Discover unforgettable dining in Athens with stunning Acropolis views and exquisite Greek cuisine that will delight your senses.
Greek cuisine captures taste buds globally, from the Mediterranean shores offering fresh seafood and olive oil to the mountainous regions known for hearty stews and game meats. This rich mosaic of flavors and textures is perfectly showcased in the best dining in Athens, the country’s vibrant capital.
The Athens dining experience reaches new heights when you’re perched in a stylish rooftop restaurant, embracing panoramic views of the modern cityscape while indulging in outstanding gastronomy.
We’ve scoured the city’s rooftop restaurants to discover the best dining in Athens. Each of our selections offers a front-row seat to the spell-binding Acropolis, ensuring a memorable feast for both the palate and the eyes.
What’s in This Article:
Toggle
Art Lounge, Athens NEW Hotel
Art Lounge occupies the 7th and rooftop floor of the centrally located Athens NEW Hotel. Art Lounge’s wide wrap-around alfresco terrace offers expansive city views and that ubiquitously Athenian of all outlooks—Acropolis Hill and the Parthenon.
Memorable Acropolis views from the rooftop of the ART Lounge. Photo courtesy Athens New Hotel
Award-winning Brazilian duo, the Campana brothers, were responsible for the hotel’s interior design, including the playful and inventive decor of the Art Lounge. Be that the bespoke and upcycled plush dining chairs and the metallic gold lamp shades reflecting the LED night-sky ceiling. The whole room embodies the feel of a chic yet decidedly inviting private library of an eclectic artist or collector rather than a hotel dining venue.
Executive Chef Babis Kountouris and his team offer a fresh interpretation of cherished Greek traditions and flavors. Menus are seasonal, with high-quality local ingredients presented creatively and im a contemporary way. The chef’s menu groups dishes simply under Appetizers & Salads, Signatures, and Fish & Meats. Desserts are listed separately, with five compelling choices available when we visited.
Standout dishes for me included the simply described Legume mix—a tasty salad of beans, nuts, dried figs, spring onions, and herbs topped with a generous scoop of soft, spreadable xigalo (goat or sheep) cheese from Siteia in eastern Crete. This was an outstanding example of the Mediterranean diet on a plate. A beef tartare with pops of caper and tomato bursts and a spice mix reminiscent of Greek-Turkish ‘soutzoukakia’ meatballs. The Grouper Bianco with white sauce, potato cream, and parsley oil also shone.
The delectable Grouper Bianca at the Art Lounge. Photo courtesy Athens New Hotel
Art Lounge’s wine list comprehensively tours Greece’s outstanding wine regions from the north to the islands. A limited selection of international wines is available, though I recommend asking the highly knowledgeable wait staff to guide you with the local white, rosé, red, or sparkling wines.
Open daily from 6 PM and brunch on weekends, Art Lounge is the perfect spot for an early evening drink (try the Meltemi, a signature cocktail with ouzo, honey, and cucumber espuma) while taking in those Athens city views, including the Acropolis and Lycabettus Hills. A focus on essence, simplicity, and quality Greek produce come together to create a unique gastronomic experience at Art Lounge.
Art Lounge offers stylish dining inside and alfresco. Photo courtesy Athens NEW hotel
NYX Rooftop, Academias Hotel
Occupying the top floor of the center of Athens, Academia Hotel, the NYX Japanese Fusion Rooftop restaurant has quickly become a firm favorite of the Athenian dining public—so much so that reservations are strongly recommended. Enjoy superb Acropolis Hill vistas with the Parthenon and Altar of Athena on view. NYX has dining on the outdoor deck, inside on plush banquettes and romantic tables, or at the raised counter overlooking the on-show kitchen and bar.
Academias Hotel is home to NYX Japanese Fusion Rooftop restaurant. Photo courtesy Academias Hotel
Drawing on elements of Asian tradition and influenced by Japanese gastronomy, Executive Chef Dimitris Kotsalis and his team curate an inspiring fusion menu. Exceptional, fresh, local produce becomes the base of a fascinating selection of elegant dishes. An extensive selection of cocktails, fine wines, and spirits, including Japanese whiskey, gins, and sake brands, are available to pair.
NYX’s tantalizing menu offers dishes under Raw, Yaki, Robata (charcoal grilled), Sushi, Signature, and a separate dessert list. I felt like a kid in a chocolate shop with so many delights to select from. Thankfully, our erudite server, Thassos, helped navigate the menu with faultless food and drink recommendations.
