Best restaurants in Athens 2026: 14 tables worth booking

The best restaurants in Athens in 2026 are these 14 tables, from eight Michelin-starred kitchens to a Bib Gourmand counter in Pangrati and a cellar taverna by the central market with no sign and no menu. If you book only one, make it Aleria, newly starred in a 19th-century mansion in Metaxourgeio; if you want the Acropolis in the window, make it SENSE.

The Michelin selection for Greece released this October, which the guide calls its 2027 edition, gives Athens 16 one-star restaurants, up from 12. Four are new: Aleria, see|ds, SENSE and Simul. Delta, the city's only two-star table, dropped to one, so the capital no longer has a two-star address; the only one in Greece is now Lycabettus in Santorini, where Christos Karagiannis cooks.

This list of the best restaurants in Athens takes eight of those starred kitchens, the guide's Opening of the Year, three Bib Gourmand addresses for good value and two old-school places where the city eats every day. For the dishes themselves, from souvlaki to loukoumades, start with our guide to what to eat in Athens. Prices are in euros; most fine-dining rooms in Athens do not publish menu prices online, so where there is no figure we give the Michelin price band and the menu format instead.

Athens now has sixteen starred tables and no two-star one: its strength is the depth of the middle.

Aleria, Metaxourgeio: first of the best restaurants in Athens

Gikas Xenakis cooks in a mid-19th-century neoclassical mansion at 57 Megalou Alexandrou, with a courtyard for warm nights. The restaurant won its first Michelin star this October, and its sommelier, Despina Tokalakis, took the guide's Sommelier Award for a cellar of more than 400 labels.

There are two menus, Earth & Sea and the vegetarian Garden & Nature, each in five, six or seven courses, with optional wine pairing. Michelin places it in its third price band of four, which makes it the gentlest bill among the new stars. It opens Monday to Saturday from 19:00.

SENSE, Makrygianni

On the rooftop of the AthensWas hotel at 5 Dionysiou Areopagitou, the pedestrian street below the Acropolis, Alexandros Charalabopoulos reworks Greek childhood dishes and regional recipes. The terrace faces the Parthenon, and the restaurant won its first star in this year's selection.

Two tasting menus, Roots & Reflections and Roots of Greek Nature, come with a vegetarian option. It sits in Michelin's top price band and opens every evening from 18:00; book the sunset slot first.

Delta, Kallithea

Delta occupies the fifth floor of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, at 364 Syngrou Avenue, with a bronze bar, trees hanging from the ceiling and a view of the sea. Executive chef George Papazacharias serves one 12-course tasting menu, Omnivore, with a vegetarian version and vegetables from the restaurant's own garden.

It held two Michelin stars from 2022 and now holds one. It is in the top price band, opens Wednesday to Sunday from 18:30 and takes bookings through its website or by phone.

Spondi, Pangrati

Near the Panathenaic Stadium, at 5 Pyrronos, Spondi serves contemporary French cooking in vaulted dining rooms and on two terraces. It keeps its star, and its director, Christian Potelle, received the guide's Service Award this year.

The Discovery tasting menu is priced by the number of courses, and there is also an à la carte menu. It sits in the top price band and opens every evening from 19:30; book online through its website or by phone.

Simul, Kolonaki

Nikos Thomas, known to Greek viewers from MasterChef, runs a casual dining room at 63 Ipsilantou with a tasting menu built on Greek produce and French technique. Michelin singles out langoustines with fermented honey and frozen foie gras. It won its first star this October.

It is in the top price band and opens Tuesday to Saturday, from 14:00 on Saturdays.

Soil, Pangrati

Tasos Mantis has held a star at 5 Ferekidou since 2022. The cooking is built on aromatic herbs, many from a garden kept by the chef's father; the signature is prawns with orange, marigold and mussels, cooked in a kombu papillote and opened at the table.

There is a single tasting menu with drinks pairing, in the top price band. It opens Monday to Saturday from 18:30.

Hytra, Ilisia

Hytra now sits in the garden of the Megaron, the Athens Concert Hall, at 1 Petrou Kokkali, and has held a Michelin star in every Athens edition since 2020. Contemporary Greek cooking uses herbs from its own kitchen garden in sauces, seasonings and cocktails.

