Let’s eat (and drink)!
Holidays are also made to eat well! Athens is a city where you have to enjoy life, and have a coffee on a outdoor terrace is part of the way of living. Here are a few recommendations by areas. Places I apreciate, sometimes with a unique environment, a very subjective selection I share with you!
Check directly the area you are interested in: Plaka, Psiri, central market area, Exarchia or Piraeus.
Click on the address of each place to be directly redirected to Google maps.
Go to the general map to locate the different places.
And don’t forget to check the audio guided tour of Exarchia.
With no surprise, the symbols mean: restaurant, café and bar.
Plaka – Πλάκα
Barbounaki / Μπαρμπουνάκι
Plateia Mitropoleos 4 (Cathedral Square) and Charitos 39B (Kolonaki)
Excellent seafood restaurant, with a more sophisticated cuisine, an address that changes from the traditional tavernas. A bit more expensive than the average but still very affordable.
+ Klepsydra / Κλεψύδρα
Traditional Greek cuisine. Very nice and quiet environment and close to the Tower of the Winds.
+ Dioskouroi / Διόσκουροι
On the way to the Acropolis from Plaka with a nice view on the Ancient Agora. Traditional Greek cuisine or just for a coffee break.
Cafe Avissinia
Greek cuisine with some originality and revisiting some traditional recipes. The big plus is the exceptional view on the Acropolis and Plaka from the rooftop. A bit expensive for the quantity of food in your plate, but you definitely pay the view… Right in the flee market, on Avissinias square.
+ Couleur Locale
A rooftop café-bar close to Monastiraki offering a very nice view on Plaka and the Acropolis. A good spot for a rest during the day or an after dinner drink. Limited choice of food (sandwich/pizza).
+ TAF (The Art Foundation)
Café-bar and art galery located in a pleasant courtyard. A comfy place, great for a break during the day as well as for a drink in the evening.
Vryssaki / Βρυσάκι
Small and quiet café behind the Ancient Agora. The terrace on the first floor offers a partial view on the Acropolis. They also have an art gallery with temporary exhibitions. A good spot for a rest during the day!
Yiasemi / Γιασεμί
Mnisikleous 23 (Plaka stairs)
Located in the busy and very popular Plaka stairs, this café is still authentic and a nice place to enjoy the area. You can also sit on the terrace, accessible by a narrow stair. They also serve food like pies or light meals.
Be patient, the service is sometime quite long…
Psiri – Ψυρρή
Avli / Η Αυλή
Not to be confused with the same name taverna located in Exarchia.
Simple cuisine and very affordable, the main asset is the unique environment in an old fashioned Cycladic style courtyard.
Traditional Greek cuisine with meze, I recommend the mix platter.
The entrance of the restaurant is not easy to find: it is a small iron door in the street with the name Αυλή only written in Greek.
Atlantikos / Ατλαντικός
Very small restaurant specialized in seafood, cooked in orginial ways at a very affordable price. Has only a few tables, including some in the narrow street, this address is more for the food than the environment.
+ six d.o.g.s
Bar and café located in a very nice multi-level courtyard. Generous selection of coffees, drinks and cocktails, suitable for a break or for evening hang out.
Central market area – Κεντρική Αγορά
Karamanlidika / Καραμανλίδικα του Φάνη
Sokratous 1 (Central market) and Ermou 119 (Thissio)
One of my top choice around the market!
This was originally a deli and cheese shop which now has a restaurant. Excellent cuisine, mostly based on deli and cheese.
Has another restaurant at Ermou 119, between Monastiraki and Thissio.
Dopios
Modern, original and excellent Greek cuisine! A place to recommend for anyone who wants to discover something different from family and traditional cooking. A bit more expensive than the average but the quality definitely worth it.
Klimataria / Κληματαριά
Traditional Greek cuisine. Always very busy and has traditional Greek music after 10pm (check their website for specific days). The inside is cosy but there is no outside space.
NB: the streets around are quite dilapidated, keep it in mind especially in the evening.
Exarchia – Εξάρχεια
Avli / Αυλή
Not to be confused the Avli restaurant located in Psiri.
Traditional taverna in an old house in a quiet pedestrian alley of Exarchia. We apreciate the village like ambiance, quite unexpected in the area. If you like ouzo, ask the owner who is an expert and has more confidential brands.
Oxo Nou / Όξο Νου
An excellent Cretan cuisine with an original selection of food making it different than the other traditional tavernas.
Close to the Exarchia’s central square.
Ama Lachei / Άμα Λάχει
Slightly more chic, located in a nice shaded yard next to the Strefi hill.
Greek cuisine with some originality.
Efimeron / Εφήμερον
Family and traditional taverna in a hidden spot of Exarchia. Usualy there are rebetiko (traditional music) concerts on Saturdays evenings.
Piraeus – Πειραιάς
Ammos / Άμμος
Akti Koumoundourou 44 (Mikrolimano)
Fish restaurant located in the harbour of Mikrolimano. Quality and original cuisine at an affordable price for the area.
Enteuktirio / Εντευκτήριο
Papadiamanti 2-6 (Mikrolimano)
Not directly on Mikrolimano but faces the sea, away from the busy central part. Very pleasant to enjoy the sea view and the quitness. Mostly recommended for a drink or a coffee but they also offer food options with an international cuisine.
The place is a bit hidden, don’t miss the stairs on the right just after the nautical club. After the stairs, continue on the left for a few meters to reach the entrance.
Bowling Center
Chanion 9 (Kastella)
Located on the top of Kastella hill, the upper floor is a café and a restaurant (the bowling is in the basement). This is a very kitsh place but the main objective is to have a drink or a coffee to enjoy the impressive view on the sea, the Riviera and Athens (we can even see the Acropolis from distance). Mostly recommended for a drink than for food.
Rigas / Ρήγας
Idis 18 (Kastella)
Taverna located on the top of Kastella hill with nice food and affordable prices. The main asset is the top floor terrace that offers a panoramic view on the sea.
Audioguided tour of Exarchia
Athens anarchist and alternative neighbourhood in total freedom and at your pace.
From 13€
