From seared shrimp to authentic paellas, these are the best dishes we tasted in Athens last year.
Just before we launch into the menus being crafted for the new year, we welcome the new season and our return by honoring and celebrating the dishes we tasted at the restaurants of Athens throughout the past year—plates that made our palates flutter a little more. It’s true that our safari through gastronomic Athens is diverse, not only in ingredients and compositions but also in categories that alternate between fine dining, comfort, and traditional.
We’re talking about a very strong year with many openings, with fresh, intriguing trends that, among other things, brought to the fore dishes with deep Greek identity, such as cabbage rolls, stuffed vegetables, and moussaka; with refinements in culinary movements like the fusion marriage of the Far East with Greece; with obsessions for fire cooking; and with recipes that imaginatively shaped fish and rearticulated the possibilities and range of protein.
We spent a year with ample bursts of spontaneous creativity, and that makes the new season seem even more enticing. While awaiting the new dishes, read the ones we sent out with top marks and to which we award our own prize, for ingenuity as much as for flavor.
Okio, the amberjack
The fish keeps its juices and makes an incredible flavor duet with maple. Almonds, watercress, and an airy sweet chili sauce also complete the full-bodied taste. Together they embrace the amberjack without overshadowing it—and that is the dish’s greatest success. Nikis 33 & Navarchou Nikodimou 3, Athens
Woowoo Garden, the prawns
Beautiful, large prawns arrive lightly charred, gaining beyond their innate sweetness an incomparable smoky sensation. A plunge into the well-cooked coconut-based sauce raises the bar even higher for flavor and complexity. Xanthippou 10, Athens
Kykloi by priceless, the red porgy
The red porgy is impeccably juicy and crisp where it should be, while it marries with the delicate shellfish sauce and floods us with aromas of freshness and sea-salt tang. Voutadon 36, Athens
Sumosan, the black cod
This classic is rendered masterfully, as the cod manages to balance its buttery richness and sweetness thanks to the outstanding miso sauce. One&Only Aesthesis, Leof. Poseidonos 110, Glyfada
Abra ovata, the paella
Paella as we’ve never had it before—bold and full of flavor. Served in the pan, the rice is lightly toasted alongside challenging ingredients like duck and poultry livers. Stir it through, take a bite, and taste an unexpected earthy symphony. Lake Vouliagmeni, Leof. Poseidonos, Vouliagmeni
Kedros cookhouse, the sausage
A handmade sausage stuffed with anthotyro cheese and fennel that bursts on the palate and leaves a fabulous, rounded, concentrated flavor. Leof. Sofokli Venizelou 72, Lykovrysi
Il giardino segreto, the pasta
A magical plate composed, beyond the pasta, of three essentials: tomato sauce, fleur de sel, and extra virgin olive oil. The entire difference lies in the star-worthy sauce, made from farm-to-table tomatoes and bathed in robust San Michali cheese. Hotel Grande Bretagne Vasileos Georgiou 1A, Athens
Anthes, the shrimp gyoza
The most updated take on shrimp saganaki features a fantastic gyoza, a tasty tomato sauce, and a zesty feta cream. Close your eyes, take a bite, and you feel the taste of the Greek summer. Skoufou 3, Athens
Humain Athens, the blue crab
An elegant dish, stitched with finesse and technique. The crab is enriched with spices, gains extra depth, and is refreshed in a velvety avocado soup. Agras 43, Athens
Giagia Koukou, the chickpea stew
The Sifnian chickpea stew is made with care and love. It’s generous in flavor and hides the winning touches of anchovy and orange. Panagi Skouze 4, Athens
Travolta, the calamari
It turns out calamari can become a sensational kontosouvli, with tender and well-charred textures. The secret is surely in the masterful grilling. Agiou Pavlou 33, Peristeri
Moocasa, the lobster
On an impressive platter, buttery lobster coexists with medium-rare beef. Two core ingredients, ideally cooked, that collaborate in flavor with originality and clarity. Marinou Antypa 66, Neo Iraklio
Taratsa Αthens, the rooster
With the Instagrammable side of the Acropolis as your backdrop, your plate holds a classic executed flawlessly. The rooster is tender and flavorful, the little hilopites hold beautifully, and the fragrant sauce makes sure to embrace them both with affection and deliciousness. Mitropoleos 60, Athens
Bacanal, the giouvetsi
This isn’t a classic giouvetsi but a “fish-forward” variation with true deliciousness. Sweet orzo welcomes the red porgy with the perfect crust, and the tomato tartare plays the role of balancer with aplomb. Karneadou 25-29, Athens
Atelier Papaioannou, the scorpionfish
This is scorpionfish with sautéed greens, sea urchin, and a sauce from its own juices. The scorpionfish is well-cooked, with a good crust on top and juicy flesh, and the greens release a harmonious bitterness ideal for lifting the fish. Stoa Spyromiliou City Link, Voukourestiou 3, Athens
Aigli Zappeiou, the cabbage rolls
The secret lies in the smoked cabbage that tenderly wraps the filling, creating a harmony of flavors that warms the palate. And over them, the velvety avgolemono sauce spreads like a soft veil, turning every bite into a little celebration. The minced meat may be mild, but the cabbage, after its pivotal and original pass over the grill, more than delivers the intensity needed. Zappeio, Athens
Ateno, the moussaka
A true ode to the emblematic dish of Greek cuisine. An evolution that honors tradition and gives new breath to the classic recipe. The béchamel is dreamy, the potatoes cut into sticks and fried offer unique texture, and the minced meat wrapped in eggplant is pure delight. Aiolou 52 & Miltiadou, Athens
Spondi, the duck
It arrives perfectly cooked in an absolute combination with beetroot, pine, and blackberries. It’s truly delicious—you close your eyes and simply enjoy. Pyrronos 5, Pangrati
Gio, the gnocchi
One of those plates whose aftertaste you hardly forget. It’s intense, generous, without excess—just endless flavor and a beautifully creamy texture. The Margi Hotel, Litous 11, Vouliagmeni
Source: Reader.gr
