The Athens Hit List, Summer 2023 Edition: Ergon House, Hytra, Feyrouz, and More

Ergon House in Syntagma is the best of Greece on a plate. Here, impeccable produce sourced from small farms on the islands and mainland is served up with a twist on classic dishes, all just moments away from the heart of Athens – Syntagma Square. Expect a refined take on traditional tavern fare, in the relaxed setting of Ergon’s own organic deli. As guests enter, an olive tree stands at the entrance of the restaurant – a symbol of Greek hospitality, symbolising what this central Athens eatery is all about: feeling at home, the sharing of great food, and celebrating the best of the nation’s produce.

Don’t miss the kataifi, usually a sweet dessert best swilled down with a tarry Greek coffee – here, they’ve upped the ante on this pastry by filling it with wonderfully melted Gruyere and drizzling it in honey, lemon, paprika and pistachio for the perfect combination of saccharine and savoury.

A rooftop that won’t be packed but still promises impressive views of the city, the Islamic Art Cafe is a secret spot that Athenians can rely on to always have a seat for them. Rooftops in the centre can become crowded come summertime, but this cafe is just under the radar and just far enough away from Syntagma to always offer a place.  Overlooking the Parthenon and a portion of the archaeological remains in Thisseio, the cafe can be found in the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art and is an ideal place to relax after exploring the ruins. The menu is simple with sandwiches, salads, desserts and coffee being the go-to, but it’s really the views of the Parthenon that people come to the cafe for.

Taking residence in a beautiful neoclassical building in Athens’ centre, Balthazar restaurant offers contemporary European flavours, executed with fine dining finesse. The focus at this restaurant is elegant food served in an exceptional atmosphere. Whether its beneath dramatic chandeliers in the dining room or outside in a garden dotted with olive trees and laced with jasmine, Balthazar is one for a special occasion, with all the makings of a memorable experience. Chef Christoforos Peskias serves up seasonal dishes using local produce, and always with a gourmet sensibility – even traditional dishes are deconstructed and given a different feel, like the spanakorizo with caramelised cauliflower steak and augolemono (egg and lemon sauce).

Don’t expect anything but the unexpected at Proveleggios – this bold downtown restaurant prefers not to label or pigeonhole itself with a set cuisine. Instead, look to the art deco building with its distinct blue, yellow, and black paint job for food that sets it apart from its meze-serving neighbors in the Metaxourgeio neighbourhood. Here, the chefs bake their own sourdough; serve up fresh pasta; and can whip up a cocktail better than most Athenian bars. The emphasis here is on an ever-changing menu that rotates around the seasons and whatever great produce the chef can get his hands on. You can look out for Mediterranean dishes with plenty of inspiration from Greece’s Italian neighbours, but don’t do this place a disservice and label it an Italian job – it’s so much more.

Booked up every single weekend by Athenians desperate to know what the fuss is all about, this new opening isn’t what it seems. To a mere passer-by, Pharoah might look like a trendy wine bar in the downtown ‘anarchist’ neighbourhood of Exarcheia but for those who have experienced the food here, this new spot is so much more. Culinary heritage and the dishes of the chefs’ mothers and grandmothers forms the inspiration for the cuisine at Pharoah: There’s a wood fired oven, and the chefs depend on this to turn out slow cooked meatballs and tender pork steak that comes with a side helping of char-grilled vegetables. This might look like a fashionable place to be right now but in ten years’ time, it will be a staple thanks to a kitchen serving soulful Greek food that evokes memories. Beyond the food, an excellent local wine list makes this place a must-visit when in Athens.

It doesn’t matter if you show up on the weekend or a weekday, come lunch time, lines are out the door at Feyrouz. This family-run eatery is the brainchild of Kyria Feyrouz, a displaced Greek from Antioch, who has brought Levantine cuisine (originating between Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel and Turkey) to the city of Athens. While also serving up meat dishes, Feyrouz is a place adored by Athens’ vegan and vegetarian diners. Choose between veggie pies that sing with flavour and spice, the most flavorful tabbouleh you might have the pleasure of trying in your life, or fragrant galatkoboureko with orange blossom – a dessert that will have you returning to Feyrouz again and again. For those that have a weak spot for baklava, there’s a newly opened dessert cafe just opposite the main lunch spot.

