What is the best area to eat in Athens?

Psyrri and the Monastiraki area have the highest concentration of good-value restaurants and bars used by locals rather than tourists. Kolonaki is the right area for upscale dining. Plaka along Adrianou Street should generally be avoided for restaurants - high prices, indifferent quality, and tourist-focused menus.

What should I order at an Athenian taverna?

Mezedes (small shared plates) are the right approach at a traditional taverna - grilled octopus, gigantes plaki (giant baked beans in tomato sauce), taramosalata, feta baked in foil with tomatoes and peppers, and whichever fish or grilled meat the waiter recommends as fresh that day. Avoid large menus with photographs - a short handwritten menu is a reliable quality signal.

How much does a meal cost in Athens?

Budget: a souvlaki wrap costs approximately EUR 2.50–3.50, a koulouri EUR 0.50–0.80 (as of 2026). A full meal at a mid-range taverna with wine runs approximately EUR 20–35 per person. Fine dining at the city's better restaurants is EUR 60–120+ per person including wine.

Do restaurants in Athens take reservations?

Budget and casual spots do not take bookings. Mid-range tavernas in Psyrri and Monastiraki often fill by 9pm on weekends - arrive early or try a weeknight. For fine dining, especially rooftop restaurants with Acropolis views, book at least a week in advance in summer.

Where to Eat in Athens | The Greece Guides

Athens is not the easiest city to eat well in if you follow tourist foot-traffic into Plaka. The city’s best food is in the neighbourhoods where Athenians actually eat - Psyrri, Monastiraki, Exarcheia, Kolonaki - and in the street-food formats that most visitors walk past on the way to an overpriced moussaka. Here’s where to eat across every budget, with specific restaurant names, what to order, and price expectations. All prices are approximate as of 2026.

Street Food: The Essentials

Before restaurants, understand Athens’ street-food culture - it’s where the city’s character shows most clearly.

Koulouri from the street carts: Athens’ breakfast staple is a sesame-covered bread ring sold from wheeled carts near major squares and metro stations. One koulouri costs approximately EUR 0.50–0.80. Eat it plain or ask for cheese (tyri) at the cart. The cart outside Monastiraki metro station is consistently there from early morning.

Souvlaki from Mitropoleos Street: The strip of souvlaki shops along Mitropoleos Street in central Athens is the most reliable concentration of honest, cheap pork or chicken souvlaki in the city. A pita wrap (gyros or souvlaki) costs approximately EUR 2.50–3.50. Thanasis and Savvas at the Monastiraki end are the two most consistently good - expect a short wait on weekend lunchtimes. Order the kalamaki (skewer) format if you want to eat standing at the counter.

Loukoumades at Donut Factory or Lukumades: Greek doughnuts - golf-ball-sized fried dough balls soaked in honey, cinnamon, and sesame. Lukumades on Adrianou Street in Monastiraki makes good classic versions (approximately EUR 4–6 for a portion of 10). The original shop that claims to be the oldest in Athens is Loukoumades at Aiolou and Eolou Street - worth knowing about.

Spanakopita and tiropita from the bakeries: Any Athenian bakery (fourno) sells fresh spinach-feta pies and cheese pies by the slice for under EUR 2. The bakery on Ermou Street near Syntagma is open early and good.

Budget Tavernas and Local Spots

Geros tou Morea (Old Man from Morea) - Monastiraki/Psyrri

A straightforward old-fashioned taverna on Mnisikleous Street that Athenians have eaten at for decades. The appeal is the setting - upstairs on a rooftop terrace with a direct view to the Acropolis - and the completely honest, unfussy menu: grilled lamb chops, moussaka, stuffed tomatoes, village salad. Mains approximately EUR 10–16. Not fancy; reliably good.

Oinopoleion - Monastiraki

A taverna on Agiou Filipou Street, near the Church of the Holy Apostles, that does the traditional Athenian mezedes format well. Order multiple small plates rather than a single large main - the fava (yellow split-pea purée), the grilled saganaki (fried cheese), and the daily fish are the things to target. Budget approximately EUR 18–25 per person with wine.

