The best seafood in Athens is found in the fish tavernas of Piraeus and the coastal suburbs, from Michelin-starred dining rooms to bare-bones fried-fish shops. Plan a fish feast alongside skip-the-line sightseeing tickets and tours from My Greece Tours.
Fresh fish is a highlight of the Athens travel guide. The sections below cover where to find the best seafood, the top restaurants in Piraeus, the classic dishes, how the Greeks eat fish, and tips for ordering and pricing.
Where do you find the best seafood in Athens?
The best seafood in Athens is concentrated in the port of Piraeus, home to the city’s fish market and auction, and along the coastal suburbs of the Athens Riviera. The harbours of Mikrolimano and Piraiki are lined with fish tavernas, from refined restaurants to casual fry shops. Because the catch lands here daily, Piraeus offers the freshest fish in the area, and Athenians travel there specially to eat. The central city has good seafood too, but the coast is where the locals go.
If you want the finest seafood in Athens, you head for the sea, and above all for Piraeus, the great port just southwest of the city. Piraeus holds the city’s central fish auction and a busy fish market, so the catch lands here daily, and it is no surprise that several of Greece’s most renowned seafood restaurants sit quietly around its harbours.
The picturesque yacht harbour of Mikrolimano and the rocky seafront of Piraiki are both lined with fish tavernas, ranging from white-tablecloth restaurants to humble, bustling fry shops, all trading on the freshness of the day’s catch. Athenians think nothing of crossing the city for a fish lunch by the water in Piraeus. The coastal Riviera suburbs further south, such as Glyfada and Vouliagmeni, also have excellent seafood with a sea view, while the central districts offer good options too, but for the real thing the locals point you toward the port.
What are the top seafood restaurants in Piraeus?
The top seafood restaurants in Piraeus range from fine dining to local institutions. Varoulko Seaside, in Mikrolimano harbour, is the Michelin-starred flagship of chef Lefteris Lazarou, who won Greece’s first Michelin star for seafood. Dourabeis is an unstuffy classic where locals impress out-of-towners, and Kollias, steps from the fish market, serves the freshest simple fish. For a casual bite, Margaro is a no-frills fried-fish joint that has drawn locals for decades. Together they cover every level, from a treat to an everyday feast.
Piraeus holds a remarkable concentration of celebrated fish restaurants. At the top sits Varoulko Seaside, the flagship of chef Lefteris Lazarou, who won Greece’s very first Michelin star for his seafood cooking; right on the water in Mikrolimano harbour, his kitchen does inventive, refined things with octopus, sea urchin and even humble sardines, best experienced through the tasting menu.
For a more traditional but equally serious meal, Dourabeis has been a Piraeus star for over eighty years, a smart yet unstuffy fish restaurant where discerning locals take visitors to impress them with a refined lunch or dinner. Kollias, just steps from the fish market, trades on sheer freshness, the catch travelling from market to kitchen in minutes for simple preparations like grilled whole fish, steamed mussels and octopus in vinegar. And for the unpretentious end, Margaro near the harbour is a bare-bones fried-fish shop that has packed in locals for decades, proof that great seafood need not be fancy. Other gems like Yperokeanio on the Piraiki seafront reward those who venture off the beaten track.
What seafood dishes should you try?
Classic Greek seafood dishes to try in Athens include grilled whole fish such as sea bream and sea bass dressed simply with olive oil and lemon, grilled or marinated octopus, fried calamari and small fish like red mullet and anchovies, and seafood mezze. Look out for taramosalata (fish-roe dip), mussels, sea urchin, shrimp saganaki and fish soup (kakavia). The Greek approach is simple cooking that lets the freshness shine, usually shared as a spread of plates with ouzo or white wine.
Greek seafood cooking is built on freshness and simplicity rather than elaborate sauces, so the dishes let the quality of the catch speak. The centrepiece of a fish meal is usually a whole grilled fish, sea bream or sea bass being favourites, scaled, grilled over charcoal and dressed with nothing more than good olive oil, lemon and a little oregano.
Around it you order a spread of seafood mezze to share: tender grilled or marinated octopus, crisp fried calamari, small fish such as red mullet and whitebait fried whole, and plump shrimp. Look out too for taramosalata, the creamy dip of fish roe, for mussels steamed or fried, for sea urchin scooped fresh from the shell, for shrimp saganaki baked with tomato and feta, and for the fisherman’s soup kakavia. The Greek way is to cover the table with little plates, eaten slowly with a bottle of crisp white wine or a glass of cloudy ouzo, turning a seafood meal into a long, sociable occasion.
How do the Greeks eat seafood?
