Tzitzikas kai Mermigas on Mitropoleos has cooked Greek small plates with seasonal ingredients off Syntagma Square in Athens for three decades.
OrderThe keftedakia and the kayianas allios with a glass of the house assyrtiko.
TipLunch 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.
OrderThe rooftop seating with the seasonal tasting menu when the weather is warm.
Book2 weeks ahead
TipHotel 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. Located in Syntagma Historic Centre. Book 1 week ahead.
OrderThe sharing carte; ask for the kitchen's three small-plate picks and add a noodle dish.
Book1 week ahead
TipLunch 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.
OrderThe neck-to-tail yakitori with a few skewers of seasonal seafood from the robata.
Book10 days ahead
TipCounter 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.
OrderThe keftedakia and the kayianas allios with a glass of the house assyrtiko.
TipLunch 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.
DrinkLoukoumades with honey, Greek coffee
TipClosed 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.
DrinkSpanakopita with a Greek coffee at the counter
TipStand-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.
Worth the queueSpanakopita
TipStand-up counter only; closed Sundays. The morning pies fly out before 10:00.
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.
Worth the queueLoukoumades with honey and cinnamon
TipClosed Sundays; the seated counter at the back is the destination, not the takeaway window.
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.
Worth the queueBuckwheat low-gluten sourdough
TipMid-morning is the best window; the low-gluten loaves often sell out by lunchtime.
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.
PourA by-the-glass flight of Aegean island wines
WineGreek-only list, native varieties, natural wines
FoodCheese boards and small plates
TipThe 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.
PourA glass of malagouzia from Epanomi
WineGreek wines with a wide by-the-glass programme
FoodMediterranean bistro
TipDine 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.
PourA by-the-glass cellar of growers' Greek whites
WineGreek classics with international growers on the side
FoodCheese boards and small plates
TipThe 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.
DrinkSpecialty coffee by day, signature cocktails by night
FoodBar snacks
TipSpecialty 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.
DrinkRum tiki and tropical cocktails
FoodBar snacks
TipBack 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.
DrinkGreek wines by the glass with bistro fare
FoodMediterranean bistro
TipDine 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.
Drink200-label Greek wine list, 20 by the glass
FoodCheese boards and small plates
TipPavement 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.
TrySpanakopita, cheese pie, meat pie
TipStand-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.
TipThe 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.
TipGo early; the best fish goes by 09:00. The spice and olive shops on Evripidou run later.
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.
TipThe 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 5th-floor studio in Monastiraki in central Athens, a hands-on session ending in a full.
TipBring 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 €3.
TrySpanakopita, cheese pie, meat pie
TipStand-up counter only; closed Sundays. Morning pies fly out before 10:00.
Krinos on Aiolou has fried loukoumades since 1923 in Athens, the €5 portion of doughnuts with honey at the back-counter seated room. At Aiolou 87.
TryLoukoumades with honey, Greek coffee
TipClosed Sundays; the seated counter at the back is the destination, not the takeaway window.
Holy Llama on Nikis off Syntagma in Athens is the all-vegan brunch bakery: croissant sandwiches, scrambled tofu, carrot lox bagels and a praised pistachio.
OrderThe pistachio croissant with the carrot lox bagel and a flat white.
TipThe pistachio croissant sells out by lunchtime; the brunch carte runs through to 19:00 every day.
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.
OrderThe bartender's signature pick with one of the bar snacks from the kitchen.
TipLate-night Friday and Saturday is queue-only; the back room takes bookings six weeks ahead.
The Clumsies on Praxitelous near Syntagma is the all-day cocktail bar by Nikos Bakoulis and Vasilis Kyritsis, ranked on the World's 50 Best Bars every year.
TipWalk in for the ground-floor bar; reservations required for The Room upstairs. The Mediterranean Gimlet is the canonical pour; signature menus rewritten yearly.
Baba Au Rum on Klitiou near Monastiraki has run for over 15 years as the Athens rum society with more than 400 rums on the back bar, ranked No. 27.
TipWalk-in only, no reservations; the Supremus n. 58 (a Ti Punch twist) and Beatnik Paloma are the signature pours. Doors at 19:00, room peaks after 22:00.
Noel on Kolokotroni in the Kourtaki Arcade is the cocktail bar that runs a Christmas theme every day of the year, with theatrical decor, a strong creative.
TipWalk-in for the bar tables; the arcade fills first on warm nights. The festive carte rotates with the season; comfort-food kitchen runs alongside the drinks.
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