Greek-Japanese chef Sotiris Kontizas masterminds the eclectic fusion at Nolan among a sea of sushi spots off Athens’ central Syntagma Square. His heritage has made him the perfect person to blend Asian dining sensibilities (small sharing dishes arrive at your table exactly when they’re ready) with Mediterranean flavour and endemic ingredients sourced locally, like the burned cabbage and white cauliflower with an aged white cheese from the island of Naxos.

At Nolan, typically Japanese dishes like salmon or soba noodles incorporate flavours of the Med, like tahini, for a unique blending of both culinary worlds. It might sound like an ambitious concept, but with its expert curation, elegantly styled food and forward-thinking combinations, Nolan works.

Avoiding interior cliches, there’s not a piece of bamboo in sight, and the space has a refreshingly stripped back and modern feel, with grey terrazzo and creamy marble – reflecting Nolan’s Athenian roots – applied to walls, ceiling and the hefty front door for a pared-back, grey colour palette. The outdoor seating area is just under the dappled shade of bitter orange trees, which smell exquisite come spring.

Once one of Athens’ oldest cafes, Karolos Zonas opened in 1939. A listed building since 1994, Vasilis Kassandra and Leonida Bonni’s 1938 structure stands as a brilliant example of Greek architecture between the wars. The art deco interiors feature a characteristic curved edged bar and heavy draping for a sexy, sensual feel. Back in its heyday, it was a hit with Greek prime minister Konstantinos Karamanlis, actresses Melina Merkouri and Sophie Loren, and writer Lawrence Durrell – all drawn to its famed confectionary and plush interiors.

In 2019 Zonars became ‘Athenee’. Coffee and pastries were replaced with a cosmopolitan, gourmet menu that comprises Mediterranean dishes and modern European cuisine as well as sushi. This may raise an eyebrow for some, but the menu is expertly executed for those looking for an elevated dining experience that goes beyond standard taverna fare. Try the Black Angus short ribs with truffle oil for rich, fall-off-the-bone indulgence; meanwhile, the feta in ultra-light puff pastry is a signature here.

Fresh on the Athenian restaurant scene in 2023, this French establishment combines classic French dishes with Greek sharing plate sensibilities in a relaxed atmosphere. Centrally located in Athens’ Monastiraki, Wine is Fine draws arty types for organic wines (from Greece and beyond) and a taste of beef tartar, real mayonnaise, and zingy salads that offer a refreshing alternative to the ubiquitous Greek salad. The outdoor seating area is nestled in amongst hardware and homeware stores in a liminal area that isn’t quite ‘shopping district’, giving the place its authentic, lively buzz. Indoors, guests can watch the blue-eyed chef do his thing in the open kitchen and wines can also come by the glass, if you fancy pairing your glass of wine with your dish.

This restaurant in ‘anarchist’ Exarcheia does wonders to dispel the rumours of riots, Molotov cocktails, and civil unrest that has branded the neighbourhood since the financial crisis. Set back off Kallidromiou street (famous for its Saturday market) in a former school, Ama Laxei’s garden is perfect for whiling away balmy summer nights in the city. Make sure you make a reservation because evenings and weekends get busy.

The playground-turned-garden drips with jasmine and orange trumpet flowers – a mini oasis in graffiti-tagged Exarcheia just beyond the school gates. The cuisine is a refined take on taverna fare – sharing plates are standard and portion sizes are hefty. Try the green salad with roasted manouri cheese if you fancy a break from the Greek salad and the smoked chickpeas roasted with slow-cooked pork melt in the mouth.

Greeks don’t do breakfast – usually, a cold coffee and cigarette will suffice most in the capital until noon but the concept of brunch is beginning to finally catch on, even in Athens. This is evident from Frater & Soror’s hip-and-happening customer base, pouring out from inside its location on the corner of Aminta and Ptolemeon and into the dappled shade of a leafy square in the central Athenian neighbourhood of Pangrati. Opened in 2018 by those behind award-winning bar,The Clumsies – Lefteris Giorgopoulos, Manolis Likiardopoulos, Thano Tsounaka and Giorgos Gigis – Frater & Soror has fast become one of the city’s best brunch spots.

