vegan plate with smoothie and a tahini-honey toast.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The Sunday brunch alternative is Mama Roux on Aiolou, a short walk north.
The Clumsies on Praxitelous in central Athens runs until 02:00 weeknights and 04:00 weekends, the World's 50 Best Bars regular for the after-dinner cocktail.
Try: Signature cocktails with bar snacks
Order: The bartender's signature pick with one of the bar snacks from the kitchen.
Tip: Late-night Friday and Saturday is queue-only; the back room takes bookings six weeks ahead.