Byzantino Grande Brasserie returns to Conrad Athens The Ilisian

A landmark of Athens' culinary scene is reintroduced as the city's first grande brasserie, combining French finesse, Greek hospitality and an all-day cosmopolitan vibe.

At Byzantino the heart of cosmopolitan Athens beat timelessly. Since the 1960s, the iconic "urban restaurant" at Hilton Athens was one of the city's liveliest and most recognizable haunts, hosting under its distinctive dome lunches, dinners, and sparkling evenings with Athenians, visitors, and personalities from Greece and around the world. Today, a new chapter begins for the venue: Welcoming and full of life, Byzantino reintroduces itself as Athens’s first grande brasserie. Tailored to the needs of the times, it returns with all the elements that made it a point of reference, aiming to make every visit feel like a special occasion.

At a time when Athens is one of Europe’s most exciting culinary destinations, Byzantino Grande Brasserie brings a distinctive concept to the city: With an atmosphere more relaxed and unpretentious than a fine-dining restaurant, yet more contemporary and polished than a classic taverna, Byzantino meets the needs of Athenians who love everyday get-togethers for food or drinks. "Athenians love places that are unpretentious yet have character and identity," notes Angelos Lantos, Executive Chef of Conrad Athens The Ilisian. "They’re looking for a place that can combine it all."

Angelos Lantos has taken on the overall curation of the hotel’s culinary identity and bars, and his philosophy is captured in the dual all-day concept he has created for Byzantino, reflecting the two sides of his own gastronomic journey. After 17 years at the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Spondi, where he was the first Greek Head Chef in its history, he brings to Byzantino Grande Brasserie the precision and elegance of French haute cuisine through two distinct menus of Greek and French cooking, featuring refined bistro classics and Greek comfort dishes. The restaurant’s Head Chef is Spyros Melanitis, with significant experience in hotels and restaurants across mainland and island Greece.

Special touches complete the overall experience at Byzantino and will delight guests: A walk-in Cheese Room curated by the Cheese Master, a trolley with selected Greek and French cheeses, and a dessert trolley that moves between the tables. In the elegant atmosphere of Byzantino Grande Brasserie, dishes like steak tartare and crêpes Suzette are prepared in front of guests, giving the main dining room its distinctive pulse and vibrancy.

The same atmosphere defines the circular bar at Byzantino Grande Brasserie, where Head Bartender Faidon Papakonstantinou, with experience at Baba Au Rum, one of the World’s 50 Best Bars, as well as at the two-Michelin-starred Delta Restaurant, presents inventive cocktails. The wine list features more than 200 Greek and international labels.

The space is designed by Tristan Auer, drawing inspiration from the mid-century modern aesthetic of the original restaurant, reinterpreting and showcasing the iconic Byzantine-style arches, and adding suspended light fixtures and mosaic floors in shades of cream, terracotta, and honey.

Across the brasserie and café’s 306 seats, curved banquettes, tables for two, private dining rooms, and the courtyard create a series of different settings designed for every moment of the day.

The result is refined, unpretentious, and timelessly elegant: a space that honors the spirit of its historic predecessor without settling for mere nostalgia. With Byzantino Grande Brasserie, another much-loved landmark returns to the city in a new version that feels both familiar and contemporary.

Byzantino is open to everyone, deeply connected to Athens’s collective memory, and ready to take its place again as a steadfast point of reference on the Athenian gastronomic scene. «I want people to eat really well, enjoy their time, and savor the experience», notes Executive Chef Angelos Lantos. «That’s what Byzantino Grande Brasserie should be: a place you return to again and again because it makes you feel welcome, at ease, and full of life».