Already a member? Not a member? Sign up Explore our Food Tours → Update: Farma Bralou and Mirch are sadly no longer open. The Athens food scene has been booming over the past few years. The increasing number of tourists, the growing optimism of investors who see a financial opportunity in the food industry, as well as an ever-growing pool of talented new chefs, cooks, baristas and bartenders have all contributed to this creative regeneration – not just of the food scene but of the city itself There is a deeper interest in high-quality ingredients which is why we’re seeing more and more farm-to-table and organic restaurants hence the growing number of street food and vegan options – some of which are so good that they really deserve an award And then there are the ethnic and fusion restaurants that have been sprouting up nonstop and thriving So many options – most of them very reasonably priced for international standards – in a city that loves eating drinking and all the small (and big) pleasures in life Yes, I am a meat lover, but only when the meat is of excellent quality, like at Farma Bralou in Kolonaki The restaurant sources all its meat from the magnificent 350-acre organic farm of the same name in Fthiotida a beautiful mountainous region in central Greece about 230 km north of Athens The restaurant first opened about two years ago and is now run by the young and talented head chef Yiannis Liokas Yiannis uses meat and other goodies produced at the farm to prepare his self-described “mountain cuisine.” All the dishes I’ve tasted from their daily menu are wonderful and very reasonably priced for what you get like the meat pie with ground mutton and caramelized onions wrapped in their crispy handmade phyllo I always make sure to leave some space for a main like the magnificent black pig served with fava (creamed yellow split peas) on the side atop a green apple gel and paired with a smoked eel sauce I order one of their incredible cuts of meat at the butcher’s counter – this definitely comes with a higher price tag Pair you meal with a wine from their excellent wine list and end it with the kantaifi a vermicelli-like pastry stuffed with chopped nuts served with sheep’s milk yogurt mousse and caramelized walnuts It’s the perfect spot for a celebratory meal This little deli located near the Athens Central Food Market is one of my favorite places to eat in Athens It’s a great spot to pick up top-notch food products like artisanal cheeses and cold cuts from all over Greece and other delightful delicacies including olive oil But I make sure to do my shopping around lunch or dinnertime Every single dish on their relatively small menu is absolutely delicious and based on the products they sell so I always try to go hungry and with plenty of time to enjoy the surroundings (the restaurant is housed in a beautiful neoclassical building and hides a narrow and cozy outdoor space in the back) Birdman, a new entry in the recently gentrified area bordering Plaka and Syntagma, opened this past summer and immediately became the talk of the town. This instant success is no surprise as the man behind the project is Aris Vezenes, one of the most successful chefs in Athens. Owner of the famous Vezene restaurant his second venture is a Japanese pub specializing in yakitori sticks and other Japanese-inspired finger foods “This is a place to go after work – around 6 p.m – or the place for a pit stop before dinner to grab a drink and enjoy a bite or two,” he said which runs from one end of the narrow space to the other nursing a Japanese beer or one of their wonderful cocktails while listening to to an excellent and eclectic mix of music I usually go for their classic Negroni or the bittersweet Caprano Antica Formula an aperitif made with sweet vermouth that has notes of candied cherries and a fruity finish everything I’ve tasted has been an all-out pleasure for my palate a fried chicken breast with umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums) the Ondori Negima (rooster with spiced lemon chutney) and the Riburo-Su (rib eye with pico de gallo) are all delicious The menu is short with a focus on meat and presented with a sense of humor that I like Just be careful not to order too much or else your pre-dinner snack will cost more than the main meal Another recent entry in the Athens food scene is this little ice cream shop which opened a few months ago on the hipsterized Protogenous Street in Psyrri and all the various flavors (many of which are vegan) are so fresh and creative But if I’m looking for something more refreshing or their amazing coconut sorbet with steamed chocolate cookie chunks mixed inside – both are heavenly – Carolina Doriti Although my lunch at Nolan took place at the very start of 2018 it still remains one of the most vivid eating experiences of the year I had heard friends rave about this Japanese-Greek fusion restaurant in the center of Athens so was thrilled to be invited and even more thrilled that it more than lived up to expectations The place itself is small and cozy despite being somewhat austere and almost entirely walled by glass; apart from a few plants there is nothing to distract you from the menu Luckily there were five of us so we gave free range to our curiosity Intrigued by combinations like soba