A restaurant cellar isn’t just extra seating, it’s a full-on scene change. It’s the moment you leave the city’s noise behind and drop into a different tempo: stone, arches, cooler air, bottles waiting for the right excuse. Down there, wine doesn’t play a supporting role. It sets the pace, steers the pairing, sparks the conversation—and usually leads to one more taste. From basements with archaeological traces to sleek, modern wine rooms made for private dinners, these are the places where wine gets the first word.
Liystor: The “secret room” beneath Ermou
Tucked low on Ermou, Liystor is housed in the former home of Kyriakos Pittakis—the archaeologist associated with the discovery and restoration of the Acropolis Clepsydra. The rooftop view of the Sacred Rock is impossible to ignore, but if you’re into wine, the real pull is downstairs: level -1, where the cellar lives. In that basement—among arches, stone walls, and Roman-era remains revealed during the building works—the mood turns almost ceremonial. It’s as if the city’s volume drops and the experience clicks into a higher gear.
The cellar doubles as a private dining space, ideal for small groups and wine dinners that move in sync with the kitchen of Nikos Apostolakis. Born in Crete with what you might call a “sea instinct,” Apostolakis cooks with the confidence of a chef who’s trained in demanding, award-winning kitchens abroad—from three-Michelin-star Boury to Residenz Heinz Winkler and Celeste in London. Today he’s the executive chef behind the sister projects LIYSTOR and YDORON. What defines him is a relentless focus on substance: fish aging, full utilization of the catch, and cuts that treat fish with a butchery mindset more commonly associated with meat—an approach that brings depth, clarity, and intensity without sacrificing finesse.
The well-curated list of around 130 labels clearly gives the lead to the Greek vineyard (about 60%), while still delivering a strong, well-read international selection. The picks are signed off by sommelier Konstantinos Kosmadakis, and with sommelier Eleftheria Anastasiadi present on the floor, the pairings feel spot-on: from island-born minerality and high-energy whites, to reds with depth—plus classic European regions and more contemporary, thoroughly food-friendly bottles.
Info: 92–94 Ermou, Monastiraki | Tel: +30 210 2241113
Makris: When the Ancient Agora meets wine pairing
Makris Athens is one of those fine-dining restaurants built on two pillars: the memory of place and the precision of modern Greek cooking. Awarded a Michelin star, it’s set in a historic building in Thiseio—across from the Ancient Agora, with the Acropolis defining the skyline. The name comes from the ancient name of Corfu (“Makris”), where the concept first launched in 2018 at Domes Miramare, before evolving through other Domes destinations and arriving in Athens with a more mature, distilled identity.
In the kitchen is Petros Dimas, a chef with time spent in iconic Michelin-star environments in Athens, as well as in London and St. Moritz. The MAKRIS style is ingredient-first with a clear sustainability mindset: it’s not a slogan here. It connects directly to the chef’s farm in Ancient Corinth—a steady source of produce that translates into clean-lined dishes, seasonality, and intensity without excess.
Downstairs, a small, atmospheric world where the present literally rests on the past. Thanks to a glass floor, the archaeological findings uncovered in the foundations are visible beneath your feet. This is also where a private room hosts intimate dinners and wine nights—the ideal setting to explore the restaurant’s serious wine strength: more than 240 labels from Greek and international vineyards, plus over ten standout champagnes, in a list that plays effortlessly with pairing—and just as comfortably with the pure pleasure of a glass.
On the à la carte “Genesis,” the approach comes through with quiet confidence: from “A Bouquet from My Father’s Garden” and Koilada red prawns with caviar, to grouper with porcini and nettle, or dry-aged lamb. For a fuller arc of the story, there are three tasting menus (Genesis, Utopia, and the vegan Physis), each a different reading of the same idea: contemporary Greek cuisine with technique, restraint, and real substance.
Info: 10 Astiggos & 119 Ermou, Thiseio | Tel: +30 216 0047777
Meat The Stars: A “private passage” for big bottles and serious carnivores
If there’s one reason to drive up to Pikermi—even if you’re a local on the east side—it’s Meat The Stars. This isn’t just another steakhouse. It’s the kind of place that flips your mood the second you walk in. Warm lighting, a mix of wood-stone-leather, leather sofas, fairy lights everywhere, hefty wooden tables (plus smaller ones for the “two people and a bottle” kind of night), framed art, little pools of light, and a cosy-lodge feel with a hint of Far West. The fireplace adds instant comfort, and the open kitchen keeps you close to what’s happening on the grill.
Behind the concept are, the famous tv presenter Christina Lampiri, warm, welcoming, with an effortless off-camera glow, and her husband Thanasis Adamopoulos, a couple that has hospitality in their DNA.
And then… you head downstairs. It feels like stepping into a hidden arcade with a secret passage: the underground cellar. Stone, wood, shelves of bottles lit like a set, family heirlooms and antiques that give the room personality. It’s a space for private dinners, small celebrations, or business meet-ups you’d rather keep “between us,” with a kitchen that can go more tailor-made if you ask.
Info: 63 Marathonos Ave., Pikermi | Tel: +30 210 6039417
