Eating out in Athens gets more exciting by the minute. Once, the focus was just on the food. Now everything else matters as well, from the service and setting to the provenance of ingredients and food presentation. Here are some of the hottest tables that are spicing up the city’s fine dining credentials.
Scala Vinoteca
Tucked away one a leafy, stair-lined street in Kolonaki, this is one of the best low profile restaurants in town. The space is modern and industrial, with warm, witty touches like the wall of wine bottles and a collage made of old crates. Chef Dimitris Kontopoulos’ clever Mediterranean-inspired menu weaves seasonal ingredients into beautiful ‘wine-friendly’ dishes. Meat and seafood are both well represented. Some favourites are the smoked baby potatoes with duck egg and truffle; the homemade agnolotti stuffed with cod, creamed yellow split peas, and lemon sauce; and the lamb tenderloin with white onion puree and earthy black trompette glaze. Top of the excellent dessert list has to be the classic Baked Alaska with white chocolate, cassis and raspberry sorbet. Add in an impressive wine list of some 200 international labels (many available by the glass), overseen by assured and friendly staff, and you have all the ingredients for a relaxed but sensational dinner.
Scala's stylish interior.
Courtesy: Scala Vinoteca
Nothing says special occasion like omakase sushi.
Courtesy: Sushi Mou
SushiMou
You have to book well in advance for this tiny, unpretentious Japanese restaurant with just 12 stools squeezed around a sushi counter. Hidden behind a traditional noren (white curtain), the blonde wooden décor is simple and authentically Japanese. The focus here is on divine sushi and sashimi, all prepared single-handedly on the spot by the young chef-patron, Antonis Drakoularakos, who trained in Japan. Using fresh local fish rather than expensive Japanese imports, Drakoularakos slices fish and rolls the sushi in front of you, forever smiling as he explains the ingredients and technique in every dish and how to eat it. For the full experience, go for the omakase option, which means "I leave it up to the chef." There are specific time slots for seatings, with the first one at 6:30 pm. Despite huge demand, Drakoularakos keeps his popular restaurant closed on weekends. “Because I want to stay healthy and lead a good life, so that the food can taste good.”
Nolan
Chic and minimal, with a luminous white marble counter, tiny dark wooden tables, and pavement seating that’s great for people-watching, Nolan opened with a bang in early 2016. Instantly, this lively warren of streets just below Syntagma Square became the hot new ethnic food district of Athens. That’s all down to Sotiris Kontizas, now a reluctant, and modest, celebrity thanks to a stint on Masterchef. He took his Greek-Japanese heritage and created an ambitious but harmonious fusion of the two cuisines. The result is light, comforting and delicious. The menu changes seasonally, but some star dishes remain constant: the soba noodles with smoked salmon in tahini sauce, the panko-covered cod burger with tartar sauce, and the shortfin tuna in butter miso and fennel. The menu is short (about 18 dishes and four sides) and is not separated into starters and mains. The idea is to share them around for a wider taste experience. If you haven’t booked in advance (please do: it’s so worth it), try your luck on a weekday lunchtime, when it’s usually less busy.
The bright interior space at Nolan.
Courtesy: Nolan
This cosy courtyard feels like a country escape.
Courtesy: Feedέλ
Feedel Urban Gastronomy
Even though it’s right in the heart of Athens, fashionable Feedέλ feels pleasingly private and peaceful. Tables spill onto a leafy square hidden just off hectic Ermou Street. A beautiful Frida Kahlo mural looks out from a red brick wall. An ideal spot for a romantic dinner or a quiet meal in the early evening, Feedέλ has evolved classic Greek meze for modern taste buds. Start with one of their signature cocktails at the long wooden bar. You can even keep drinking them throughout your meal: cocktail pairings are encouraged. Sharing lots of small plates, as is the Greek custom, is also the name of the game. The menu is simple and creative. Chef Leonidas Koutsopoulos carefully selects ingredients from all over Greece. Try the velvety green fava (split peas) with truffle oil, thyme and zamboni (similar to prosciutto) from Naxos island; the tarama (fish roe) with sesame oil and smoked eel served with sweet potato chips; or the cannoli stuffed with nivato (a white creamy cheese) pistachio nuts and a jelly made of honey and thyme. On the weekends, it’s open for lunch as well.
Farma Bralou
A fine farm-to-fork option for committed carnivores. Chef Yiannis Liokas describes his cooking as "mountain cuisine." He visits the restaurant’s organic farm in Central Greece every two weeks to oversee the produce that winds up on your plate: breeds like Charolais, Limousine, Red Angus, water buffalo from northern Greece, along with various types of sheep, goats, and game. All of the restaurant’s dairy products, eggs, honey, olives and olive oil, the legumes and most of the fruit and vegetables also come from the farm (free of pesticides, antibiotics, chemical fertilisers and hormones). Bralou’s epic meat pie—ground mutton and caramelised onions, wrapped in handmade filo pastry—takes classic Greek comfort food to another level. The hand-cut beef tartare with pickled mulberries and mustard seeds is also exceptional. Adventurous eaters should try the frygadeli (beef liver wrapped in suet) with smoked yoghurt and fresh herbs. Or choose a special cut of meat like a dry aged steak from the butcher’s counter. End on a sweet note with the kadaifi (vermicelli pastry stuffed with chopped nuts) served with sheep milk yoghurt mousse and caramelised walnuts. Bralou is open for lunch and dinner and has a deli across the street. There are two more branches, in Kifissia and Psychiko.