To Mavro Provato (The Black Sheep) - Kolonaki

A slightly more polished neighbourhood taverna in Kolonaki known for its creative take on traditional recipes. The name refers to the owners’ position relative to the Athenian fine-dining establishment. Oven-baked lamb with potatoes, grilled octopus, exceptional village sausage. Budget approximately EUR 25–35 per person.

Mid-Range: Tavernas Worth Planning Around

Nolan - Monastiraki

A well-regarded restaurant on Voulis Street near Syntagma that merges Greek ingredients with Japanese technique - a combination that sounds contrived but works well. Their slow-cooked lamb with dashi is one of the more interesting plates in the city. Mains approximately EUR 18–28. Book ahead for weekends.

Diporto - Monastiraki Market

One of the most singular restaurants in Athens - a basement taverna (literally underground, accessed by stairs) in the central market area on Theatrou Square that has barely changed in decades. The menu is whatever they made that day, written on a board: always a chickpea soup, always a bean dish, always a simple meat option. Wine comes from barrels, poured into old metal jugs. Lunch only. Budget approximately EUR 10–15 per person, cash only. This is not a tourist-facing establishment and that is precisely the point.

Kuzina - Monastiraki

A large, popular restaurant on Adrianou Street - yes, in the tourist zone, but notably better than its neighbours. The kitchen does modern Greek cooking seriously, with a good wine list and a terrace that overlooks the Monastiraki flea market area. Reliable for groups. Mains approximately EUR 18–28.

Cafe Avissinia - Monastiraki

On Avissinias Square in the flea market area, this split-level restaurant with a live music programme (traditional Greek music on weekends from around 1pm) captures something of old Athens. The food is solid mid-range Greek - good grilled meats, decent mezedes selection. Saturday lunch here with live music is an experience worth seeking out. Budget approximately EUR 20–30 per person.

Psyrri: Nightlife and Late Eating

Psyrri (northwest of Monastiraki) is Athens’ most concentrated nightlife district and has some of the city’s best late-night eating.

Strofi - Acropolis South Side

On Rovertou Galli Street facing the south slope of the Acropolis, Strofi has been running for decades and earns its longevity with a combination of serious traditional cooking and a rooftop terrace with a direct Acropolis sightline. Order the lamb in lemon sauce, the octopus, and whatever the waiter recommends as the day’s catch. Budget approximately EUR 30–45 per person. Book in summer - the terrace fills early.

Ouzadiko - Kolonaki

A traditional ouzo bar (ouzerie) on Karneadou Street in Kolonaki that does the classic Athenian format: a glass of cold ouzo arrives with a small plate of mezedes, you order more mezedes as you drink. The preserved fish selection is particularly good. This is how Athenians actually eat in the afternoon. Budget approximately EUR 15–25 per person.

Fine Dining with Acropolis Views

Varoulko Seaside - Piraeus (30 minutes from Athens)

Technically in Piraeus, but Lefteris Lazarou’s flagship restaurant is the most celebrated seafood restaurant associated with Athens - a Michelin star, a waterfront setting, and a menu built entirely around whatever the Piraeus fish market had that morning. Approximately EUR 80–130 per person. Book well in advance.

GB Roof Garden - Syntagma

The rooftop restaurant of the Hotel Grande Bretagne on Syntagma Square has the most theatrical Acropolis view of any restaurant in Athens - directly aligned with the Parthenon. The cooking is high-end Greek-Mediterranean. Budget EUR 70–120 per person. Reservations essential in summer.

Hytra - Onassis Cultural Centre

A Michelin-starred restaurant in the SNFCC (Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre) complex, known for menus that interpret Greek culinary tradition with technical precision. Chef Nikos Bakounakis uses a combination of local heritage produce and modern technique. Tasting menus from approximately EUR 90 per person. One of the more intellectually serious kitchens in Athens.

Athens’ food scene rewards those who walk a few blocks past the obvious tourist zones. For the full city overview including accommodation, transport, and neighbourhood guide, see our Athens travel guide. For things to do between meals, see our Athens things to do guide.

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Where to Eat in Athens: Budget, Mid-Range & Fine Dining by Neighbourhood

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