What dishes come to mind when you hear the words "Greek cuisine"? I bet I could guess.
A thick pita overflowing with gyro meat, fries poking out like spikes from glistening white tzatziki. Maybe a colorful horiatiki salad of cucumber, tomato, and red onion, topped with a thick square of feta. Or perhaps you have a sweet tooth and are fantasizing about baklava, with its flaky phyllo and glossy syrup.
As a proud Greek American, I grew up with (and love) all of the above. I also know there's so much more to Greek cuisine than the same few things.
So on a trip back to my parents' homeland, I decided to explore the world of Greek fine dining. I went to dinner at Makris Athens, a Michelin-starred restaurant that explores Greek gastronomy through the kind of wildly playful and imaginative dishes you'd expect to see on "Chef's Table."
It was a meal where nothing was as it seemed — and that was a good thing.
Makris Athens is steeped in Hellenic history.
Located in Athens' Thissio neighborhood, in the shadow of the Parthenon, the three-story restaurant is in a building that once housed the country's first inn. You can eat above its ancient ruins in Makris' private dining room, where the dinner table sits on a glass floor.
If the Acropolis is more your thing, the one-star Michelin restaurant also has a rooftop terrace with views of the famous Greek landmark.
Chef Petros Dimas wanted the restaurant's menu to illustrate the "depth and beauty" of Greek ingredients.
As a young boy, Dimas loved spending time in the kitchen with his mother and grandmother, watching them transform a few simple ingredients into "something beautiful and delicious," he told me. He quickly ditched his toys and started his own garden.
"I wanted to understand where food really came from," he said. "So, I started planting herbs and vegetables, just small things, but it felt magical to grow something with my own hands and then cook with it."
Dimas' parents still take care of the land where he first learned to grow ingredients, but now it's used as a small farm for Makris.
"They grow what's in season — tomatoes, zucchini flowers, herbs, figs. We talk almost every day about what's ready or what's coming next," Dimas said. "It's a beautiful circle. What started in my childhood now directly feeds my restaurant."
My dinner at Makris Athens began on the rooftop.
Not every seat on the roof has a direct view of the Acropolis, and I spotted a few couples trying to negotiate a different table with the staff throughout my two-hour dinner.
I was happy to just enjoy dinner under the sky, but if the view is important to you or you're coming for a special occasion, I'd recommend calling the restaurant ahead of time to secure a prime table.
Then came a dish bursting with colorful flowers, with small bites hidden beneath the petals.
Concealed among the yellow, lilac, and white chrysanthemum daisies were mushroom and venison tartlets. The skinny branch shooting past the flowers was made of mushroom scraps.
Dimas told me he frequently tries to capture the garden of his youth through his cooking.
"It's full of memories," he said. "The smell of the soil, the sound of bees, everything."
My favorite dish of the night was the third course, a mushroom soup disguised as a cappuccino.
I've always believed that the best fine dining is about surprise and delight, and the cappuccino course at Makris Athens easily accomplishes both.
Our server dropped off two mugs with an inviting bubble of foam filled to each brim, instantly bringing us back to the morning cappuccinos we had been drinking in Florence, Italy, just a week prior. When he revealed that mushroom soup was waiting inside each cup, our mouths dropped in happy shock.
"Mushrooms remind me of foraging trips in the mountains with my father," Dimas later told me. "The foam on top is made from milk infused with truffle and mushroom, to mimic the look of coffee but taste completely different."
The soup tasted rich and deep, each sip full of umami thanks to the truffle shavings. The accompanying brioche feuilletee pastry was crunchy and airy, the perfect balance of texture and flavor.
The scallop course was another standout.
Our fourth course was a scallop swimming in an incredible sauce of pumpkin and lime. The combination was unexpected but extremely delicious, with the lime adding a zing of acidity that balanced the sweetness of the pumpkin and scallop.
"I want to bottle it up," Peter said as we tried to capture every last drop.
The meat and fish courses were beautifully presented, although less memorable.
Dimas' dishes told a clear story throughout the first half of Genesis, showcasing his love for Greek ingredients in a playful way that felt refreshing in the space of fine dining.
Our seafood and meat courses — a supplemental red mullet cooked with its scales and a Hellenic pork iberico — were more traditional. They were cooked well and had a nice flavor, but were pretty forgettable. Both dishes are no longer on Makris' menu, which I think was the right decision.
The chocolate chessboard dessert was a return to playful form, and a magical way to end the meal.
After a refreshing palate cleanser of strawberry and balsamic vinegar sorbet, our server presented Makris Athens' signature dessert with theatrical flair.
The chessboard, which featured a chocolate rook and horse scattered among real pieces, unlocked my own childhood memory. My uncle had taught me how to play chess during my summers in Greece, and I often played matches with him and my dad. To see the board again on my first trip back in over a decade felt kismet.
Our night ended with one last illusion, gold coins made of chocolate. It was a delightful end to an even more delightful dinner.
Dimas is all too aware that Greek cuisine, beloved as it may be, is frequently underestimated.
"For a long time, Greek food wasn't seen as something that could stand behind the great cuisines of the world," he said. "But I've always believed in the depth and beauty of our ingredients and traditions."
That conviction shines brightly throughout Dimas' dishes, constantly tickling the imagination and taste buds. I felt a surge of pride as I ate his food, just as he did when Makris Athens received its first Michelin star in December 2024.
"Getting that recognition showed that Greek cuisine can be refined, creative, and world-class without losing its soul," he told me.
Makris Athens is full of soul, for sure, plus plenty of surprises and nostalgia. I think it's a worthy stop on your next trip to Athens — just get gyros for lunch.
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Anneta Konstantinides is a lifestyle correspondent at Business Insider, with a focus on food and travel. She loves taking readers inside Michelin-starred kitchens and exploring the world of fine-dining, and she's always trying to find the best Ina Garten and Gordon Ramsay recipes. Her second home is LAX, where she's often catching a flight and reviewing airlines.Anneta has also been reporting on the pageant industry for the last six years and has interviewed every Miss USA and Miss Universe winner since 2019. She was a finalist at the LA Press Club Awards for her investigation into the 2022 Miss USA scandal and was featured in The New York Times Presents episode "How to Fix a Pageant" on Hulu in September 2023. After graduating from UCLA with a B.A in English Literature and a minor in film & television, Anneta worked as a journalist in London, Sydney, New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. You can reach Anneta at [email protected].
