Spondi

Spondi is Athens' most acclaimed French-Mediterranean fine dining restaurant, holding two Michelin stars and operating from a beautiful neoclassical townhouse in Pangrati with a walled garden terrace that constitutes one of the most elegant outdoor dining environments in Greece. The restaurant has maintained its Michelin stars since the early 2000s, making it one of the most durably excellent restaurants in southeastern Europe. The kitchen under executive chef Arnaud Bignon — a French chef with a deep engagement with Greek ingredients — produces a tasting menu that navigates between the classical canon of French haute cuisine and the seasonal produce of the Greek pantry: Aegean fish treated with Burgundian technique, island cheeses used in preparations that recall the Loire, Mani olive oil appearing at points where a French kitchen might use butter. The tasting menu runs to seven or more courses and changes seasonally. A shorter set menu is typically available as well. The wine programme is one of the deepest in Athens, drawing equally on Burgundy and Bordeaux, major French and Italian estates, and the best Greek producers — the Greek section of the list is particularly thoughtful and includes older vintages of Greek wines that are difficult to find elsewhere. The walled garden, open from late spring through early autumn, transforms the Pangrati townhouse into one of the most extraordinary dining settings in Attica. Reservations are essential and should be made two to three weeks in advance for weekend evenings.