Matt's Top 10 Athens Restaurants

#1 Bakalogatos Restaurant

This is my main go-to restaurant. The menu is the creation of famed chef Panayotis Papanikolau and his equally famous student and owner of the restaurant Giorgos Kantelis who comes from the island of Kassos, which is one of the least known of the Greek islands. The concept is simple, using the best local and healthy ingredients they have dishes from all over the Greek Islands and mainland. My favorite dishes are any of the mussel entrees, especially the ones from Mytilini cooked in ouzo, the dolmades, sikotaria (liver and other organ meats cooked in wine sauce), makaronades with cheese and crispy onions from the Peloponessos, and any of their dozens of mezedes, entrees, grilled meat and fish, salads or desserts. If you can only eat in one restaurant in Athens this should be the one. It is in Kypseli which is a 5 to 7 euro taxi ride from the center of Athens. Take the taxi to Platia Kanaris (Kanaris Square) and walk down Fokionos Negri, the tree-shaded park that begins at the square and it will be a half a block down on the left. Open for lunch and dinner every day though it closes for 2 weeks in August. Did I mention their organic tsipuro from Lemnos? Great place for a special romantic dinner too, yet not stuffy or pretentious.
72 Fokionos Negri. Kypseli. Tel (30)21 0821 6598 E-mail: mpakalogatosf.negri@gmail.com

#2 Ouzeri Tou Laki

This hole-in-the-wall fish restaurant, the kind that people search Athens for, is in the neighborhood of Victoria Square where most of the tourists come from Syria or parts east or south. Though it is called an ouzeri, which implies that it serves mostly mezedes, which it does, there are plenty of main courses and you can choose just about any fish from the display case and have it grilled or fried. They have several different saganakis (melted cheese) with mussels and jumbo shrimp. Try their excellent potato salad and gavro pasto (marinated anchovies), their fish soup, soupia (cuttlefish) with spinach, and their Rizotto me Thalassina (Seafood Rizotto)made with shrimp, mussels and mushrooms. Lots of salads and vegetable dishes, this is a great place for serious vegetarians but for those who can't live without meat they have grilled beef and pork steaks, and some casserole dishes. They also have a dozen or more different ouzos, tsipuros and tsikoudia and nice house wine. Nice music, nice atmosphere and cool clientele. Not really a place for families with young kids, its small, but great if you are young and adventurous which you need to be to find it. Take the metro to Victoria Square and when you are in the square look for a small pedestrian street called Elpidos and walk towards the light. Or else take a taxi. If you are nervous about the area at night go in the day which many business people do, intending on returning to work and never making it back after too many fishes, ouzo or both. The owner's name is George Lamprou and he inherited the business from his father and speaks English. The menu is in English too. Tip: Come for lunch after the Archaeological Museum.
16 Elpidos St. Victoria. Tel (30)210 8213776. E-mail info@ouzeritoulaki.info. I go here for my birthday lunch every year.

#3 Eugenia's Paradosiako Cafeneon

This must be the smallest successful restaurant in Athens. It began as an ouzeri-mezedopoulion known for its good food and festive atmosphere, particularly in the afternoon but it is now known for having fresh fish and grilled meats and daily specials that all taste like food you would find in someone's home, especially if the someone was as good a cook as Evgenia. Dimitris does the shopping and the serving and usually has help from a friend or family member. The best time to eat here is when they are both working which is usually in the daytime. They are located at the intersection of Voulis Street and Nikodimou Street, a few steps away from the Electra Palace Hotel. It is not the most romantic location, on a small but busy street overlooking a parking lot, but the food more than makes up for the lack of ambiance.

#4 Cafe Boheme Barbagiannis

The only reason I did not have Cafe Boheme in my top 10 in previous years is because the restaurant was so small I did not want to overwhelm them. But with their move to Exarchia into an old neoclassic building, the former Barbagiannis Taverna, with lots of outdoor seating on a pedestrian street there is no reason not to send people there because it is one of the best restaurants in Athens. Or maybe anywhere. Mimis and Cassandra have put together a menu of traditional Greek dishes with a modern Mediterranean accent, including their popular home-made thin crust pizza, and lots of vegetarian options. They have an excellent wine list and later on in the evening it becomes reverts to its former self with cocktails and music and a clientele of hip young Greeks and Xpats. I am not sure how popular it will be with the counter-culture Exarchians who want simple food in big portions at down-and-out-student prices but I did not find it expensive and the servings were generous. Anyway Exarchia is changing, the anarchists and radicals have become a tourist attraction and Cafe Boheme won't be the last restaurant to make the move. It is at 94 Emanual Benaki and you can take a taxi if you think you are too old for wandering around Exarchia. It probably won't hurt to call for reservations: 210 360 8018, or email if you are not in Greece but already know you want to eat here. See their menu. Order the Potato Rocks.

