Eating & Drinking in Athens

Athens has one of the most underrated food cultures in Europe. The city’s post-2010 culinary renaissance — driven partly by young chefs returning from international kitchens, partly by economic necessity — produced a restaurant scene that is confident, inventive, and firmly rooted in Greek ingredients and traditions.

The essentials

At the foundation of Athenian food culture are the neighborhood taverna (where grilled meats, seasonal vegetables, and simple fish are eaten communally at long tables), the mezedopoleio (where wine and conversation are accompanied by a succession of small dishes), and the street food economy of souvlaki, koulouri, and tiropita.

Building on these foundations, a generation of more ambitious restaurants has emerged — places working with regional producers, rediscovering forgotten ingredients, and presenting Greek food in ways that don’t require quotation marks around the word modern.

Coffee culture

Athens runs on coffee. The Greek café tradition is distinct from Italian espresso culture — coffee here is an occasion, drunk slowly over conversation at a table, often for hours. The freddo espresso (cold-shaken espresso over ice) and freddo cappuccino are the summer staples, and the quality in good Athenian cafes is excellent.