Restaurant in Athens, Greece
Michelin-recognised value; book before the crowd does.
Akra holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand awards (2024 and 2025) and sits at a single euro-sign price point, making it one of the best-value Michelin-recognised tables in Athens. Chef Orazio Parisi runs a Greek kitchen in the quiet Mets neighbourhood — the right address when you want independently validated cooking without the bill that usually accompanies it.
If you are choosing between Akra and somewhere like Aleria for a relaxed Greek dinner in Athens without a bill that requires justification, Akra is the stronger pick on value. It holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand awards for 2024 and 2025, which means the inspectors agree: this is cooking that punches above its price tier. At a single euro-sign price point, it is one of the most affordable ways to eat at a Michelin-recognised table in Athens, and that alone makes it worth serious consideration for anyone who has already done the obvious splurge restaurants and wants something sharper for a second or third night in the city.
Akra sits on Aminta 12 in the Mets neighbourhood, just south of the Panathenaic Stadium — a residential pocket of Athens that sees fewer tourists than Monastiraki or Kolonaki. The address is useful context: this is not a restaurant that trades on a famous view or a buzzy central location. What you see when you arrive is a neighbourhood room, and that is precisely the point. The visual register is understated — the kind of space where the food is expected to carry the evening rather than the setting. For a returning visitor who has already ticked off the Acropolis-view rooftop dinners, that shift in atmosphere is a feature rather than a limitation.
Chef Orazio Parisi runs the kitchen, and the cuisine is listed as Greek. Given the Bib Gourmand recognition, the expectation is solid, consistent execution of familiar flavours rather than high-wire experimentation. The Bib Gourmand is specifically awarded for good cooking at a moderate price, so if you arrive expecting a tasting-menu-style progression with elaborate technique, you will be misaligned. This is the right room for direct, well-cooked Greek food at a price that does not require a special occasion to justify.
If you have eaten at Akra once and are returning, the move is to resist ordering what you already know worked. A Bib Gourmand kitchen at this price point typically builds its reputation on a short, rotated menu where a handful of dishes carry the weight , so asking what is new or what the kitchen is currently running is more productive than anchoring to a previous visit. The cuisine classification is broad enough that Parisi likely has room to move between regions and seasons, and visiting in a different season from your first trip will probably surface a meaningfully different menu. Athens in the current season rewards kitchens that are working with whatever the Greek agricultural calendar is delivering right now, and a restaurant at this price point tends to track market availability closely.
For groups returning together, the low price tier makes it easier to order widely across the menu rather than making careful individual selections , which is often the better way to understand what a kitchen is actually doing.
Athens eats late by northern European standards, and the city's dinner culture routinely runs to midnight and beyond. Akra's hours are not confirmed in our data, but in a neighbourhood like Mets, a restaurant with this profile and this level of recognition typically operates on Athens restaurant timing, meaning last sittings well into the evening. If you are planning a late dinner , arriving at 9:30 PM or later , this is a more reliable category of venue to attempt that than a tourist-facing restaurant that closes early. It is worth confirming current hours directly before planning a late arrival, particularly on weekdays when kitchens sometimes close earlier. For late-night eating in Athens more broadly, see our full Athens bars guide and our full Athens restaurants guide for venues confirmed to run late.
If you are building an Athens itinerary that includes other Michelin-level Greek cooking, Akra pairs logically with a visit to Cookoovaya or Merceri for contrast across different price tiers and styles. For something further afield, Etrusco in Kato Korakiana and Koukoumavlos in Fira represent how the same broader Greek culinary tradition plays out in different island and regional contexts. If Greek cuisine is drawing you beyond Athens, Aktaion in Firostefani, Almiriki in Mykonos, and Lycabettus in Oia are worth considering. For Greek cooking outside Greece entirely, Mavrommatis in Paris and OMA in London show how the cuisine travels.
The Google score of 4.2 across a substantial review base is consistent rather than polarising , it suggests a kitchen that delivers reliably rather than one that occasionally dazzles and occasionally disappoints. For a Bib Gourmand venue, that consistency is the correct read: this is not a destination for a once-in-a-trip meal, it is a dependable address you can return to without anxiety.
