traveldk.com

Regularly the critics’ choice for Athens’ best restaurant, Spondi offers faultless cooking. Try sea bass with rose petal and vanilla sauce, and don’t skip their wildly adventurous desserts, such as lotus filled with mandarin sorbet on a bed of banana-pineapple purée, with candied olives, vanilla-scented olive oil, and sauce of basil, saffron and curry – magnificent.

Michelin-starred Vardis sets the standard for formal dining in Athens, with a classic French menu and impeccable service. Dishes like veal with caramelized endive and orange are showy but perfect. Dine in the poolside garden in summer.

Relocated from Piraeus to Gazi in 2005, To Varoulko is widely acknowledged for serving the best seafood in Athens. Chef Lefteris Lazarou has been awarded a Michelin star. (see To Varoulko)

Former chef at Vardis, Franco-Cretan Jean de Grylleau has brought his talents to a new address. Dishes like soy-citrus marinated sea bream with cold tagliatelle are refined but bursting with flavour, and an excellent wine list boasts the best from Greece and France.

Old factory turned sleek showcase for innovative food. Greek ingredients are twisted with international techniques in dishes like sardine tempura with fig vinaigrette and preserved lemons.

With its polished concrete walls and floor, water garden and coloured lighting, 48 has become one of the trendiest restaurants in town.

A taste of the earthy food of northern Epirus, where owner Vasilis Paparounas has his own farm. The rich, tender wild boar and venison are fabulous, as is the seasonal dish of river crayfish with wild mushrooms. (see Symposio)

No menu at this tiny gem, just raw ingredients to choose and have cooked to order. Edodi is noted for delicate flavours and unexpected sauces, creating delights like fig-stuffed pheasant and lobster with parmesan sauce. (see Edodi)

Set in Athinais (see Athinais), Red is all opulent sofas, velvet drapes and stone walls. Within this seductive world, Yiannis Tselepis turns out the most exotic versions of Mediterranean cuisine in town, hitting a peak in dishes like tournedos-rossini of wild boar and foie gras.

The view of the Acropolis by moonlight is reason enough to come here, but exquisite food and flawless service elevate the experience to sublime. Dishes like lobster with mango and champagne, sea bream stuffed with lime, and fried strawberries with chocolate live up to the heady ambience. (see Pil Poule)