A spread of Greek meze.
We're Sissi and Galinos, and we've hosted in Kolonaki, central Athens, for over a decade. Here is the honest short answer: Kolonaki is where Athenians come to eat well rather than to eat cheaply. It does modern Greek cooking, proper wine bars and unfussy neighbourhood lunches better than almost anywhere else in the centre, and less well on the rock-bottom tourist-taverna front, which is fine, because you can walk to Plaka for that. To eat like a resident here, split your day: a quick counter lunch near the square, an early evening wine bar as the light drops off Lycabettus, then a modern Greek dinner booked a day ahead. Below are the categories that matter and, under each, our own picks, so you are choosing the way we do, not the way a ranking list tells you to.
We'll disclose our bias up front: we host in the neighbourhood, so we want you to love it. But we eat here every week with our own money, and the guidance below is how we actually decide where to go. Verified July 2026.
What Kolonaki does well (and what it doesn't)
Kolonaki is the upscale residential quarter at the foot of Lycabettus Hill, a short flat walk (roughly eight to twelve minutes) from Syntagma and the metro. Because it is where a lot of Athenians actually live and work, the food leans towards two things: confident modern Greek kitchens, and relaxed all-day spots that locals use on repeat. Prices sit above the city average. You are paying for the postcode and, usually, for genuinely better sourcing and cooking.
What it does not really do is the cheap, checked-tablecloth tourist taverna with a waiter waving a menu at you. That is not a criticism, it is just the character of the place. If a big group souvlaki night is what you want, we will happily point you a few minutes downhill. For everything from a good lunch to a special dinner, though, you rarely need to leave.
A quick planning note before the picks: the best Kolonaki tables get booked, especially Thursday to Saturday. Message the restaurant (or ask us, we're never more than five minutes away) a day ahead rather than turning up at 21:00 and hoping.
Modern Greek and special-occasion dinners
This is the category Kolonaki genuinely leads on: kitchens taking Greek ingredients and traditions and cooking them with real technique, the sort of place you book for an anniversary or a first proper night in Athens.
Our picks, starting with where we actually go, all worth booking a day ahead:
- Le Rose (map) in Kolonaki, our own go to for a relaxed dinner out.
- Simul (map) on Ypsilantou, chef Nikos Thomas cooking bistronomic modern Greek from an open kitchen. Our choice for a proper night out.
- Iodio (map) on Loukianou, contemporary Greek seafood from a chef with serious fine dining pedigree.
- Papadakis (map) on Fokylidou, elegant and all about the fish, going strong since 2005.
- Nice N Easy (map) on Omirou, a short walk toward Syntagma, the original farm to table room and an easy first night.
How we choose between them: if it's a celebration and you want to be looked after, we send guests to the first. If you want serious cooking without the ceremony, the second. Ask us on the day and we'll tell you which kitchen is on form that week, because that genuinely changes.
Classic tavernas and everyday Greek
A Greek taverna courtyard set for dinner.
Kolonaki does have honest, old-school Greek cooking, you just have to know which doors to open rather than following the crowds. These are the places we go for a plate of something cooked that morning, a carafe of house wine and no fuss.
Our picks:
- Filippou (map) on Xenokratous, a Kolonaki institution since 1923 and our own spot for a long Greek lunch. Clean ladera, stews and moussaka, no trend chasing.
- Oikeio (map) on Ploutarchou, a cosy neighbourhood bistro with daily changing mageirefta. It holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, the good value nod, not a star.
- To Kafeneio 1987 (map) on Loukianou, a historic cafe reborn with proper urban Greek home cooking.
If you only do one traditional lunch in the neighbourhood, make it one of these rather than a place with photos on the menu. As a rule of thumb anywhere in Athens: a short, mostly Greek-language menu and a dining room with actual Greeks in it are the two signals we trust most.
Wine bars and the early evening
Glasses of wine being poured at a wine bar.