Reservations: Booking difficulty is rated easy , walk-ins may be possible, but given the Michelin recognition and a neighbourhood following, confirming in advance is sensible for weekend evenings. Budget: Single euro-sign price range, making this one of the most accessible Michelin Bib Gourmand addresses in Athens. Address: Aminta 12, Mets, Athens. Getting there: The Mets neighbourhood is walkable from the city centre and accessible by taxi or rideshare. Groups: The price tier and neighbourhood setting make this a practical choice for groups. Contact the venue directly to confirm capacity and arrangement options. Further Athens planning: Our full Athens hotels guide, Athens wineries, and Athens experiences are available for broader trip planning. For other Pearl picks in Athens, see Linou Soumpasis k sia and Pharaoh.
It depends on what kind of occasion. Akra's Bib Gourmand status means the cooking has been independently validated, which gives it credibility as a choice , but the single euro-sign price point and neighbourhood setting mean it reads as a relaxed, low-key dinner rather than a formal celebration venue. For a birthday dinner where atmosphere and occasion-dressing matter as much as the food, venues like Aleria at a higher price tier will feel more ceremonial. Akra is the right call for an occasion where the food is the point and you want to spend wisely.
The price tier and neighbourhood restaurant format suggest groups are feasible, but seat count is not confirmed in our data. Contact the venue directly to discuss table sizes. The low price point is a practical advantage for larger groups where splitting a bill at a €€€€ venue would create friction.
Bar seating is not confirmed from our data. Given the neighbourhood restaurant format and price tier, Akra is likely a table-service venue rather than a bar-eating destination. If bar dining in Athens is your priority, our full Athens bars guide has better-suited options.
Yes, straightforwardly. A Michelin Bib Gourmand at a single euro-sign price point is about as good a value signal as exists in restaurant dining. The Bib Gourmand is awarded specifically for quality cooking at a moderate price , Michelin inspectors are making the same value judgement you are, and they have returned two years running. At this tier, the question is less whether it is worth it and more whether the format suits you: this is a neighbourhood Greek restaurant, not a tasting-menu event.
Specific dishes are not confirmed in our data, so ordering recommendations based on menu items would be speculation. The practical approach: ask the kitchen or your server what is running well currently. A Bib Gourmand kitchen typically has a short, focused menu with a few standout plates , getting a steer from the room on the night is more reliable than arriving with a fixed list.
Whether Akra runs a tasting menu is not confirmed in our data. Given the single euro-sign price point and Bib Gourmand positioning , which rewards accessible rather than elaborate dining , a structured tasting menu would be unusual for this category. If a tasting menu format is what you are after in Athens, Aleria at €€€ or Avaton Luxury Beach Resort in Halkidiki for a broader Greek region experience are better-aligned options.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akra | Greek | € | Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025); Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) | Easy | — |
| Botrini's | Contemporary Greek, Mediterranean Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Hytra | Modern Greek, Modern Cuisine | €€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Spondi | Contemporary Greek, French | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Tudor Hall | Contemporary | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Aleria | Greek | €€€ | Unknown | — |
How Akra stacks up against the competition.
It depends on the occasion. Akra holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for both 2024 and 2025, which gives it genuine credibility, but the price range sits at the lower end of the Athens dining spectrum. For a birthday or anniversary where atmosphere and ceremony matter as much as food, Spondi or Hytra will feel more occasion-appropriate. Akra is the right call when the occasion is about eating well without a performative price tag.
Akra is a neighbourhood restaurant in Mets, a residential pocket of Athens, so it is unlikely to have the private-dining infrastructure of larger venues like Botrini's or Tudor Hall. For groups of six or more, check the venue's official channels to confirm capacity before booking. Smaller groups of two to four are the natural fit for a room of this type.
Bar seating is not confirmed in the available venue data. Given Akra's format as a Bib Gourmand neighbourhood restaurant, counter or bar dining may be possible but is not a reliable option to plan around. If bar seating is a priority, confirm directly with the restaurant before arriving without a reservation.
Yes, at the single-euro price tier, Akra delivers Michelin-recognised Greek cooking at a price point that is hard to argue with. Two consecutive Bib Gourmand listings (2024 and 2025) confirm it is not just cheap but meaningfully good value. If your budget can stretch further, Hytra or Spondi offer a different level of production, but for what Akra charges, the recognition-to-price ratio is strong.
Specific dishes are not listed in the available data, so no individual items can be recommended. The kitchen is led by chef Orazio Parisi and serves Greek cuisine. The Bib Gourmand designation specifically recognises good food at moderate prices, so the practical move is to ask the server what is best that day rather than arriving with a fixed order in mind.
A tasting menu format is not confirmed for Akra in the available data. Bib Gourmand restaurants in this price range more commonly operate à la carte or with a short set menu. Checking directly with the restaurant on current format is the only reliable way to answer this before you book.
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