Where to Eat

Athens ruined restaurant dining for me in the best possible way. After eating here — actually here, in the neighborhoods where Athenians eat, not the tourist strips — I find it hard to be impressed by Greek restaurants anywhere else. The ingredients are better, the prices are lower, and the experience of sharing a dozen meze plates with friends at 10 PM on a warm evening is just… hard to replicate.

I’ll be honest with you: eating in Plaka is a minefield. For every genuinely good restaurant, there are three tourist traps serving reheated moussaka at double the price. On my first visit I fell for one — aggressive host, “authentic Greek” menu with photos, mediocre food, and a bill that made me question everything. But here’s the thing: Plaka also has some truly excellent restaurants. You just have to know where to look. Here are the best restaurants in Plaka — the ones I’d actually take a friend to.