#5 Nissos Seafood Restaurant

The area of Flisvos Marina in Faliron, where the richest people in the world keep their yachts, has been turned into a  walking, drinking and dining area where people come from all over Athens to be by the sea. Nissos is an upscale looking ouzeri-mezedopouleion that has a large and varied menu (it could easily be called a psarotaverna) that if you order sensibly you don't have to spend a lot of money. But most likely one look at the food and you will probably allow yourself a treat or two and worry about the price another time. Besides having all the seafood dishes you would find in just about any good seafood restaurant in Greece, they also have some very imaginative and inspired seafood mezedes and main dishes, pastas, sushi, crabs, lots of ouzos and tsipuro and fine wines too. For sure it is a "special occasion" place though I have friends in the neighborhood who eat here often. If you order the everyday fish, grilled sardines, gavros, fried kalamari, smoked skoumbri, fried bakaliaro, lakerda you can get out of here pretty cheaply. The fish that is sold by the kilo is not much more expensive than you will find in other fish tavernas. They also have amazing salads and you can't beat the view. They have some meat dishes, and the restaurant next door Paraga is a meat place owned by the same people. It is worth going early and wandering around. There are shops and gardens with walking paths, playgrounds and a seaside promenade and perhaps the world's greatest collection of luxury yachts. Not to mention the Battleship Museum Averof and the world's only working Ancient Athenian Tireme. There are also some cool bars and cafes. Nissos is open for lunch and dinner. You will probably need a reservation and you may want to take a taxi there and back: nisos-flisvos@outlook.com.gr Tel 210 982-5628

#6 To Steki tou Elias

For many this is the perfect example of a typical Greek taverna with simple food, grilled meats, strong sadziki and nice home made wine. Well, I don't know how home made it is these days but it is still good. There are actually two Steki tou Elias on Eptachalkou Street in Thission which is the small sort of pedestrian street that runs alongside the metro tracks to Pireaus. Order grilled meats especially paidaikia (lambchops) and loukaniko (sausage). That is what you are here for. Also the fried melitzanas and kolokithia (eggplant and zucchini), fried potatoes and the wine. Nice place for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and they have live music sometimes. You can find restaurants like this in most neighborhoods but this is the closest to downtown.
5 Eptahalkou Street, Thission. Tel (30) 210 345 8052

#7 Cafe Evi

This tiny hole in the wall needs no advertising especially since it only has a dozen or so tables. But if you want to eat excellent mezedes all made to order and drink the best ouzo in the kind of romantic underworld atmosphere that Psiri was known for half a century ago then this is the place. The menu is handwritten and changes somewhat though there are some things you can count on like fried shrimp, grilled soupia (cuttlefish), rokka-tomato salad, hummus, souzoukia (spicy sausage) and a few other things. The easiest way to find it is to walk from Monastiraki Square down Ermou (away from Syntagma) and take a right on N. Apostoli Street where it connects with Leokourou Street. It is about a block up. If Evi is full continue down Evi Street and take a left into the small alley where you will find Atlantiko, owned by the same guy and the same style only it specializes in seafood. If they are both full ask for directions to Mavros Gatos.

