Athens Food Diaries: Exploring Greek Cuisine | Top 3 Restaurants in Athens I Love

When you come to Greece, you'll certainly want to try some of the local specialties. Athens, being a large city, naturally has a plethora of delicious Athenian cuisine. In this article, I share my top three favorite restaurants that I've personally tried and secretly collected!

Breakfast | Stani

• Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Price: $$

Stani's signature dish is sheep's milk yogurt, topped with nuts and honey. When I first saw it, I thought to myself about the astonishing calorie content... But the taste is incomparable, with the unique aroma of sheep's milk, yet completely free from any mutton smell. The addition of honey made it irresistible, and I quickly finished the whole dish. Besides the sheep's milk yogurt, since I was there for breakfast, I also ordered a spinach pie. Spinach pie is a common Greek street food, and I ate it for breakfast every day during my week in Athens. Among the places I tried, Stani's spinach pie also had the best flavor.

Lunch & Dinner | Smile restaurant

• Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Price: $$

Smile restaurant is located opposite the Temple of Zeus, making it a conveniently situated family-style restaurant for tourists in the city center. The menu is extensive, and I ordered a grilled squid meal. The meal included a Greek salad, a beverage (with an option for wine), and bread, all of which were delicious. For dessert, tiramisu was included, and I additionally ordered a glass of red wine.

When visiting such Greek restaurants, it's a good idea to try the house-made red and white wines. Greeks often brew their own wines at home, and naturally, each family's wine has a unique flavor. Moreover, these wines are usually very affordable. The wine in this restaurant had a very home-style taste, with a fruitier flavor compared to the general inexpensive bulk wines, and the alcohol content was not too high.

Dinner | Alexandar The Great

• Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Price: $$$

Alexander The Great restaurant is a bit far from the tourist areas, but since it was right next to the hotel where I was staying and the food was excellent, we ended up eating there many days in a row. The menu is extensive, and we tried various dishes, including Greek mixed grill with beef, chicken, and lamb, chicken skewers, a surf and turf grill with beef, lamb, grilled sausages, fried squid, and fried fish, all of which were delicious. If you're interested in Greek spirits, you can also try the local anise-flavored liquor here, which has a spicy kick and, in my opinion, is quite good.

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