In one of Plaka’s most iconic corners, Nonnas Athens brings tradition into sharp focus — old flavors, refined technique, and service that feels genuinely warm
Walking down Kidathineon toward Filomousou Etaireias, you can’t help thinking this spot has its own restaurant storyline. The building that once housed Alain Parodi’s L’Audrion, and later (in 2021) Leonidas Koutsopoulos’ Samanos Radio Restaurant, has found a new rhythm again — this time as Nonnas Athens.
Behind Nonnas is Ilias Kiazoli, a chef many in Greece came to know through MasterChef (Season 4), though his résumé was already built in demanding kitchens abroad: Restaurant Meille and Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen, Fosshotel Restaurant Haust in Reykjavik, and then as executive chef at Poseidonion Grand Hotel in Spetses. Nonnas is his first personal restaurant — and it shows. The menu is tightly edited, confident, and clear about what it wants to say.
Step inside and you get it immediately: Nonnas isn’t trying to dazzle you with theatrics. It’s trying to win you over as a whole. Think “urban trattoria” with Athenian edge — warm lighting, well-set tables, and an open kitchen that lets you feel the pace: the pass, the movement, that quiet choreography that tells you everything is running on time.
Then your eyes land on the mural: a funky grandma, the restaurant’s playful mascot. The team calls her “our yiayia” — their nonna — and suddenly the name clicks with the philosophy. This is a place built around food memories.
Together with chef de cuisine Thomas Patilas and the team, Kiazoli cooks dishes that are deeply satisfying. The concept is summed up in three simple words that hide a lot of work: “Old New Recipes.” In practice, it means revisiting the flavors of his mother’s and grandmother’s cooking — but filtering them through technique, precision, and a very modern fine-dining mindset.
The opening is the kind that makes you smile before the “real” plates even arrive: sourdough bread, cracked olives, excellent olive oil, butter. Then a welcome bite that quietly signals the restaurant’s broader horizon: tsalafouti alongside a dashi-soaked paximadi — a small detail, but a telling one.
Next comes a tyrokafteri made with soft feta from Tripoli, nicely balanced heat, chili and cherry tomatoes. And the smoked greens (when we visited: lapatha and radikia) — a dish that looks simple until you taste it: grated tomato, xinotyri, and a smoky umami finish that lingers.
If you love sardines, Nonnas gives you a reason to get excited. Their marinated sardines aren’t merely “good” — they’re layered, with toasted almonds, smoked Florina pepper, and a spice blend that adds depth without overpowering the fish.
And then come the heavier hitters. The deconstructed pastitsio delivers exactly what it promises: paccheri in place of macaroni, beef cheeks instead of minced meat, cooked in a sauce of confit cherry tomatoes; graviera flakes and a béchamel cream, set on the side like velvet. It tastes like Sunday lunch — but executed with a chef’s steady hand.
If you take one dish with you, make it this: skioufichta with goat. The pasta is cooked in the goat broth and finished with a cacio e pepe-style cream made from aged gravieras from Crete, Naxos, and Arta. It’s the kind of plate that makes the table go quiet for a moment.
On the meat side, the lamb chops arrive with confidence — and a clever twist. The glaze changes week by week, as the chef and sommelier choose a different red wine each time. A small detail, but a strong sign that nothing here is “standard.”
Dessert closes the meal on a fragrant, clean note. The chamomile panna cotta feels like springtime in the countryside: mastiha, lime, lemon, and an aftertaste that works almost like a digestif — light, refreshing, and perfect if you’re heading back out for a stroll through Plaka.
Speaking of strolling: service is one of Nonnas’ strongest cards. Friendly, warm, and discreet, with that rare ability to be present without hovering. The day we visited, a middle-aged Japanese diner was seated next to us — someone who had clearly skipped the area’s tourist traps and was there for a second day in a row. We weren’t the only ones who’d fallen for it.
The wine list has a solid Greek backbone, spotlighting signature varieties like Assyrtiko and Xinomavro, and regions that currently set the tone — Amyntaio, Naoussa, Santorini — alongside more under-the-radar inland picks. On the red side, Greek staples (Agiorgitiko, Mavrotragano/Mouchtaro, Limniona, Xinomavro) are complemented by reliable international anchors (Nebbiolo, Valpolicella, Malbec, Pinot Noir), making the list feel welcoming both to curious travelers and serious wine drinkers.
For those who want something more private, there’s also an underground cellar space suited to small events and more intimate dining — another hint that Nonnas isn’t just “a nice place in Plaka,” but a restaurant thinking beyond the obvious.
Info: Filomousou Etaireias 3, Plaka
Brunch: 08:00–13:00 · Restaurant: 13:30–00:00