Greeks eat seafood slowly and sociably, ordering many small plates to share rather than individual mains, usually at lunch on a weekend or a long summer evening. Fish is treated as a treat and often paired with ouzo or tsipouro, the cloudy anise spirits, sipped with the meze. The setting is part of it: a taverna by the water, plates passed around the table, conversation stretching for hours. Eating fish in Athens is as much about the ritual and company as the food itself.
To eat seafood like an Athenian is to understand that the meal is an event, not a quick refuel. Greeks rarely order a single seafood main each; instead the table shares a generous array of mezze and a grilled fish or two between everyone, so the eating unfolds gradually as plate after plate arrives.
Fish has long been treated as something of a treat, more expensive than everyday food, so a seafood meal usually marks a leisurely weekend lunch or a warm summer evening by the sea. The drink of choice is often ouzo or tsipouro, the anise-scented spirits that turn cloudy with water and pair beautifully with salty seafood, sipped slowly rather than gulped. Above all, the setting matters: a taverna with its tables almost on the water, the catch displayed on ice, the plates passed from hand to hand, and the talk flowing for hours. In Athens, eating fish is as much about the ritual, the view and the company as it is about the food on the plate.
Seafood in Athens also follows the seasons and the day’s conditions, which is worth bearing in mind. Rough weather can keep the boats in port, so the freshest choice varies, and certain fish and shellfish are at their best in particular months, something a good taverna will happily explain. Asking the waiter what came in that morning is the surest route to the finest plate.
The experience is as much about place as food. The classic setting is lunch by the water on a weekend, when Athenians settle in for hours over a spread of small plates and a chilled bottle of white or a carafe of ouzo, watching the boats come and go. Choosing a taverna right on the harbour at Mikrolimano or along the Piraiki seafront, and going at a relaxed pace rather than rushing, turns a simple fish meal into one of the most enjoyable and memorable experiences of a visit to Athens.
What tips help when ordering seafood in Athens?
When ordering seafood in Athens, note that fresh fish is usually sold by weight (per kilo), so ask the price and have your fish weighed before cooking to avoid surprises. Choose busy tavernas where the turnover keeps the catch fresh, and ask what is fresh and local that day, as some fish is frozen. Frozen seafood must be marked on the menu by law. Whole grilled fish is pricier than mezze; a shared spread of small plates is the affordable, authentic way to eat well.
A few pointers help you order seafood wisely and avoid the one classic pitfall, the bill. Fresh fish in Greece is almost always priced by weight, per kilo, rather than per portion, so before you commit, ask the price per kilo, choose your fish, and have it weighed in front of you so you know roughly what the plate will cost; this is normal practice and prevents an unwelcome surprise.
Freshness is everything, so favour busy tavernas with a high turnover, where the fish does not sit around, and simply ask the waiter what is fresh and local that day, as not everything on the menu will be. Greek law requires frozen seafood to be marked on the menu, usually with an asterisk, so check if it matters to you. Remember that a whole grilled fish is the priciest item, while the mezze, the octopus, calamari, dips and small fish, are far cheaper, so the smart and authentic approach is to build a shared spread of small plates around perhaps one grilled fish for the table. That way you eat superbly without overspending. The questions below cover what visitors ask most.
However you eat it, fresh Greek seafood enjoyed slowly by the water, with good company and a chilled drink, is one of the simple, lasting pleasures of a visit to Athens and the port of Piraeus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which area has the best seafood in Athens?
The best seafood in Athens is in the port of Piraeus, home to the city’s fish market, where harbours like Mikrolimano and the Piraiki seafront are lined with excellent fish tavernas. Top choices include the Michelin-starred Varoulko Seaside, the long-established Dourabeis, and Kollias near the fish market for the freshest simple fish. The coastal Riviera suburbs south of the city also offer fine seafood with a sea view.
Why is seafood expensive in Athens?
Fresh fish in Athens is priced by weight, per kilo, and good-quality wild fish is genuinely scarce and costly, which is why a whole grilled fish can be pricey. To eat well for less, order a shared spread of seafood mezze such as octopus, calamari and dips around one grilled fish for the table. Always ask the price per kilo and have your fish weighed before cooking to avoid surprises on the bill.
What is the most famous fish dish in Greece?
The most iconic Greek seafood dish is whole grilled fish, such as sea bream or sea bass, cooked simply over charcoal and dressed with olive oil, lemon and oregano. Grilled octopus is another beloved classic, often served as a meze with ouzo. Fried calamari, small fried fish, taramosalata fish-roe dip and shrimp saganaki are also staples of the Greek seafood table, eaten shared and slowly by the sea.