Best Food and Drinks I Had in Athens, Greece

Athens gave me one of the best-value meals I’ve had, the best espresso martini I’ve ordered, 2 a.m. souvlaki, Greek peynirli, and several cocktails I would gladly drink again. Here is what was worth ordering.

Late-Night Souvlaki at 24oro

At 2 a.m., I ordered a chicken souvlaki wrap and a lamb pita wrap from 24oro.

I housed both.

That is about as detailed as a late-night food review needs to be. The wraps were substantial, easy to eat, and exactly what I wanted before heading back to the hotel.

Dude Dining verdict: A dependable late-night stop when you need real food after being out in Athens.

Kebabs and Souvlaki at O Thanasis

O Thanasis delivered one of the best meals of the trip.

The table filled up with kebabs, souvlaki, Greek salad, fries, and tzatziki. The service was excellent, the amount of food was ridiculous, and the price was much lower than I expected.

Busy restaurants in major tourist areas can easily get expensive without giving you much in return. That was not my experience here. O Thanasis gave us more food than we needed and never made the meal feel rushed.

You can see the restaurant’s current offerings on the O Thanasis menu.

This would be my first food recommendation for someone visiting Athens.

Dude Dining verdict: Great service, a huge amount of food, and one of the best values of the trip.

Espresso Martini at Couleur Locale

Couleur Locale was hidden down an alley near Norman Coffee and required climbing what felt like three staircases to reach it.

The reward was the best espresso martini I have ever had.

I do not have another espresso martini ready to argue the point. The drink made finding the entrance and climbing the stairs worth it.

Check the current food and drink options on the Couleur Locale menu.

Dude Dining verdict: Find the alley, climb the stairs, and order the espresso martini.

Cocktails at The Clumsies

At The Clumsies, I ordered a Greek Salad Cocktail and a Blue Aperol Spritz.

A Greek Salad Cocktail sounds like something created during a dare, but I enjoyed it. It was one of the most unusual drinks I had in Athens and much more interesting than ordering another basic cocktail I could get anywhere.

The Blue Aperol Spritz gave us another reason to stay for a second round.

Dude Dining verdict: Order the Greek Salad Cocktail when you want something you are unlikely to find at another bar.

Greek Peynirli at Smak

Smak introduced me to Greek peynirli, a sauceless twist on pizza built around the dough.

It had the browned dough and cheese I wanted from pizza, but the boat shape and lack of sauce made it completely different from a regular slice.

Yes, the name makes the joke unavoidable: it smacked.

Current-status note: Smak has been reported closed. Check Smak’s Instagram page before adding it to a future Athens itinerary.

Dude Dining verdict: One of the most interesting foods I ate in Athens and an easy order for anyone who likes pizza.

Rum Cocktails at Baba Au Rum

Baba Au Rum was another stop on the Athens cocktail run.

Baba Au Rum had a long rum-focused menu, so I ordered the cocktail named after the bar.

The menu had plenty to look through without requiring me to pretend I knew everything about rum. I picked the house drink and trusted the bar to handle the rest.

Dude Dining verdict: A good stop for rum drinkers and anyone tired of seeing the same five cocktails on every menu.

Baklava at Pantheon Cafe

I somehow made it through nearly the entire trip without eating baklava.

Pantheon Cafe finally fixed that.

I cannot rank it against every piece of baklava in Athens because this was the first one I ate on the trip. I can say that leaving Greece without ordering any would have been embarrassing.

Dude Dining verdict: A long-overdue piece of baklava and a proper way to finish the list.

The Athens Food and Drink Rundown

Best overall meal: O Thanasis

Best value: O Thanasis

Best late-night food: 24oro

Best cocktail: Espresso martini at Couleur Locale

Most unusual cocktail: Greek Salad Cocktail at The Clumsies

Most interesting food: Greek peynirli at Smak

Best stop for rum: Baba Au Rum

Most overdue order: Baklava at Pantheon Cafe

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Where I Would Go Again in Athens

O Thanasis would be my first return stop. The service, amount of food, and value made it the strongest complete meal of the trip.

I would also go back to Couleur Locale for another espresso martini. If I found myself hungry at 2 a.m., 24oro already proved it could handle the job.

The Clumsies and Baba Au Rum would both stay on the cocktail list. Smak would have made the food list too, but its reported closure means I would need to find another peynirli stop.

Next time I’m in Athens, I’m starting with another overloaded table at O Thanasis and ending with an espresso martini at Couleur Locale.