Merceri Restaurant

Athens: The Best Seafood Restaurants for Feasting on Fish

"In the quiet streets of Thissio near the Acropolis, this warm, intimate restaurant pairs a beautiful terrace with a small open kitchen where longtime friends Melina Chomata and Maria Ntioudi swap roles and work with meticulous focus. Seafood is central to their lives and cooking, so most fish and shellfish are Greek, with occasional rarities sourced abroad when quality warrants it, and recipes stay simple and straightforward to highlight the ingredients. House ceviches and sashimi show rare dexterity for scorching Athenian summers; served raw, Mediterranean red tuna is brightened with lemon, ginger and chilli. Mediterranean purists can turn to pasta with prawns topped with grilled pancetta and bergamot, or try the parsnip and lobster soup with summer truffles. The menu changes once a season and is refreshed each morning with original ideas based on the catch of the day, complemented by a wine list that favors Greek whites with a few foreign rosés." - The MICHELIN Guide