Athens: The Best Seafood Restaurants for Feasting on Fish (2024)

Cookoovaya, Cruising Between Corfu and the Aegean

Not far from the National Gallery, this contemporary restaurant is the kingdom of Periklís Koskinas, an affable chef who hails from Corfu. After travelling the world and honing his skills in a number of MICHELIN-Starred restaurants, he chose to settle here, in the heart of the Greek capital. Adjacent to a busy street, his modern eatery is a peaceful haven sporting white tablecloths, polished wooden floors and soft armchairs. All of this extends out onto a lovely shaded terrace, ideal for lunchtime.The open kitchen is busy crafting the house specialities, most of which have a seafood base. The fish is prepared with impeccable technique, from head to tail, and care is taken to ensure that nothing is wasted. To obtain his supplies, Periklís calls on the country's best fishermen, working across all the Hellenic seas, from Corfu to the northern Aegean. This enables the chef to offer the best quality and, above all, an exceptional variety of ingredients – all while respecting the fishing seasons.

Varoulko Seaside, a Seafood Institution in Piraeus

Chef Lefteris Lazarou is a legend. So much so that he is sometimes referred to as ‘the admiral of Greek cuisine’. His father? He was a chef on private boats, working for ship owners and wealthy families. After a fair amount of travelling, the patriarch opened a fish restaurant in the centre of Piraeus, where his son was to learn the art of cooking. In 1987, Lefteris opened his own restaurant in Mikrolimano, a small fishing port where fish taverns are in bountiful supply. It was an immediate success, and the awards soon followed. In fact, he was the first chef in Greece to be awarded a MICHELIN Star. Yet he never thought of leaving this place, which he considers his true home. That hasn't stopped him from travelling though; he loves discovering the world and its gastronomy, as long as the sea isn't too far away! At the age of 72, the chef – who appeared on the TV show MasterChef – still has plenty of plans, including opening a tapas bar on the waterfront in front of the restaurant.

Merceri, Two Women at the Helm

In 2021, Melina Chomata and Maria Ntioudi decided to open their restaurant in the pleasant district of Thissio, close to the Acropolis. Before that, they worked for a long time in the kitchens of major hotel establishments in the Cyclades, notably in Santorini. In Merceri's small, open kitchen, every move must be meticulous. And that's just as well, because the chefs are very close friends, not hesitating to swap roles as and when the need arises.Fish? They've been eating it since they were very young and consider seafood to be an essential part of their lives. So when it came to devising a menu for their new restaurant, the sea was not forgotten. Most of the fish and shellfish served here comes from Greece, but the two chefs do not shy away from seeking out a few rarities from other countries when necessary. Their only guide is quality! After all, their cooking is all about bringing out the best in the ingredients, through simple, straightforward recipes.

Pelagos, a Mediterranean Culinary Odyssey

Overlooking a sublime cove with translucent waters, the restaurant at the Four Seasons Astir Palace hotel benefits from a unique panorama of the Aegean Sea. Awarded a MICHELIN Star, Pelagos is home to Luca Piscazzi, an Italian chef who has worked with the likes of Anne-Sophie Pic and Heinz Beck. It's an exceptional setting that inspires the chef every day, prompting him to come up with beautiful dishes that taste of the sea.
To supply his kitchens, he has teamed up with a fishmonger based in Crete, with whom he has forged a wonderful relationship. The latter doesn't hesitate to contact Luca when he finds an exceptional product that might interest him. When he cooks the fish, the chef is always torn between his Italian origins, his experience in French brigades and the age-old traditions of Greece, his new adopted land. Should he add butter to the sauce, be content to use a light stock or rely on olive oil and lemon? Suffice to say, he always finds the right balance. The most important thing is to preserve the unique taste of the ingredient.

For several summers now, Pelagos has been offering culinary odysseys across Greece. In 2024, it's off to the Cyclades, more specifically to the islands of Naxos, Sifnos and Santorini. To create this mouth-watering menu, the entire restaurant team travelled across the Aegean. They explored local culinary traditions, met with exceptional artisans and sourced the finest produce.For example, the tuna tartare is refreshed with a granita of Sifnos capers and the sole is sweetened with sage; the white aubergines from Santorini are served with oysters and pork belly; the lobster is served in traditional pitas topped with Naxos chickpeas and nduja bisque. As for the gnocchi made with Naxos potatoes, they are filled with acqua pazza, a kind of fish stock from Naples, and topped with a sardine tartare. Eating at Pelagos is guaranteed to take you on a fantastic culinary journey across the Mediterranean.

Hero Image : Acropolis ©DR

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