Eating. It’s one of the best parts of travel as far as I’m concerned. There are always new tastes and surprises, and often a completely new food that becomes a repeated treat during my stay, and a special memory.
As you know from my map of things to do in Plaka, Athens, eating in Plaka is a must-do. So, drawing on our experience, here is where I would choose to return to if we are lucky enough to find ourselves back one day:
Plaka Steps and Anafiotika Cafe
These restaurants are on the edge of the picturesque Anafiotika (See my Anafiotika in Photos), on the slopes of the Acropolis. Because of the location, on the slope, this pedestrian street is made into steps up the hillside. Cafes line both sides of the street, with seating arranged creatively (and at times compactly) right up the steps.
This all combines for a very unique dining experience. The steps are lively with people passing through, eating, and just lounging and chatting over a beverage, seemingly from early lunch and on through the evening.
We settled ourselves in at Anafiotika cafe, and enjoyed shaded rest from our touring, drinks, and a quite excellent Greek Salad and Pizza. (Pizza may not sound very Greek, but it was definitely tasty!)
Go to the Anafiotika Cafe Website Here
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Restaurant Row – Dia Tafta
I always like to find the nooks and crannies where there are several restaurants in one area. That way, I can browse the menus of the places that look good, and let my mood and selection make the final decision on what I eat at the moment.
On Adrianou, just outside the Athens Agora, is a line up of sidewalk cafes and restaurants giving you plenty of options for a good meal and an excellent location to rest if you have been wanding the Agora in the hot sun.
We chose Dia Tafta for our lunch, and had a lovely, quiet meal with lots of people watching to keep us entertained.
Go to the Dia Tafta Restaurant Website Here
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Cafe Latifis – View of Acropolis
Cafe Latifis was an accidental find on my part. It was my last afternoon in Athens, and I had been wandering Plaka. A little shopping, into an art gallery, taking pictures. Right about the time I just really wanted to sit down to rest my feet and have something to drink, I came upon this friendly little stop.
I sat in a sidewalk seat and had myself an iced coffee, that was sort of a frothed iced mocha. The cafe was a great place to watch the world go by, and the iced coffee was a creamy treat. But then, seeing my camera, the nice guy waiting on me told me I had to come with him upstairs and see the view.
The upstairs terrace has a great view of the Acropolis. Someone was already sitting in the prime seats for the view, so my server and I just made friends and started chatting. Then we were taking pictures, and generally having a fun & goofy time with the people there. It was a treat I hadn’t expected when I stopped to rest my feet!
Go to Cafe Latifis Facebook Page Here
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Quick Frozen Yogurt Stop
We really lucked out because Fresko Yogurt Bar was right around the corner from our hotel, on our way into Plaka each day. The selection of different frozen yogurts is wide, and then there are a number of toppings and additions you can choose to put together into your own unique frozen yogurt or smoothie treat.
It gets hot and dry and dusty in Athens, so this little stop to cool down is especially inviting. I, personally, recommend the Mandarin-Lemon smoothie. Very refreshing!
Go to Fresko Yogurt Bar Website Here
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Athens Gate Hotel
We were fortunate enough to be staying at the Athens Gate Hotel, which made dining at the rooftop hotel very convenient. But even if we hadn’t been staying in the hotel, I would recommend the rooftop restaurant for both the view and the food. However, this is not a budget-travel option, but more on the pricier end. It was worth the splurge though, so consider it.
The exterior walls of the restaurant are all glass, and a terrace surrounds them So it’s really hard to get a seat, whether inside or out, where you can’t see the view. Plus, the location of the hotel provides a view of the Acropolis on one side, the Temple of Olympus Zeus on the other, Mt. Lycabettus in the distance to one direction, and Athens all the way to the sea to the opposite direction. The view alone is worth dinner here.
Athens Gate Hotel Restaurant, however, doesn’t disappoint in the food department either. In fact, it’s a wonderful meal, and we had to go back a second time and do it again while we were there. I talked at length about the food and the magical tomato chutney in this post reviewing the hotel, and I’m not a tomato chutney person!
Go to Wandertoes Full Review of Athens Gate Hotel Here
Go to Athens Gate Hotel Restaurant Website Here
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For a handy traveler’s map of our favorite stops in Plaka, see our post: Map of Top Things to Do
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Happy Eating!
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Cafe Latifis with the view of Acropolis is amazing! What a stunning place to eat!
Great photos! I can almost taste/feel Plaka! and since I’m a hardcore pizza lover, eyeing Anafiotika cafe if I ever get to visit. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
When we mention to one guy that we had that our next stop was Italy, he insisted we had to try Pizza in Greece before we headed to Italy. He was quite adamant that Greek Pizza is better than Italian pizza and Italy just has better PR. Hahahahaha!
Everything looks so delicious! I’d love to have a meal at the Athens Gate Hotel; what a view!! And now I’m hungry 😉
Haha! The Athens gate view is amazing. We really lucked out and were upgraded to the suite when we were there, and it had those same views from its large Terrace. I highly recommend the hotel, and the restaurant if you are ever there.
The mocha and yogurt sound so refreshing! I’m a sucker for feta, too, so you had me at Greek salad…
Eating IS the best part of travel. Lol. Your post has me dreaming of Greek food now. Mmmm.
Yeah, I made myself hungry and wistful at the same time with this one! 😆
Nice discoveries! I love the Greek salad…
I miss Greece. That rooftop restaurant is a great find and the kabob at Dia Tafta has me drooling.
So many great places to eat!!! That pizza looks amazing!
This is so incredibly helpful since I will be in Athens next month! Definitely taking note of all of these delicious places! ❤
I’m so glad it helps you out! You will have a wonderful time in Athens, it is so rich with history and culture. Happy travels!