noodles with smoked salmon and tahini savory curd with greens and siglino (smoked pork) we also ordered the more straight-forward-sounding NCB (Nolan cod burger) and NFC (Nolan fried chicken) wonderfully realized minglings of Asian and Mediterranean tastes but the pièce de resistance was the humble rather unappetizing sounding “burnt cabbage with cauliflower and aged white cheese from Naxos.” Our hostess insisted; she had been there before And she was right: it was totally original and totally scrumptious Luckily there was a basket of bread on our table for mopping up juices All I know is we did not leave a molecule of anything on any of the plates Going to this attractive ouzeri in Neo Psychiko is always an adventure because you never know where the menu is going to take you gastronomically the owners have been focusing on a different Greek region every four or five months I’ve feasted on specialties from Constantinople but imagine my surprise and delight when Alexandros Giolmas told me that his theme would be the Ionian islands and that he wanted to use my cookbook I was curious to see how recipes I make myself would change in the hands of a professional cook With a complimentary thimbleful of tsipouro Alexandros gave us a wedge of exquisite artisanal cheese from Serifos (nowhere near the Ionian islands) and brought out a tray of mezedes that included lentils from Lefkada with smoked eel Corfiot Pita Zorka (a crustless pie containing myzithra cheese and pecorino cheese) and Zakynthos eggplant smothered with garlic This last one happens to be my favorite recipe in the book and Hohlidaki’s version had us rolling our eyes Even a companion who professes to hate garlic was lapping it up We finished off with a meat pie from Kefalonia and a dessert from the other side of the Aegean that combined pistachios I will have to go back several times before the menu changes again to taste the Salsa from Zakynthos the Savoro from Ithaki and other familiar dishes plus several I had not heard of This fish taverna in Lykovrysi has become one of our favorite lunch places just another glass-fronted eatery located on a busy street with no landmarks We usually walk past the tables straight to the marble counters on which all kinds of fish and seafood sit atop mounds of crushed ice the choice so challenging that we sometimes spend up to ten minutes deciding on our “catch” before we even bag a table from magnificent bream to red barbounia (mullet) and octopus the squid family and the little fish that are best served fried We finally place our order with the patient waiter and take a seat While our selection is being cooked to order perfectly skordalia (garlic sauce) and sip our pretty good house wine The no-frills atmosphere is comfortingly casual and we have never had a dish that was not impeccable You’re not limited to fried and grilled; other possibilities include a rich fish soup and shrimp or mussels saganaki (with tomato sauce) We like the place so much we have even eaten here two days in row – Diana Farr Louis When Mirch opened on Ermou Street a few years ago its Indian souvlaki – a homemade naan bread freshly baked in the tandoori oven yogurt sauce and lettuce – quickly became a sensation It was (and still is) absolutely delicious My favorite is actually the chicken tikka itself: tender chicken thigh pieces marinated in yogurt and spices baked in the tandoori oven and served with a side of yogurt sauce and a sprinkle of fresh coriander Although a takeaway place, Mirch is still a nice place to sit and relax especially after strolling around the Monastiraki market It also offers an impressive selection of bottled beers to go with your food Even if you aren’t vegan, it’s worth trying the meat-free version of the iconic Greek street food made from mushroom gyros and avocado “tzatziki” at Cookoomela Grill many of which are made by small Greek producers This attention to quality explains the long lines I like to sit at the adjacent café for some people-watching while waiting for my order and then go for a stroll around the bohemian neighborhood of Exarchia with my vegan souvlaki in hand Sushi has become very common in Athens nowadays the tiny 12-seater restaurant near Syntagma Square differentiates itself by offering a sushi experience close to Japanese standards makes everything based on the freshest catch of the day which means that the fish is better here than at your local sushi place: from tuna to sardines and red mullet only the best fish from the Greek seas are transformed into sashimi and nigiri of the highest quality most people order “omakase,” which means “I’ll leave it up to you.” Prices are fair for the quality of the fish and the total experience – expect to pay around 50 euros per person (I did so with no regrets) Reservations are required due to the size of the restaurant and should be made about a month in advance There isn’t much to see in the quiet neighborhood of Melissia, but it’s worth a visit just for a meal at Psarokokkalo I particularly love the monkfish tail saganaki made with fresh monkfish a twist on the Greek classic made with shrimp and he makes sure that the fish is fresh and the clients are happy but the ramshackle structure is more charming than dingy – in fact but I particularly love their baked giant beans standard Greek dish that is rarely done well and the sauce had just the right amount of oil – Johanna Dimopoulos loading map - please wait...Map could not be loaded - please enable Javascript!