Sumptuous dishes like an Aegean tiradito (sashimi-style seafood in a spicy sauce) with a selection of fresh ocean prawn, salmon, and fish accompanied by smoked eel, cucumber in saki, and avocado. Generously filled Beef Gyoza expertly blended the taste of osso buco, shiitake mushrooms, and kimchi cabbage on aged parmesan cream with freshly shaved truffle.
Fusing Greek and Japanese – NYX Rooftop’s Aegean tiradito. Photo by Michael Cullen
Other memorable delights included mouthful-sized croquettes of confit duck and sweet potato topped with sweet-sour kumquat marmalade, soft-shelled crab sushi rolls, a robata-grilled Seabream filet, and charred Buk Choy with a ginger citrus sauce decorated with a tempura-fried grapevine leaf. For dessert, a white chocolate creation looking like the Japanese citrus Yuzu came filled with a light-as-air yuzu-flavoured ganache montée and refreshing hints of spearmint, and was a fitting end.
With its curated soundtrack of tunes for further ambiance, downloadable to your Spotify account, NYX Japanese Fusion Rooftop restaurant presents an exceptionally well-conceived and executed dining and drinking experience – all topped off with the magic of that Athenian and Acropolis skyline.
NYX Rooftop’s highly creative white chocolate yuzu dessert. Photo courtesy Academias Hotel
SENSE Restaurant, AthensWas Hotel
Entering the stylish 7th-floor restaurant SENSE, the first thing that strikes me is the imposing proximity of Acropolis Hill, which is dominated by the Parthenon temple and feels so close you can almost touch it. SENSE occupies the top floor of the deluxe boutique AthensWas Design Hotel on the grand pedestrian boulevard Dionyssiou Aeropagitou. The Acropolis Museum and the southern entrance to Acropolis Hill are just a casual stroll away, as is the historic Plaka neighborhood, with its boutiques, cafés, tavernas, and restaurants.
Mesmerising Acropolis Hill views from SENSE restaurant. Photo courtesy AthensWas Hotel
SENSE’s Executive Chef, Alexandros Charalabopoulos, presents a 5- or 7-course tasting menu (including a dedicated vegetarian version) as a perfect complement to the outstanding panorama. While the menu is seasonal, the Chef’s childhood memories and Greece’s quality local and fresh produce drive menu inspiration. Each menu celebrates authentic Greek recipes interpreted into refined, fine-dining dishes. Herbs sourced from the hotel’s organic garden add to the culinary integrity.
During our visit, tasting dishes included a deconstructed dolmade (stuffed vine leaves) with fresh lemony hues, a modern take on the northern Greece Plastos (spinach pie), a stuffed cabbage roll with carrot “ketchup” hazelnut gremolata and celeriac puree, and a roulade of fish sitting in a vibrant tomato soup. Diners are also treated to a tasty education with selected samples of Greek regional extra virgin olive oils served with several dishes. The included in-house baked bread and accompanying goat cheese butter was another taste sensation.
Chef Dimitris Kotsalis Fish with Tomato from SENSE’s tasting menu. Photo by Michael Cullen
A wine pairing is also available as an extra, with SENSE’s sommelier taking us to northwestern Macedonia for an outstanding brut cuvee, a refreshing sauvignon blanc from Crete, an attention-grabbing clay pot fermented Assyrtiko from Santorini, a rose from northern Greece made exclusively from Xinomavro, the regions most important grape. And to finish, a deliciously complex dessert wine made from the indigenous Liatiko grape from Heraklion in Crete.
Given the quality of the ingredients, the cooking approach, and the artistry of the flavors, it is easy to understand why SENSE has been recognized in national dining awards. Evening dining adds to the atmospheric outlook, so start with cocktails and ease into a night of refined Greek gastronomy.
AthensWas is home to the rooftop SENSE restaurant. Photo courtesy AthensWas Hotel
Articles Related to Visiting Greece
Our Best Athens Dining
In conclusion, the best dining in Athens offers a feast for your taste buds and an unforgettable visual experience. Whether you’re savoring innovative Greek dishes at Art Lounge, enjoying a fusion of flavors at NYX Rooftop, or indulging in refined gastronomy at SENSE, each restaurant provides a unique blend of exceptional cuisine and breathtaking views of the iconic Acropolis.
Worth celebrating—Athens Best Dining with Acropolis views. Photo courtesy AthensWas Hotel
These rooftop dining destinations epitomize Athens’s vibrant culinary scene, ensuring every meal celebrates the city’s rich culture and history. So, elevate your dining experience and discover why the best dining in Athens is truly unmatched.
We invite you to explore Wander With Wonder for more things to do when you visit Greece and more of our favorite dining experiences.
.
Please visit:
Our Sponsor