Restaurant Central Greece - The 10 best restaurants Central Greece in 2024

Practical information : Eating out Central Greece

Timetable

Lunch is around 2pm, and dinner is rarely before 9 or 10pm. But it is not uncommon for an establishment to also serve coffee and snacks from 9am. In the summer, restaurant owners and taverns and ouzeries in the most touristy areas know that they must ensure the season, so they are open every day from morning to evening, in continuous service. Service hours last on average 15 hours, sometimes more, and they often close with the last customer...
In Athens, some of the more upscale restaurants are only open for dinner in the evening, or have the luxury of closing one or two days a week.
Unlike the islands, most of the restaurants in mainland Greece (except for some coastal areas) remain open all year round to satisfy their local clientele.

Budget & Tips

While restaurants(estiatório) are slightly more expensive than taverns or ouzeries, eating out is still very affordable in mainland Greece. Unless you go to a trendy or very chic restaurant in Athens, you will have to pay around 15 euros per person for a full meal with a carafe of local wine or raki/zo. There is one exception: fresh fish, sold by the kilo, is always expensive. To avoid unpleasant surprises at the time of the bill, go and choose your fish in the kitchen and ask for the price before ordering it, because the bill goes up quickly. In the taverns, the dessert (slices of watermelon, plate of halva, cake...) is often offered. In spite of the crisis, Greeks still do not depart from this pleasant tradition. But this is not a must: in the most touristic places, like Olympia, you can always wait!

What costs extra

Some taverns and restaurants charge an additional fee of about 1€ for bread and cutlery, which is not always offered. Water in a carafe is free, but in some of the more upscale restaurants, you will often be served a bottle of mineral water as standard. This is not a big charge, but it is better to know this before you dispute the bill! Finally, when paying, always bring cash, as credit cards are not accepted everywhere. And leave a tip of about 10%.

The local way

The service can be very long: there's no need to get upset, but plan ahead and don't wait until you're starving to sit down, especially with children. Also note: dishes arrive as they are prepared, so don't expect to eat an appetizer first and then a main course. The dishes that arrive are shared, and guests often pick from the same dish. Another sign of hospitality: a small dessert or a glass of liquor is often offered at the end of the meal. But in Greece, you will never be pressured to leave the table or recommend that you do so once your meal is over. Unless you ask for the bill, you will be left to enjoy your meal without necessarily clearing the table. And if there are a lot of leftovers on the table and you are renting, don't hesitate to ask for a "paqueto" (a "doggy bag") to extend the experience at home..

To be avoided

Greek cuisine is generous and should be shared. In taverns, avoid ordering one dish per person, as in the French. And if you go to a restaurant with Greeks, pay the bill or have the meal offered to you, but avoid counting what each person has eaten to pay only your share. This is not a common practice, if not downright rude. Also, if you are celebrating your birthday at a restaurant during your stay, it is your responsibility to invite, not the other way around.

Kids

Children are kings in Greece. The advantage is that they are welcome everywhere and well received. Here we do not separate generations, we do not try to silence noisy children or force them to sit still. Children are invited to the adults' table and lead their train (often with a mobile phone), without trying to contain themselves and without the adults containing them. This makes for a cheerful - sometimes noisy! - hubbub. And in the evenings, when dinner drags on, they can play in the streets until well after midnight, while the parents quietly finish their ouzo

Smokers

The law against smoking in public spaces has been in place since 2008, but has never been enforced. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the new conservative Prime Minister elected in July 2019, has promised that the law will now be enforced. Since his election, fines have been put in place to charge both establishments and customers who would not respect the law. It remains to be seen whether this will finally materialize in practice..

Tourist traps

Let's just say that, like everywhere else, it's rarely in establishments with a reeler at the entrance that we eat best..

The best restaurants Central Greece

ATHINAIKON

SAVVAS

MEZEN

O KAVOS

DOLTSO

LADOKOLA

KRIKONIS SUITES HOTEL

PINOURI

OUSIES

EL RESTO BAR

DEMIRIS

GEFSOKRATORAS

GARBI

TA KARAMANLIDIKA TOU FANI

SEYCHELLES

TAZZA BISTRO

AMA LACHEI AT NEFELI'S

TO PARADOSSIAKO

KARIMA KASTRO

GOD’S RESTAURANT

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