These fabulous meat cuts come from the restaurant’s organic farm in Central Greece.
Courtesy: Farma Bralou
Outside at Papadakis.
Courtesy: Papadakis
Papadakis
In the foothills of Mount Lycabettus, elegant Papadakis is a classic fine-dining destination with colourful artworks on the walls and fresh flowers aplenty. When it’s warm, there are tables out on the pavement, making for a lovely setting on this quiet corner of Kolonaki. (Some tables even have sneaky Parthenon views.) Celebrity chef Argyro Barbarigou comes from the island of Paros, and sources many ingredients from there. Despite her fame as a TV chef, Barbarigou still specialises in honest Greek island-style cooking. The menu emphasises simplicity and freshness, with a focus on seafood, although there are fabulous meat dishes and salads, too. Case in point: a variation of the classic Greek salad with sweet cherry tomatoes, caper leaves, and xinomyzithra (creamy sheep and goat’s cheese) or the slow-cooked chickpeas, served with taramosalata. Looking for a more hearty dish? Go for the prawn and langoustine giouvetsi. The star dessert is the bougatsa, Greece’s traditional custard pie. The orange pie served with frozen yoghurt also has devoted fans.
Aleria
A beautiful neoclassical building with a charming courtyard houses this one of a kind restaurant, where chef Gikas Xenakis puts a novel spin on traditional Greek dishes. Many diners opt for the tasting menus, which are designed to please different palates and to cater to all kinds of dietary restrictions. There are two main tasting menus, one with five courses and one with seven, plus separate vegetarian and pescatarian seven-course options. If you go a la carte, start with the deconstructed hortopita (pie stuffed with foraged greens) or the scallops with cauliflower, kumquat and beetroot. For the main course, try the bourdeto, based on a recipe from Corfu, made with couscous and a spicy medley of scorpion fish, mussels and calamari. The pork cheeks with potatoes, apple and chicory are also delicious. Sweet tooths are well cared for: our favourite desserts are the Valhrona chocolate with salted caramel, tonka and banana, and Aleria’s spin on saragli, a pastry with pistachio nuts, apple and cinnamon.
There's not a bad seat in the house at Aleria.
Courtesy: Aleria
Take a gastronomic voyage at CTC.
Courtesy: CTC
CTC
The contemporary vibe starts with the clever name. It derives from the Greek word sitisi which means “nourishment.” Young chef and owner Alexandros Tsiotinis sharpened his culinary skills alongside international heavyweights like Alain Passard, Helene Darroze and Pascal Barbot. He returned to Athens to set up his own place where he could take diners on “a gastronomic voyage.” CTC’s mood is modern, high-end and elegant. The tasting menus (including vegetarian and pescatarian options) change seasonally. Each dish has a rare finesse, with a masterful balance of flavours, aromas and presentation. Perhaps his most successful dish? The velvety corn soup with lobster, truffle foam and bergamot. Desserts are all about subtle flavours, delicate floral aromas, and a balance of sweet and sour. Indulge in the white chocolate namelaka (Japanese chocolate cream) with violet meringues and yoghurt sorbet.
Scorpina
This elegant local favourite in the affluent neighbourhood of Neo Psychiko delivers the sea to your plate in a contemporary Athenian way. Head chef Yiannis Liakou’s menu changes constantly, depending on the catch of the day. You get to choose your own fish and you can ask him to prepare it the way you like best: carpaccio, sashimi, tartare, or maybe something heartier like kakavia (fish soup) or giouvetsi (baked with orzo and tomato sauce). Perhaps a seafood risotto or pasta? The bestselling salad is humble but incredibly tasty: a peeled tomato garnished with capers, fleur de sel, oregano and extra virgin olive oil. The red mullet carpaccio with citrus fruits is a winner, as is the prawn ceviche. If you’re craving something quintessentially Greek, try the grilled sardines with diced tomatoes, red onions and parsley, or the fricassee, a fish, lettuce and herb stew with a creamy egg and lemon sauce. Mop it all up with their wonderful char-grilled sourdough. During summer, the spacious courtyard is a gorgeous setting for a date night.
Scorpina will be your favourite restaurant for a special occasion.
Courtesy: Scorpina
The food at this spot melds Greek cuisine with Asian and French flavours.
Courtesy: Simul
Simul Gastronomic Situ
For date night, look no further than this beautifully-lit space on a quiet street near the Athens Concert Hall. The fresh culinary approach of chef Nikos Thomas fuses contemporary Greek cuisine with Asian and French flavours. Simul in Latin means “together”, and the “(in) situ” tagged onto the name alludes to the focus on the best local ingredients (for instance, all the seafood comes straight from a fisherman on nearby Evia island). Dishes most deserving of an encore are the char-grilled calamari with chorizo chutney, creamed parsley root, peas, coriander and a lime-coconut sauce; the ray cheeks with fried-to-perfection gnocchi, cauliflower and black garlic; and my personal favourite, the meltingly tender Challans duck with mashed roast carrots, topped with chamomile foam. There’s a 7-course tasting menu (the best strategy is for half of the table to go that route, combined with some a la carte dishes). Desserts, prepared by young pastry chef, Emmanuela Delatola, are well-balanced and beautifully presented. Especially the mango and passionfruit sorbet, wrapped like a dumpling in mango carpaccio on an olive oil crumble with coriander pesto.