→ more information The new shopping center that the Constantinou Group, which also built the Athens Metro Mall, is planning at Lykovrysi in northern Athens will proceed via the fast-track system as provided for by regulations concerning strategic investments. This is an investment worth 93.4 million euros and concerns the development of a 40,000-square meter mall on an 85,000 sq.m. plot next to the Athens-to-Lamia National Road. Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox. Text description provided by the architects. The existing building is a rare example of the brutalist architecture movement in Greece, erected in 1972, it’s one of the most important works of the renowned Greek architect, Alexandros Tombazis. Its radical renovation started in 2017. The revival of the existing historic building was a moral challenge for us, particularly in terms of the extent of our intervention on the existing structure would be. The restoration of the building’s concrete elements was separated into two phases: The first phase was relative to the building's reinforced concrete structure quality. We magnetically scanned a large part of the building’s structure, to determine to what extent the existing structural frame would need extensive repairs. As it proved out, only 5% of the building’s structure needed to be repaired or reinforced. © Giorgos SfakianakisThe second phase was relative to the overall concrete appearance of the building, a key element to its brutalist character. The last tenants painted it with a beige/yellow color that distorted its original brutalist identity. Furthermore, a large part of the concrete surfaces was heavily damaged © Giorgos SfakianakisOur intervention was primarily guided by the existing 1.2mx 1.2m grid which corresponds to the dimensions of the modules that make up the waffle concrete ceilings. This grid was the basis for every design intervention applied to the building; all the architectural and electromechanical elements are based on the design, nature, and three-dimensionally projected grid defined by the waffle ceiling slabs. © Giorgos SfakianakisThe water elements are related to the client’s company profile They are present in different spaces of the building but have different depths and textures In the main lobby for example we combined all the elements that present a poetic version of the company’s profile always under the strict surveillance of the building’s ‘subconscious’grid It’s a place that changes continually during the day and through the seasons You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email Police arrested a taxi driver on Wednesday afternoon accusing him of being part of a drug trafficking ring The arrest followed the confirmation of his involvement in the distribution of processed and unprocessed cannabis the suspect was found inside his taxi in possession of large quantities of drugs Officers seized 17.6 kilograms of processed cannabis Further searches at his residence in Nea Ionia and another vehicle revealed additional quantities of drugs The suspect is expected to appear before a prosecutor Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox developer and operator of the Athens Metro Mall on Friday published an environmental study concerning the development of a new shopping and entertainment park The study points to the construction of buildings with a total area of 71,200 square meters on a 75,000 sq.m This is a 93-million-euro investment that started in the early 2000s The complex will also include a park and parking spaces while an independent section of the plot will be dedicated to a medical diagnostic center and a rehabilitation center will be conceded for common use in the context of the changes proposed to the roads around the property The plot will be served by one of the stations on the extension of the Athens metro’s proposed Line 4 Infrastructure and Transport Minister Christos Staikouras and his deputy visited the Katechaki and Veikou tunnel boring sites on the under-construction Line 4 of the Athens Metro on Monday and confirmed that the first section of the extension is expected to be completed by 2030 The Katechaki tunnel boring machine (TBM) used to create the new line has so far dug through 840 meters (0.52 miles) recently commenced operations at the Veikou site The first stage of the new line will have a total length of 12.8 kilometers (8 miles) and is expected to serve an estimated 340,000 passengers on a daily basis and will intersect metro Line 3 (blue) at Evangelismos station it will also intersect with Katechaki station on Line 3 and with Perissos and Maroussi on Line 1 (green) A separate branch of the line will head south from the center’s Pangrati area towards Ilioupoli running east and parallel to metro Line 2 (red) trains on the new line will be fully automated and driverless The ministry further expects that the opening of the new line by the end of the decade will further reduce the number of cars on the capital’s streets by 53,000 slashing carbon emissions by an estimated 17,000 tons per year opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.