The Athenian evening starts late, so the hours before dinner are for a glass of Greek wine and a few small plates, and Kolonaki is very good at this. Greek wine has come a long way, and a decent wine bar here will pour you assyrtiko, agiorgitiko and grapes you have never heard of, with someone behind the bar who can actually talk you through them.
Our picks, with one honest note on geography, a couple of the best sit just outside Kolonaki proper:
- Ratka (map) on Charitos, a wine forward Kolonaki fixture since the 1980s, good for a glass and a plate on the sidewalk.
- Heteroclito (map) a short walk toward Syntagma, a serious all Greek and natural wine list by the glass.
- By the Glass (map) a short walk toward Syntagma, 40 plus wines by the glass.
- Materia Prima (map) in Koukaki or Pangrati, a short ride, if you want to go deep on natural wine.
Our move: a wine bar around 19:30, then walk five minutes to a proper dinner. It is the most local rhythm we can teach you, and it stops you eating dinner at tourist o'clock in an empty room.
Quick lunch, coffee and a bite
Not every meal is an event. For a fast, good weekday lunch, Kolonaki has the counter spots, bakeries and all-day cafés that residents actually live on.
Our picks:
- Cocona (map) on Milioni for excellent handmade pies.
- Kora (map) the neighbourhood sourdough and viennoiserie bakery that also pours good coffee.
- Desiree (map) the grande dame Kolonaki patisserie since 1962, for something sweet.
- Kalamaki Kolonaki (map) on Ploutarchou for quick grilled skewers and pita.
Coffee is its own ritual here and deserves its own map, so we've written that up separately in our guide to our favourite cafés in Kolonaki, including which one has the best morning light and where we actually take our laptops.
Late night and a drink after dinner
Dinner runs late and rolls into a drink without much of a gap. Kolonaki's bars range from quiet and grown-up to busy and loud, mostly within a few streets of the square.
Our picks:
- Jazz in Jazz (map) on Dinokratous, a tiny, atmospheric jazz and whisky room.
- Minnie the Moocher (map) on Tsakalof, a swing era themed cocktail bar on the pedestrian strip.
- Rock n Roll (map) a long running Kolonaki bar that runs late.
- The Clumsies (map) a fifteen minute walk toward the centre, one of the world's most awarded bars.
If you want louder and later, the scene around the square and the streets running off it stays open well past midnight at weekends. If you want a quiet last glass, ask us and we'll point you to the calmer corners.
How we'd plan a day of eating in Kolonaki
Here is the rhythm we'd actually follow, and the one we suggest to guests staying with us:
- Late morning: coffee and a bite, not a big breakfast. Save the appetite. See our café guide for where.
- Around 14:00: a proper Greek lunch at one of the taverna or lunch-counter picks above. Lunch is where Athens eats best value.
- Late afternoon: the funicular up Lycabettus or a slow wander through the boutiques and Dexameni. Build the hunger back.
- 19:30: a wine bar and a couple of small plates as the evening starts.
- 21:00 or later: your booked dinner. This is the meal to plan a day ahead.
- After: a quiet last drink nearby, or downhill to somewhere livelier if that's your night.
For the wider picture of the neighbourhood, where to walk, what's around you, we keep a fuller Kolonaki neighbourhood guide, and if you're still deciding which part of the city to base yourself in, start with our pillar on where to stay in Athens.
Eating here as our guest
The genuine advantage of staying in Kolonaki is that all of the above is a five to ten minute flat walk from your door, no taxi, no metro, at the end of the night. We host two owner-managed apartments here: our one-bedroom in the heart of Kolonaki and our two-bedroom near Evangelismos metro, both with a full kitchen for the mornings you'd rather stay in with a coffee and something from the bakery.
When you book, you get more than the keys: message us before you arrive and we'll send our current, honest picks for your exact dates, because the right table genuinely shifts week to week. You can see both apartments here or book direct with us, no platform fees and the local knowledge to match.
We're Sissi and Galinos, owner-hosts in Kolonaki for more than a decade, reachable in English and Greek throughout your stay. Verified July 2026.
Photos: JIP / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0; Heiko Gorski / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0; Maria Eklind / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0.