Avocado - food for life, a vegan restaurant opened recently on Nikis street at a very convenient location near Syntagma and Plaka. The people behind the well-known NYSY Studios for yoga and pilates, situated just across the road, are the creators of these tasty veggie snacks and meals, and cool, delicious healthy drinks for total wellness , inspired by the slow food movement, Avocado offers exclusively seasonal, traditional products, combined in recipes made with love. Local and exotic fruit and vegetable juices, fresh salads, soups and specialties inspired from the Mediterranean, India and the East, like the Ginger Passion juice, with carrots, apple, ginger and beetroot, the sweet Mango Nectar, the vibrant vegan pizza. Gluten free choices on the menu include Vegetarian Saffron Spanish Paella with traditional rice, oven roasted squash, seasonal vegg, nori Seaweed, mushrooms and saffron broth, Organic red and white Quinoa, served with Ragou sauce and homemade organic sausage, A triple mushroom risotto with porcini, shiitake and Portobello mushrooms, pesto served with Avocado's special basil and pine nut pesto cream, Putanesca pasta with Kalamata olives, Mani Seaweed, Capers, oven roasted garlic, oven roasted tomato sauce, Maha Porcini Pasta, served with oyster and Portobello mushrooms, rosemary and parmesan sauce. All Pasta dishes be served with a gluten Free pasta and all pizzas can be served with a gluten free dough from Flax seeds. Avocado is especially popular with families who can sit comfortably in the upstairs zen room with floor cushions. The menu includes several favorites with kids, such as smoothies, pasta and pizza
Recommended for Plaka's Best Restaurants because: For healthy tastes, and vegetarian cuisine, nothing beats Avocado
Nelly's expert tip: Tasty veggie snacks and meals with specialties inspired from the Mediterranean, India and the East
Makalo initially owed its name to a specialty of Northern Greece, a sauce similar to bechamel with garlic, parsley and sweet paprika, which usually accompanies meatballs, fish, eggs and cheese. However the word also means surprise or miracle in some African dialects. The menu is based on value for money dishes prepared with seasonal products and respect for each ingredient. Simple, contemporary dishes with affordable and good quality selections of beer, wine and cocktails based on the principle of food matching and homemade drinks. Some delicious dishes are lahmanjoun with veal mince, in pitta bread with yoghurt and tomato, pesto of grilled pepper with tagliatelle, feta cheese and almonds, salmon fillet with courgettes sauteed in wine, lemon and fennel. Vegetarians will also find many tasty dishes to their liking. Easy to access, very close to Syntagma square and Plaka, Makalo is open all day for coffee, lunch and dinner. Customers will find several gluten free dishes such as salmon fillet with sauteed zucchini, veal with beetroot, a variety of salads and dishes which can be prepared on the spot following your preferences.
Recommended for Plaka's Best Restaurants because: Inspired dishes by a young talented chef in an attractive locale
Nelly's expert tip: Excellent quality food, friendly service, ideal for lunch or dinner
To Kafeneio in Plaka is a traditional mezedopoleio, meaning a restaurant which serves mainly mezedes, small snacks dishes in various tastes. Situated in a three hundred year old house, very close to the Acropolis, it is one of the first of its type to open in Athens. The dishes are from various regions of Greece and the menu is renewed often, so as always to include seasonal products. To Kafeneio is also famous for its wines from the barrel, and the cellar has many varieties from well known wineries, which age on location under the supervision of the producers themselves. The restaurant is open all year, and can sit sixty people inside, and the same number outside at the tables placed on the pedestrian street. In the winter months, the fireplace offers warmth and atmosphere. Free wi fi is also available.
Recommended for Plaka's Best Restaurants because: Warm atmosphere and traditional dishes in a friendly environment
Nelly's expert tip: Traditional Greek snack dishes in a picturesque old house or on the pedestrian street in summer
Diogenes, named after the famous ancient Greek philosopher, is centrally located on a picturesque street in Plaka, very close to the Lysikratis monument, in a tastefully decorated space. During the summer months meals are served in the cool garden and all year round the cafe is a meeting place for locals and visitors. The menu includes both meat and fish, cooked according to traditional Greek recipes, as well a great variety of starters. Diogenes has a been a favorite restaurant for many generations of Athenians who appreciate the high quality and is very popular for large parties and important occasions.
Recommended for Plaka's Best Restaurants because: If you are looking for pure Athenian style, this is the place to find it
Nelly's expert tip: Diogenes is a historical Athenian restaurant with traditional flavors
Mono in Plaka, very close to the Athens Cathedral, is a gastronomic reference point in town, with chef and owner Vasilis Vasileiou and his team creating original and delicious dishes. The space has a warm and welcoming atmosphere, with a stained glass lit ceiling and a cozy internal courtyard built in stone, ideal for the colder season. The summer 2015 menu includes delicious dishes such as marinated anchovies in raspberry vinegar and luisa, pickled strawberries and star shaped moss seaweed; salad with kale, lolo rosso, grilled chicken, blueberries, sweet and sour onions, walnuts and white balsamic vinaigrette with Mavrodafni and tonka bean; seared sea bream fillet, traditional crusted wheat from Crete with okra and tomato and mastiha lime sauce and for dessert fluffy meringue, cream anglaise with peach, Muscat of Patra's Rio syrup and pine kernels. Choose amongst 110 labels from the renewed wine list, mainly from local producers, also served by the glass. Gluten free choices on the menu include salmon tartare, veal liver, salad with watermelon, avocado and tuna, salad with lettuce, onion and fish, tuna, salmon and veal for main dishes.
