Taste the city. The Best Restaurants in Athens, Greece

From Greek specialities and local seafood to global cuisine and international flavours, Athens offers a great range of eating choices for the well-travelled foodie, at some of its best restaurants.

Seafood lovers won’t want to miss Varoulko Seaside, a multi-award winning Michelin-star establishment headed by Chef Lefteris Lazarou and located on the peaceful waterfront of Mikrolimano, close to Pireaus. Famed across Greece, Varoulko Seaside serves up such delights as marinated octopus, squid with basil pesto, crayfish moussaka, cuttlefish risotto and, of course, the speciality catch of the day served fresh. In search of a lighter meal? Try Varoulko’s ‘Bites & Wine’ – a Greek seafood riff on classic Spanish tapas, offered in a homely, welcoming space opposite the main Varoulko dining room.

Closer to home, guests of Life Gallery athens are just a short drive from Koursaros, Drosia. This paradoxical seafood restaurant located in the mountainous foothills of northern Athens may not seem the first choice for fish, but locals & visitors alike are unanimous in naming it one of the best restaurants in the city! Taste specialties such as charcoal-grilled squid, linguine with sea urchin or simply the fresh fish platters featuring the daily catch such as bream, red snapper, sole, grouper and sea bass.

Also in Drosia is Cho Cho San, an eclectic Asian fusion restaurant offering dishes from across China, Korea, Thailand and Japan. Named after Madame Butterfly, this light and airy space will transport you to another world with its pan-Asian flavours.  Explore a diverse menu serving items such as salmon sake tartare with ponzu sauce, maki rolls, bao buns, crispy duck, shrimp pad thai and teriyaki chicken, finishing off with an assortment of exotic sweet dishes such as katsu bananas and mango, ginger and coconut ice cream!

Finally, guests and visitors to Life Gallery athens need not venture far at all, as they will discover an award-winning restaurant at the heart of the hotel! The menu at the Kool Life Bar Restaurant takes diners on a true culinary journey, highlighting the finest raw ingredients and presenting them in a small but comprehensive selection of dishes crafted by executive chef Thanos Moraitis. Greek flavours are combined with contemporary, international techniques, resulting in dishes such as spoken eel with beetroot chips, cuttlefish ink tagliatelle with bottarga and pavlova with fresh fruits & mastic cream.

Visit Kool Life Bar Restaurant for more information.