There is an à la carte menu and two tasting menus, one vegetarian, in the top price band. It opens Wednesday to Sunday from 19:00.

Pelagos, Vouliagmeni

On the coast south of the city, in the Four Seasons Astir Palace at 40 Apollonos, Luca Piscazzi cooks fish-led Mediterranean food with Italian and French touches. The terrace looks over the Aegean, and the restaurant holds one star.

Choose à la carte or the tasting menu; it is in the top price band and serves dinner Tuesday to Saturday, 19:00 to 22:30.

Amphibian, Syngrou Avenue

Michelin named Amphibian its Opening of the Year. It sits on the top floors of the Onassis Stegi building at 107 Syngrou Avenue, with an open kitchen and views of the Acropolis and Lycabettus, and it is the second restaurant of Tasos Mantis of Soil.

There is a tasting menu and à la carte, in Michelin's third price band; the guide recommends the dry-aged beef and the amberjack.

Zohós, Plaka

In the courtyard of the Electra Palace hotel at 18–20 Navarchou Nikodimou, chef Sakis Venetis serves a short menu of Greek meze to share, such as grilled squid with spiced chickpeas. It is one of two new Athens entries on the Bib Gourmand list for good value.

Michelin puts it in its second price band; bookings go directly to the restaurant.

Akra, Pangrati

Giannis Loukakis and Spiros Pediaditakis cook at a counter and over a wood fire at 12 Aminta, with a bakery corner of their own breads and pastries. The menu changes daily, and the restaurant keeps its Bib Gourmand.

It is in Michelin's lowest price band. It opens from 10:00 Tuesday to Friday and from 09:00 at weekends, so it also works for brunch.

Pharaoh, Exarcheia

Manolis Papoutsakis cooks everything over wood or charcoal at 54 Solomou: taramas, dolmadakia, galaktoboureko. There is an open kitchen, a large balcony and a DJ playing vinyl in the evening. It keeps its Bib Gourmand.

Michelin puts it in its second price band and advises booking. It opens Monday to Saturday, from 13:30 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Diporto, Varvakios Agora

Two doors at the corner of Theatrou and Sokratous lead down to a basement with no sign and no menu, a few steps from the central market. The kitchen cooks a handful of dishes a day, usually chickpea soup, grilled sardines and greens, with wine from the barrel.

It is cash only and serves lunch, Monday to Saturday. Reviews put a meal with wine at under €15 a head. Expect a queue at lunchtime.

Karamanlidika tou Fani, Psyrri

At the corner of Sokratous and Evripidou, this deli and meze room serves the cured meats that Asia Minor refugees brought to Athens: pastourma, soutzouki, aged cheeses. On the restaurant's own menu, chickpeas with pastourma cost €9.50 and the sahanaki with pastourma and eggs €11.

It opens Monday to Saturday from 12:00 to 23:00, and booking is advised at dinner. To cook the city's taverna classics at home, try our moussaka recipe.

Best restaurants in Athens: frequently asked questions

Does Athens have a two-star Michelin restaurant? Not in the new selection. Delta, the only one, now holds one star, and Greece's sole two-star restaurant is Lycabettus in Oia, Santorini. Athens has 16 one-star restaurants.

Which new Michelin stars did Athens win? Four: Aleria in Metaxourgeio, see|ds in Ilisia, SENSE below the Acropolis and Simul in Kolonaki.

How much does it cost to eat at the best restaurants in Athens? From under €15 at Diporto and about €10 a dish at Karamanlidika to Michelin's top price band at Delta, Spondi, Soil and SENSE. Most starred kitchens in Athens do not publish menu prices online.

Do I need to book? Yes for every starred restaurant and for Pharaoh and Zohós. At Diporto, go early: it serves only lunch and the queue forms quickly.

How we chose

We started from the Michelin selection for Athens released in October 2026, its 16 starred restaurants, five Bib Gourmand tables and its Opening of the Year, picked eight stars across different neighbourhoods and styles, then added two places that Athenians use every week, so that the best restaurants in Athens are covered at every price.

Every address, distinction and opening day was checked on 29 October 2026 against the Michelin Guide, Michelin's press release and the restaurants' own websites.