Recommended for Plaka's Best Restaurants because: The flavors are inspiring and the overall style is attractive
Nelly's expert tip: Original Mediterranean tastes with special attention to natural flavors
Platanos is one of the oldest restaurants in Athens, with a long and interesting history. Since 1932, many generations of Athenians, writers, artists, poets, have enjoyed their meal and a glass of retsina sitting in the shade of the old plane tree in this quiet pedestrian street, where nostalgia is tangible. Returning visitors to Athens always make a point of visiting Platanos which has been highly praised for its unique atmosphere and authentic Greek cuisine. The retsina wine is made on the premises and accompanies specialties like stuffed tomatoes, a variety of appetizers, spicy meatballs, grilled meat, and many more tasty Greek dishes prepared in the traditional way.
Recommended for Plaka's Best Restaurants because: The interesting history and the traditional cuisine are focal points
Nelly's expert tip: A historical restaurant with authentic atmosphere
Eat at Miltons in Plaka, on the corner of Adrianou and Nikodimou street, is a great favorite with visitors and passers by who cant help noticing this attractive locale, known for the Greek-Mediterranean cuisine with the inspiration of awarded French chef Alain Parodi. After five years of successful collaboration, this season the Michelin awarded chef is present daily and prepares all the delicious dishes which are served in the restaurant. He also follows closely every detail, educates his team and offers a unique gastronomic experience to customers. Every day gourmet dishes are prepared, with ingredients from Greece, France and Spain, combined with organic products, at reasonable prices. Eat at Miltons, with a warm, pleasant atmosphere also has tables outside on the sidewalk and the pedestrian street and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Coffee, desserts and savory snacks are served all day. The fresh salads, the delicious fish and sea food and the meat dishes are ideal choices if you are following a gluten free diet. The newly designed wine bar is popular with wine lovers, with a large variety of wines, accompanied by small portions of degustation dishes from the basic menu, at even more affordable prices and the bar is open on week days until 01.00 and on weekends until 01.30.
Recommended for Plaka's Best Restaurants because: Excellent cuisine in an attractive locale with attention to every detail
Nelly's expert tip: Gourmet experience by awarded French chef Alain Parodi
2Mazi in Plaka is the creation of young, talented chefs Giannis Baxevanis and Ilias Gogos, who specialize in re-inventing traditional tastes. Inspired by rediscovered ingredients, experimenting with a playful approach, they offer an experience of interpreting well known plates in a different way. This friendly locale, decorated with minimal elegance also has a wine bar where guests can taste various qualities accompanied with lights snacks. The daily menu is always adapted to seasonal produce with great attention to freshness and quality and includes special plates for dieters and health food fans, with organic produce. The menu is renewed monthly to include specialties from all over Greece. The wine list is based exclusively on the best varieties of Greek wine. For those who prefer gluten free dishes, several plates can be adapted and also the gratinated vegetables with cheese and aromatic salad, the tuna tartare, the salad with legumes, the veal fillet and the baked fish with aromatic herbs are tasty gluten free choices.
Recommended for Plaka's Best Restaurants because: The cuisine is very interesting and is the product of expert research
Nelly's expert tip: New Greek cuisine in modern surroundings
Daphne's restaurant is internationally renowned and a favorite spot for visiting celebrities, who appreciate the excellent traditional cuisine and the elegant surroundings. Visiting VIP¢s always include this restaurant in their itinerary and many international celebrities, amongst whom Bill Clinton and members of royal families have enjoyed the impressive experience offered by this all time classic. Greek gourmet cuisine with a strong Mediterranean influence is the characteristic tendency. Appetizers include squid, shrimps and octopus, just to mention a few, and some of the most popular dishes are veal with tagliatelle, rabbit in sweet wine, lamb fricasee and of course the famous moussakas. Sea food mixed grill is another favorite and for dessert definitely small bites of galaktoboureko served with kaimaki icecream. The cellar is based exclusively on Greek wines from all over the country.
Recommended for Plaka's Best Restaurants because: The quality of the gourmet cuisine is excellent and the ambience ideal
Nelly's expert tip: Favorite celebrities dining place in picturesque Plaka
Electra Palace Roof Garden restaurant is the top choice in Plaka, the oldest and most picturesque neighborhood of Athens, easy to reach and utterly enjoyable, both for the breathtaking view and for the exclusive cuisine, prepared by chef Petros Kalevrosoglou Local organic products provided from small farms includes the renowned lentils from Lefkada, vegetables from Messinia, olive oil, olives, smoked pork from the Peloponnese and wild mushrooms from Epirus. The excellent flavors, the view and the service are the reason this remarkable restaurant has been awarded for four consecutive years with Toques d? or & Greek cuisine awards. Definitely an aesthetic unforgettable experience
Recommended for Plaka's Best Restaurants because: The cuisine is innovative and the overall quality exceptional
Nelly's expert tip: Wonderful view, exquisite menu, excellent choice for business or leisure dining