#8 H Nostimies tis Marie's

Many neighborhoods in Athens have a family owned restaurant like this one, with inexpensive food served in generous portions, in a quiet atmosphere. But there is something special about Marie's in Kypseli. Everything tastes a little better and the bill is always a lot less than I expected. Like many estiatorions you go inside and see what you like on the steam table, point to it or ask what it is, and either order it on the spot or go back to your table and order it there. The inside is very cozy and clean and there are a few tables outside and even more on Saint George Square, and since they have brizoles and other grilled meats it has the feeling of a taverna too. The family come from Tripolis, in the Peloponessos and Mary and her mother do the cooking and her sons George, Lefteris and Niko do the serving. (George speaks English and is a professional basketball player). The clientele is a mix of people from the area, old and new actors (every time I go here with a friend he points out someone who used to be famous), artists, writers and average people from around the neighborhood and a smattering of tourists who somehow managed to find it. Try their psarosoupa (fish soup), spanakopita, tiropita or any of the oven cooked dishes like aginares (artichokes) or roast chicken or lamb with potatoes. Great bakaliaro (cod) with skordalia (garlic sauce). Even better than the basement places in the Plaka. This is a good all purpose restaurant for lunch or dinner and even for a romantic evening when the weather is nice and you can sit in the square. Finding it is the hard part. The easiest way is to take a taxi to Platia Agios Giorgios in Kypseli which is at the intersection of Ithakis and Eptanisou. You can easily walk here from the Archaeological Museum on Patission (28 October) Street. It is about 12 blocks to Ithakis Street where you turn right, and they are short blocks. They also deliver. Tel (30) 210 8229239

#9 Triantafilo Tis Nostimias-Paradosiako Cafeneon

This little hole-in-the-wall restaurant may be a bit of a problem for those unfamiliar with Athens but it is in a small arcade at 22 Lekka Street right across the street from the Achileos Hotel. The owner, whose name is Triantafillo, comes from the town of Petra in Lesvos and serves only fresh fish which he picks out daily from the central market just a few blocks away, oven baked dishes, fresh meat and lots of salads and dips. There are specials every day depending on what looked good at the market and what is in season.

#10 Aglio, Olio and Peperoncino

My favorite, and one of the best Italian restaurants I have eaten at anywhere, is Aglio, Olio & Peperoncino, right by the Acropolis Metro Station in Makrianni. It is a small restaurant with a dozen or so tables and does not have a big outdoor space, but the food makes up for this. Try any of their pasta dishes and daily specials, beautiful salads and their bruschetta appetisers and you will forget that you are in Greece. It is easy to find. Look for the entrance to the Acropolis Metro Station on Diakou Street and take a right, and walk past the Wine Point wine bar and you will see it. The address is 13 Porinou street though asking for directions might be fruitless since this has to be one of the shortest streets in Athens. But you can call for directions or to make reservations. 210 921 1801.

#11 Spiros and Andonis

This is a small neighborhood taverna at 24 Gavrilidou Street off Patission Street in Ano Patissia that is a favorite among my friends in the area. It is hard to find and only open at night but you can take a taxi there and they will call one for you when you want to go home. Or you can walk to Patission Street and you will find one right away. Lots of grilled meats and magerefta like arni-lemonato, dolmades, and all yiour favorites in an atmosphere that I hope will last forever. Open every night and Sunday day but closes Sunday night. You can call and ask. Unless it is a Friday or Saturday night you are unlikely to need reservations but it can't hurt to ask. 210 202 2358

#12 Barbounaki

This excellent fish restaurant in Glyfada has the feel of an upscale fancy hotel restaurant but with much better food and cheaper prices. Lots and lots of fish mezedes, salads and all your favorite fish entrees from giant grilled kalamari to grilled sardines and of course barbounia (red mullet) and a couple of seafood pastas and rizottos. The more in your party the better. I don't think I have ever eaten here at a table with fewer than ten people which means lots of sharing and tasting which is a good thing because there is a lot to taste. If you want ouzo and fish mezedes you will be very pleased with the choices. Anyway what do you expect since Glyfada is on the sea and has a fleet of fishing boats. The restaurant is at 48 Leoforos Dimarchou Metaxa Agelou, which is the road the Athens Tram is on. If you take the tram from Syntagma just get off a stop or two after Glyfada Square. If it is full ask them where their sister restaurant Sardelaki is and go there. A reservation is a good idea, especially if you are a party of 10. Tel (30) 210 968 0651. Oh and there is now one on the Metropolis Square across from the Cathedral so you don't have to go all the way to Glyfada. Also well worth going to is Nissos Psarotaverna in Flisvos Marina right on the sea in front of all the million dollar yachts. It is a little more expensive but the taxi ride will be cheaper than going to Glyfada.