The interiors are a blend of vintage accents (the furniture is a mix of custom-made wooden pieces and found chairs) and bold splashes of colour (an entire wall upstairs is tiled mint green), juxtaposing the building’s industrial elements, including its exposed concrete columns and visible pipe systems running across the ceiling. Rather than on the floor, parquet detail has been applied to clad the marble bar, for a nod to traditional Athenian style. Meanwhile the menu varies from American-influenced fluffy pancakes and a hefty burger to fermented porridge and eggs done three ways.

Before Queen Bee, there were very few places to brunch in Athens. Now lines out the door on weekends don’t stop the well-heeled Athenians of Kolonaki taking their chances on a table outdoors. As well as being one of the few places in Athens to serve sourdough bread and a decent pain au chocolat, Queen Bee is also where locals head out to see and be seen over poached eggs and flat whites. This is less of a cafe to work at, and more of one to celebrity spot at, and it’s not unknown for hired security to linger around on standby for a famous face brunching indoors.

The restaurant is on the ground floor of a pastel toned modernist building, its curved edges typical of Athenian architecture of the 1950s. If you’re seated indoors, the focus is on the open kitchen and its extensive display of enticing baked goods. Just one almond croissant is never enough.

Equidistant to Monastiraki and Syntagma Square in the very heart of Athens, tropical palm-papered Cherchez La Femme is a welcome retreat from the chaos of the concrete jungle outside. Jazz floats out onto a sheltered patio meanwhile inside, an Athens of a by-gone era, all vintage wooden furniture, terrazzo floor and green Tinian marble tables, awaits.

Dishes here, in true Greek style, are to share and the menu focuses on local produce and an aesthetically pleasing plate with food styled to look ridiculously photogenic. Ultra light calamari and punchy Greek salad along with a taramosalata dip are excellent here. The desserts (swilled down with a thick, Greek coffee) are good too, a signature being the delicately flaky kataifi.

New on the Athenian brunch scene and very much needed was Minu, a tropical palm covered haven in Thisseio. Drop by on a Sunday morning and you’ll find the courtyard full of in-the-know and smartly dressed Athenians catching up over Instagrammable eggs and patisserie so perfect you might think twice before biting into it. Dotted around are copies of Kinfolk, Monocle and the very latest coffee table books. Minu also doubles up as a store to buy ceramics, books, plants, and magazines from – so you can window shop whilst waiting for your seat.

Greeks don’t tend to do breakfast or brunch, but Minu has opened for the internationally minded. Look to this spot for dainty Taiwanese-style bao, poke bowls and the forever coveted avocado and egg combination as well as herbal infusions and punchy juices to fire you up for a morning of strolling

When this Cretan restaurant opened in a leafy square shaded by bitter orange trees, it swiftly became one of the hippest places to find cheap, delicious meze that was prepared with a level of refinement that was at the time, new to the city. That spirit is still alive at Mavro Provato, which rarely has a table going for those not discerning enough to have reserved in advance. Try the slow-cooked beef in tomato and their famed crispy kolokithokeftedes (courgette balls) or the goat served with gamopilafo – a creamy wedding rice traditional in Crete.

While diners outside sit under bitter orange trees to dive into their small sharing plates — all made from local produce — the restaurant indoors is stamped with the ‘black sheep’ theme. Blackboards with Greek sayings (“The black sheep has a white heart”) line the walls along with diagrams of animals you might find in a butcher’s shop, illustrating various cuts of meat using dotted lines. This is a carnivore’s haven, after all.

This Michelin star restaurant has managed to move up the ranks from the edgy and urban downtown neighbourhood of Psyrri to a boujis rooftop in the smart southern suburb of Neos Kosmos. Sat atop the Onassis Cultural Centre, Hytra is where you might want to go if you’re pulling out all the stops on your first or last night in Athens.

You might want to sample the 14-course tasting menu featuring savoury sorbets, cocktail and Greek wine pairing. While the food is decidedly of a high standard with delicious, locally sourced ingredients for Mediterranean dishes done right (the scallops with hazelnut cream are superb), the rooftop with views over central Athens and onto the Parthenon is another real draw here.

Furniture, both outside on the jasmine scented terrace and inside the bar, is modern and custom-made. The bar itself is accented with a dramatic woven bamboo facade that’s mirrored on the back wall and above, giving the place a warm feeling in spite of its chunky, black marble tabletops. Be sure to book in advance for a spot on the roof between May and September and the tasting menu is one to go for if you want the chef’s highlights. Don’t expect hefty Greek portions – just hefty Greek flavour.