Athens Gets More Michelin Stars

Restaurateurs in Athens are pushing the taste frontiers with zero-waste sensibilities into a league of its own. Combined with Athens’ celebrated bar scene, award-winning baristas and vibrant street food scene, Athens offers a dawn-to-dusk gustatory experience that makes it a must on any gourmet’s bucket list. In a survey by Tripadvisor in 2022, visitors claimed that ‘eating out was a prime motivator to visit Athens and that meals consistently exceeded expectations.’

The 2022 Michelin list confirms Athens’ status as a Culinary Capital. Athens now stands boldly with a total of 27 restaurants in the 2022 Michelin guide. Entering the Michelin food scene is Delta, Athens’ only Two Michelin Star restaurant, as well as Soil and The Ziller’s  receiving their first Star. Receiving the newly introduced Michelin Green Star for their commitment to sustainability are restaurants Delta and Soil.

In their first year, Delta joins a rare lineup of double Michelin Star holders:

Delta

Delta’s Scandinavian-influenced chefs Thanos Feskos and George Papazacharias, who worked at the 3-star Geranium and Maaemo respectively, chose Athens as the base for their creative laboratory and have been expectedly rewarded for their audacious approach to cuisine. With its breathtaking avant-garde aesthetics, at the heart of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, they offer gastronomic suggestions that combine Scandinavian concepts and culinary techniques with local products, with the common theme being environmental sustainability. Their artful presentation makes dining more than a meal but an amplified experience that plays on all your senses simultaneously.

The One Michelin Star list includes 6 familiar faces and 2 new entrants, Soil and The Zillers

Veteran Michelin Restaurants Spondi and Varoulko Seaside, as well as Botrini’s, CTC, Hytra and Pelagos have all earned a Michelin star, with two exciting new entrants joining their elite company.

Soil

Soil, is based in a beautiful neoclassical home with a stunning garden and charming terrace in Pangrati, harbors the cuisine of Chefs Tasos Mantis and Alexandros Mouridis. It follows through on the farm-to-fork principle, not just as a millennial mantra but as a deep-rooted philosophy. As part of a new generation of conscious chefs driving change both on the taste front and in terms of sustainable cooking, Mantis sources all his ingredients from his farm in his native Aleppochori village to offer a mainly plant-centric menu, and that explains their Michelin Green Star accreditation.

The Zillers’ Chef Pavlakis has been pushing the taste frontiers with his playful, creative cuisine. With a stunning view of the Acropolis, just across the majestic Metropolitan Cathedral, the rooftop restaurant atop the Zillers Boutique Hotel, meaning guests can enjoy a breathtaking view of the Acropolis and the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation. With its flexible offer, one can enjoy a light, casual lunch or a full-fledged gastronomic dinner from Chef Pavlos Kiriakis, who gives his own take on local traditions with creative tasting menus.

Spondi

Chef Arnaud Bignon is of the youngest ever chefs to earn twin Michelin stars at the age of just 32 while at the helm of Spondi. A culinary marvel in an unassuming corner of Athens, in a handsome neoclassical home in Pangrati, the food here is creative, clever and technically stunning without being pretentious. There is an elegant courtyard for warm nights, and the interior is surrounded by stone walls with smart lighting. The menu is a blend of French and Mediterennean cuisine conjured up seasonally by its chefs.

Varoulko Seaside

Varoulko Seaside remains a bastion for intuitive gourmets where Chef Lefteris Lazarou continues to create meals that unlock a complex spectrum of tastes by inventively crafting visually stunning, technically astute dishes. Almost anyone who has made it in Greece’s culinary renaissance over the past ten years has trained under Lazarou. Just the setting at Mikrolimano that marries Greece’s rich maritime history with its vibrant fishing community, reflects in the restaurant’s sensual menu. It is one that restores, challenges and enriches.

Botrini

Ettore Botrini, the Michelin-starred masterchef and colourful TV persona after whom his restaurant in Halandri is named, retains his Michelin star for his “embellished and outstanding creations, his inventive combinations and high technique”. His style and sensibilities are inspired by his personal memories of Corfu, Italy and the Ionian Islands

Alex Tsitsonis moves his restaurant CTC Urban Gastronomy to a stunning new location in Kerameikos that now comes with a rather stylish outdoor dining space that’s a real hit in the  summer. The experienced chef and his enthusiastic team guide you on an 11 course ‘Voyage’ which takes in Greece’s culinary history and blends bold flavours with subtle innovation and originality.

Pelagos

Chef Luca Piscazzi’s Pelagos at the Four Seasons is a fitting name for this hotel restaurant considering its lovely sea views, its 1930’s ocean liner styling and its seafood focus. The cuisine here is as dramatic as the plating and the stellar views. Luca sources his herbs at the Four Seasons Athens’ gardens and adds his own bold signature, blending refined French techniques with prime Mediterranean ingredients.

And The Bib Gourmand goes to…:

The Bib Gourmand is Michelin’s top distinction, awarded to those restaurants with the highest value cuisine. Last year’s Bib Gourmand recipients Cerdo Negro 1985, Nolan and Oikeîo – all retain their special recognition for exquisite quality.

Cerdo Negro: Two brothers have combined their Greek heritage with a passion for Spanish cuisine at this small taverna in an up-and-coming area. The music is turned up loud, the cheery brothers are wonderful hosts, and the great value, generously portioned dishes, most cooked over a wood fire, burst with flavour.

Oikeio: A sweet little restaurant in a chic neighbourhood, with tables on two different levels, as well as outside. The décor is traditional and the place has a warm, cosy feel. Menus offer great value family-style dishes made with fresh ingredients and feature the likes of sardines, moussaka and octopus in vinegar.

Nolan: The young chef of this contemporary bistro was born to a Greek father and a Japanese mother, and his cooking fuses influences from both countries with classical French elements. The interesting, colourful dishes are not only great value but also great for sharing – it is a dilemma choosing what to have!

Entering the Athens 2022 Michelin Guide are 4 new restaurants

Restaurants that hold on to their Michelin status include Athénée, GB Roof Garden,  Aneton, Okio, Aleria, Cookoovaya, Alficon, SENSE, Vezené,  Annie Fine Cooking, and Le Pavillon.

Meet the new entrants in the 2022 list: Hervé, Linou Soumpasis k sia, Veri Table, and Merceri.