Ipeiros

Located in the Athens Meat Market on Athinas Street, this is not the kind of restaurant you would bring someone on a date or anniversary dinner, however it is cheap and they have large portions of almost every oven and pot cooked Greek dish you can think of including patsa which is the tripe soup of Greece, and podi which is soup made from the foot of a cow and actually comes with a foot in it. Both are considered the cure-all to many ailments like hangovers, colds, and general listlessness and the loss of the desire to live. (See my Guide to Patsa) Ipeiros along with its neighbor Papandreou, were originally both open 24 hours a day and were for the workers in the market but they gradually became popular with the nightlife crowd who would come in groves after leaving the clubs. It is not the scene it once was but it is still a bargain and have the best lamb fricasse in town, among other things. This is my daughter's favorite restaurant. She says to order the mayeritsa.

Secret Underground Restaurant

The concept is simple. You walk down the steps of one of the two doors this basement restaurant has, find a table and sit down. If there are no empty tables just join someone. The busboy puts a paper tablecloth on your table, leaves the bread and a carafe of their wine which you are expected to drink at least one glass of before the owner comes and asks what you want to eat which is usually a choice of 3 or 4 things he made that day along with salads and some side dishes. Then you get drunk and wait for the musicians to show up and people to start dancing and singing. This all happens in the afternoon. Where is it? In the market. That is all I will tell you so as not to raise the ire of the archaeologists, classicists and lowlifes who have been coming here for decades and don't want to see it filled up with a bunch of tourists looking for "the real Greece".

Byzantino Taverna

Those who live in the Plaka remember the restaurant known as 'Kostis' on the small square on Kydatheneon Street. Blessed with a near perfect location on a pedestrian street in the center of the tourist district, when the lease expired the landlords took over and opened Byzantino and it has been a popular restaurant for Athenians and tourists ever since. The rule is to eat mayerefta (oven dishes) for lunch, and 'tis oras', grilled and fried meat and fish at night. That means no mousaka or pastitsio or stuffed tomatoes once the sun goes down. Their menu is in several languages and to get a job there you have to at least speak Greek and English, if not French, German and Spanish. But as tourist restaurants go this is probably the best, and most of the people I know who own businesses in the neighborhood eat here. Amarandi says the pasrosoupa (fish soup) here is better than H Nostimies tis Maries. You can easily spend an afternoon here eating, drinking and people watching. In fact there is no better spot in Athens. If you can't find a seat because there is a large group filling up the place go next door to Plaka Taverna. Basically same food and if one is better than the other it is hard to say which. And if they are both full go up the street to Saita.

Nikitas

This tiny restaurant on Ag Anargiron Street in Psiri used to be a souvlaki shop but now serves delicious home-style meals and is popular with the locals. Easy to find with tables and chairs on the street and across next to the church for which the street is named.

Akroyiali Fish Taverna

Yes I know I wrote that I was only going to include the fish restaurants in Athens and not the ones on the sea that are far out of town but since many people who use this guide will be going to see the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion and probably wanting to eat on the way there or back mentioning Akroyiali Fish taverna will be useful. If it was downtown it would probably be in my top 10, as would several other fish tavernas on the sea outside of Athens like Litsa's in Daskaleio and a few places in Lavrion. Akroyiali is in the town of Anavissos, on the coast road and is one of several fish tavernas in a row which as you approach them the waiters signal you to park your car and come in. Akroyiali is the preferred restaurant by many of the taxi drivers who take people on day-trips to Sounion because it is clean, the fish is fresh and it is not expensive. That being said I always order the barbounia (red mullet) which is expensive. That's my cousin Craig Econopouly by the way.

Ouzeri Lesvos

I usually spend about a month in Lesvos every summer and while I am there I spend much of my time eating the food they are famous for like grilled sardines, sardeles pastes, lakerda, louloudakia, and of course drinking lots of ouzo which the island is famous for. When I am in Athens and I get a craving for my favorite food I go to a tiny place called Ouzeri Lesvos in between Omonia Square and the anarchist neighborhood of Exarchia. It is at #38 Emanual Benaki Street which you can find by towards Omonia on Panapistimiou (Venizelos) Ave and turning right a couple blocks before you reach Omonia (just past the Hotel Titiania). Its open daily from noon til late at night but closes at 7pm on Sundays which is a fun time to be here. I think they close early on Sunday because they run out of food.