“Taste of Athens” gastronomic festival

World’s landmark gastronomic event will come to Athens (September 27-30) to celebrate the Greek elite culinary scene.

Taste of Athens, the world’s stellar gastronomic festival, which takes place in more than 20 big cities worldwide including renowned gastronomic hotspots such as London, Amsterdam, Paris, Milan, Dubai, Rome, Sydney, Hong Kong is now on its way to Athens. The result of a five-year contract between Taste Festivals platform and Toposophy, the leading company in the Greek market for food events and gastronomy marketing, Taste Festivals is launching its Athenian version in one of the city’s most emblematic spots.

For four flavour-packed days from 27th to 30th of September 2018, on the Great Lawn of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), Athens’ ten iconic restaurants (including those with Michelin stars) will set up their pop-up version in custom-fit kiosks to serve their exclusive tasting menu and offer some of their signatures dishes at affordable prices (3, 6, 9 and 12 Euros) with gastronomic flair that perfectly captures Athens’ growth as a substantial, world-class culinary destination.

At the same time, in the custom designed Festival space at the SNFCC, visitors will have the privilege of enjoying a hands-on experience, cooking and mingling with other visitors and, most interestingly, with the star chefs themselves, taking part in tasting events and cocktail master classes held by acclaimed mixologists. They can also browse the kiosks of top food & beverage suppliers and Greek producers.

According to Justin Clark, the mastermind behind the gastronomic department of IMG, the coordinating company of Taste Festivals:

«Taste of Athens is the latest festival to become a member of Taste Festivals family. Being the flagship gastronomic event worldwide for 15 years, Taste is dedicated to sparking inspiration among food, beverage and restaurants’ enthusiasts.
Originally launched in London and now thriving all over the globe including Rome, Sao Paolo, Sidney, Amsterdam, and Paris, we are delighted to welcome Athens to our platform.
Athens has a vibrant culinary scene and we are looking forward to partnering with top chefs, their restaurants, their mixologists and brands to offer visitors a state-of-the-art experience, featuring Athens as an exceptional international gastronomic destination».

The following restaurants are joining the Festival:

Spondi (chef: Angelos Lantos)
Retaining for the last ten consecutive years its 2 Michelin stars, Spondi has defined the essence of fine dining in Greece. Having French traditional Haute Cuisine as an origin together with an international mindset, head chef Angelos Lantos is committed to delivering unique tastes, combining flavors, aromas, and colors to generate an essential gastronomic experience. A landmark restaurant worldwide.

Hytra (chef: Tasos Mantis)
Located on the sixth floor of Onassis Cultural Center, Hytra holds a Michelin star. Its head chef Tasos Mantis innovates, introducing contemporary techniques to traditional Greek dishes, redefining the rich cultural heritage of Greek gastronomy.

Fuga (chef: Dimitris Katrivesis)
One of the most influential Greek chefs of his generation leads Megaron, the Athens Concert Hall’s emblematic garden restaurant in its new era. Renovated Fuga offers a sharing style menu characterised by international fusion and inspired by a tropical cuisine that modernises the culinary traditions of Asia, Latin America, and the Mediterranean.

Balthazar (chef: Christoforos Peskias)
Athens trademark bar restaurant is in full blossom with famous chef Christoforos Peskias delivering a unique personal fusion gastronomic experience, creatively balancing between Greece and Japan.

Vezene (chef: Aris Vezenes)
The restaurant where one of the most renowned contemporary Greek chefs has showcased his culinary genius, defining comfort food and rustic bistronomy as a present-day gastronomic trend. A new visionary in the Greek culinary scene.

Birdman Yakitori & Pub (chefs: Aris Vezenes & Takaaki Otsuka)
The new entry on Athens’ gastronomic map is a Japanese pub serving a twenty-seat bar new style yakitori and small dishes, spellbound by the mystic gastronomic culture of the district Yokoso in Tokyo.

Varoulko Seaside (chefs: Lefteris Lazarou & Giannis Parikos)
The first restaurant in Greece to initiate fish as the star of haute cuisine, Varoulko Seaside won a Michelin star in 2002 that has stayed with it ever since (the first Michelin star awarded to a Greek cuisine restaurant). The essential point of reference for Greek gastronomy.

Bites & Wine (chefs: Lefteris Lazarou & Giannis Parikos)
Lefteris Lazarou’s new kid gives a Greek approach to the international bistronomy trend, with a seafood touch and a menu of distinct and diverse personal dishes. A modern-day Greek tapas bar.

Premiere (chef: Michalis Nourloglou)
Under the spell of the Acropolis and Lycabettus Hill, versatile chef Michalis Nourloglou is constantly evolving his techniques and ideas drawing attention to dishes that highlight the priority of unprocessed materials and the necessity for a creative blend of tradition and contemporary fine dining.

Psomi & Alati/ Bread & Salt (Chef: Yiannis Loukakos)
The exceptional gastro tavern in Chalandri with acclaimed chef Yiannis Loukakos at the wheel has a track of great gastronomic achievements in Greek comfort food cuisine.

Parla (chef: Thodoris Papanikolaou)
In a beautiful mansion in Kifissia, home to one of the most beautiful courtyards in Athens, one of the city’s newest restaurants, Parla, is housed. Though only a few months old, the restaurant very quickly became a point of reference for lovers of creative Italian cuisine

CTC (chef: Alex Tsiotinis)
More of a gastronomy project than a conventional restaurant, CTC is indeed a very bold move on young chef Alex Tsiotinis’ part. CTC (a wordplay based on the Greek word “sitisi”, which means nourishment) is a lot of things, but first and foremost it’s innovative and worth experiencing. Spartan to the point of frosty, this grey-tinged food lab caters to a mere 30 guests, operating on a two-speed menu (à la carte and degustation) prepared in an open kitchen.

Taste of Athens Info:
Taste of Athens will take place from the 27th to the 30th of September 2018, on the Great Lawn of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.

Each festival day will include two separate four-hour sessions: 12:00 – 16:00 and 18:00 – 22:00.

Entry tickets for each four-hour session cost €15 including:
• one free drink
• Access to the Taste Theater, the main stage of the event that will host demonstrations & cooking contests by famous chefs and celebrities of the international and domestic gastronomic scene
• Access to Entertainment Stage, the musical scene of the event that will host DJ sets from well-known radio producers and musicals throughout the event.
• Gourmet marketplace access, a specially designed gourmet market with high-quality products for all tastes
• You can also order from the a la carte menus produced by the participating restaurants

A special VIP ticket costing €45 will also be available, including:
• welcome drink
• Access to the Taste Theater, the main stage of the event that will host demonstrations & cooking contests by famous chefs and celebrities of the international and domestic gastronomic scene
• Access to the Entertainment Stage, the musical scene of the event that will host DJ sets from well-known radio producers and musicals throughout the event.
• Gourmet marketplace access, a specially designed gourmet market with high-quality products for all tastes
• You can also order from the a la carte menus produced by the participating restaurants
• Access to the specially designed VIP Lounge with a cocktail bar
• Welcome champagne & oyster treat
• Pop-up events & happenings by the sponsors of the event
• fast lane with separate entrance
• Free parking

Groups can enjoy privileged prices while admission for children under 6 years old is free.

Discover all the menus here.

At Taste of Athens, you can get hands-on with interactive masterclasses and demonstrations, and discover all the activation here.

Getting to the Festival