Greek seafood is a lesson in restraint: the best fish is simply grilled, dressed with olive oil and lemon, and allowed to taste of the Aegean. Athens, with the port of Piraeus and the coastal suburbs, eats extremely well.
This guide covers the dishes to order, where to find the freshest fish, and how to navigate the price-by-weight system common in Greece.
What to order
Begin with mezze: taramasalata (cured roe dip), grilled octopus (chtapodi), and fried small fish like marides (picarel) or gavros (anchovies). For a main, choose a whole fish — tsipoura (sea bream) or lavraki (sea bass) — grilled and finished with ladolemono, an olive-oil-and-lemon dressing.
Shellfish such as garides (prawns) saganaki, baked with tomato and feta, and steamed mussels round out a classic Athenian seafood table.
Where to eat
The coastal strip from Mikrolimano in Piraeus to the southern suburbs is lined with psarotavernes (fish tavernas) overlooking the water. In the centre, neighbourhoods like Koukaki and Pangrati have excellent, less touristy options.
Fresh fish is sold by the kilo, so ask to see the fish, confirm whether it is fresh or frozen (frozen must be marked), and agree the price before it is cooked.