I am not much of a foodie but your pictures are making me want to go food tripping to Athens
Nice article! I agree, I think eating is one of the best parts of traveling! Love Greek food!
Drool.
That is all.
Shaun
http://www.thislifeintrips.com
Exactly. 😊
yes, food is pretty much important because it is always about new food we get to know and when hunger is satisfied, it always amazing going a mile extra. nice article, all the dishes look delicious.
Anytime you can have food or drink with a view is a plus for me. I tend to forget I even have the food in front of me and stare endlessly at whatever is around me. The Athens Gate Hotel restaurant would be perfect!
It really was lovely! And, the top two floors of the hotel have the same views – so very wonderful to sit out on the balcony with a glass of wine in the evening. <3
The open seating of Plaka Steps and Anafiotika Cafe looks so wonderful. I am sure it would be looking even more romantic by the evening. I will love to dine here sometime
We went to Plaka Steps for lunch on our last full day in Athens, and it was really beautiful and relaxing to sit there and enjoy our meal, watching the view and the people meandering around. One of my favorite memories from Athens.
I simply love this article. Being the foodie I am, I simply want to gorge on the delicacies.
Oh, I think you and I would get along just fine! 😀
Wish I had seen this article before I visited Athens! Nevertheless, I absolutely loved Plaka, specifically Anafiotika.
I should have worked faster for you! Haha! 😀 And Anafiotika was a favorite wander-place for me, too. A little taste of the islands. I have a post just dedicated to the photos I took there. https://wandertoes.com/2017/05/15/anafiotika-in-photos/
That pizza at Anafiotika Cafe looks incredibly delicious! And the ambience at Restaurant Row is sooooo cozy and beautiful! Augh! Now, I’m hungry!
😀 Yeah, this is definitely a lunch time post! The pizza was really, really good. Much thicker and cheesier than Italian pizza. Though, I’m not at all dissing Italian pizza… I’m an equal opportunity pizza-lover. <3
The froyo place looks adorable! Looks like you had a great time!
All of these restaurants look amazing! Are those huge chunks of feta cheese on the salad?? It looks delicious! 🙂
Yes, those huge chunks are feta! I was so happy with all of the Greek salads there in plaka. I mean, of course I expect Greek salads there, but every restaurant does it differently, so it was a tasty compare and contrast each time.
I was recently in Cyprus for a week, and the food looks very similar – mmmmm I love the feta cheese!! and the Greek salads are delicious. I’ve not been to Athens, but I definitely want to go at some point x
I really want to see the islands! Athens was our first stop in a trip that went to Athens, Venice, then Florence. I tried to get my husband to add in some islands, and he started to look at me like I had grown of third eye in the middle of my forehead. He likes to remind me that it is his job that helps pay for a lot of this, and he should probably keep that. 😆
I swear, one day I’m going to live in Athens just so I can wander the Plaka every day and eat amazing food. On my first trip to Greece I found the most darling little taverna- Estia was the name- in the Plaka, and the food was so good I found myself coming back every day. My waiter would see me coming up the street and run to get me a jug of wine before I sat down, then smoke a cigarette while I told him everything I’d seen that day. I’ve never felt so at home.
I loved the friendliness of some of the servers. The guy at Cafe Latifis was so much fun, and took a couple of good pictures of me to boot!
Dia Tafta looks amazing! As Plaka is very popular with tourists, it may be sometimes very hard to find a really good spot, but seems like you have found true gems! 🙂
Wow! I’ve actually never considered going to Greece before, but you certainly tempt me with those photos of delicious treats!
Yum! It all looks so delicious! I love Athens! There used to be a Sunday market near Adrianou and we would stop for a coffee and a break at one of the cafes afterwards. Awesome city!
Oh man this looks soooo good, especially that lavender ice cream chocolate tart!! Yum!
The unexpected discoveries delight the soul! I may get to that cafe and that view – and maybe a few others on your list – in early 2018. The tentative plan includes Athens. Thanks for the helpful and detailed info!!
These all look great. Def would want to check out the frozen yoghurt (i’m a sucker for the stuff)
I am craving frozen yogurt so hard right now! That place (and the rest of them) look amazing! And those views!! Wow.
Everyone loves Jed the pizza here. Which looks like a common theme. In addition to pizza, I liked the fries too. In addition to the fries, I loved the post specially how every restaurant has Trip Advisor ratings shared. Which is a good way to show what others are saying.
They all look amazing – definitely pinning for when I’m in the area 🙂
Wonderful! We really enjoyed eating our way through Plaka.
[…] to pick your favorite menu & vibe and have yourself some lunch! (See more about this on our 5 Great Places to Eat in Plaka […]
This is so practical, great idea to include the map!
Thank you! I was hoping it would be nice and useful to everyone. 🙂
[…] there are many options in Plaka for meals, these are our top three stops. Check out our 5 Great Places to Eat in Athens for a more in-depth discussion of eating options, including individual maps and links to specific […]
[…] For more places to eat during your stay, check out this article on Top Places to Eat in Plaka […]
Can’t wait to try these places this fall! When we went last year, we ate in most of the same areas except different restaurants. I’m excited to try new recommendations. Do you know if reservations are needed at the Athens Gate?
I don’t believe reservations are necessary at Athens Gate. However, you may have to wait if you show up wanting to eat at a peak time. If it was me, I would make reservations for dinner time. You can do so easily on their website. https://www.athensgate.gr/roof-top-restaurant-bars/ I hope you have a wonderful time. Athens is fascinating!
[…] Megan- Wandertoes […]