New Year’s Eve menus tend to reflect latest trends, popular ingredients, as well as the general mood of people. This year, the menus, sheer celebrations of gastronomy, include dishes requiring greater time to prepare, as well as caviar, no longer seen as a guilty pleasure after being sidelined for a long time, while wine plays an important role in the overall dining experience.
NYX
The combination of magical Acropolis and Lycabettus hill views, a tasteful space, as well as captivating food makes NYX an alluring prospect for New Year’s Eve dinner. Its sushi bar, comfortable tables and musical selections create a dark-glam, sexy atmosphere. The restaurant’s Japanese fusion menu skillfully blends Japanese cuisine with flavours from countries such as Peru and Mexico. These combinations also dominate the New Year’s Eve menu. The nabe soup, prepared with miso broth, prawns, sea bass, shiitake mushroom, spring onion, wakame and tofu, is a particularly interesting dish, as are the salad with green herbs, confit duck, mango-chili dressing and hoisin sauce, and the steamed sea bream with parsnip puree, bok choy with chili-ginger sauce and crispy shiso. The price per person is €120 for five dishes, not including wine or drinks.
38 Akadimias & Omirou, Athens, +30 210 367 0000
ALERIA
Situated in the up-and-coming Metaxourgeio district, Aleria, featuring elegant décor and finesse, offers a Christmas fairytale-like setting. Chef Gikas Xenakis and his team are using winter-season ingredients for the restaurant’s New Year’s Eve menu. Selections that promise to garner attention include, for appetiser, crab with cauliflower, kumquat and radish, and for the main dish, deer with Jerusalem artichoke, wild mushrooms and beetroot. The offering, a six-course meal, is priced €115 per person, plus €50 for wine pairing.
57 Megalou Alexandrou, Athens, +30 210 522 2633
VEZENE
The now-classic Vezene restaurant, run by chef-butcher Aris Vezenes, becomes even more open-hearted and cosy for New Year’s Eve. Featuring lovely décor, large bouquets and linen tablecloths, this spot, a great choice to greet the new year, is dedicated to authentic sea and turf ingredient selections. For New Year’s Eve, the menu begins with a foie gras parfait with smoked eel and caviar, while the spot’s deconstructed pastitsio, a favourite, makes a return, this time with aged picanha, truffles, and potato foam. The menu’s main dishes culminate with Wagyu Ribeye (BMS 9+), served with douphinoise potatoes and wild mushrooms. The New Year’s Eve menu is priced €180 per person and includes eight dishes and a glass of champagne.
11 Vrasida, Athens, +30 210 723 2002
BEEFBAR
Brightly decorated and offering a view of the Athens Riviera, the cosmopolitan Beefbar promises a unique festive dining experience for guests. The restaurant’s abundance of premium cuts and signature proposals are enriched with details epitomising a New Year’s Eve dinner. The evening’s menu, curated by Panagiotis Retzis, starts with Kobe beef prosciutto sided by savory toasted Panettone, while the main dishes include Wagyu fillet with foie gras puree and velvety sauce made with the meat cut’s broth. The New Year’s Eve dinner here, comprised of six dishes and a glass of champagne as a welcome drink, is priced €250 per person, and also offers two wine pairing alternatives, a regular choice at €150, and a premium choice at €210. The evening also features live music entertainment.
Astir Palace, Vouliagmeni, +30 210 967 0700
BRUTUS
In the up-market Kolonaki district, Brutus Tavern is a unique place with a highly stylish dining area featuring mirrors, white wall tiles and all-white tablecloths. The menu, curated by Mihalis Nourloglou, is meat-dominated, while, running contrary to the New Year’s Eve tradition, an a la carte menu is offered. Head chef Stefanos Rizos prepares dishes such as pie with oxtail, mushroom and comté cheese béchamel, as well as sliders, or small sandwiches, with dry aged mince, red Leicester cheese, caramelised onions and mayonnaise with truffle oil. Steak lovers can try the Blackmore wagyu ribeye, given a beef marble score of 10, meaning this cut is extremely tender.
3 Leventi, Athens, +30 210 724 0453
CASH RESTAURANT/BAR
Cosmopolitan Cash in Kefalari, northern Athens, welcomes guests for its Japanese fusion menu, enriched with creations by Vaggelis Leousis. Appetiser standouts include the duck leg with mango, cranberries, salad with herbs and plum dressing, while main course highlights include beef fillet with foie gras, wild mushroom puree, glacé quince and fried potato chips with rosemary. The price per person is €120 for a five-course meal, not including wine or drinks.
54 Deligianni, Kefalari, +30 212 100 4772
MILOS
Milos’ imposing, high-ceilinged dining room helps create a glamorous atmosphere for New Year’s Eve. The restaurant, paying attention to quality of ingredients, offers a wide range of flavours. Its excellent fry-pan offerings include eggplant and pumpkin chips, as well as superb sashimi crayfish with olive oil and salt flower. The menu also includes exquisitely grilled selections, promising charming simplicity for a night of positive feelings.
3-5 Kolokotroni, Athens, +30 216 600 3320
SIMUL
The interior’s earth-toned colours and delightful Christmas decorations at Simul create a warm festive atmosphere in the heart of the Kolonaki district, where Nikos Thomas and Manolis Sarris keep the comfort food flag flying. The aged graviera cheese with fermented blueberry and truffle is one of the New Year’s Eve menu’s appetiser highlights, while, in the main dishes category, the red mullet with apple jam, raisins, onion and sherry vinegar is definitely noteworthy. The six-course meal is priced €70 per person, including a welcome drink, with an additional cost of €25 for wine pairing.
63 Ipsilantou, Athens, +30 210 722 4737
ARTISANAL
Artisanal, decorated in modern style offering special ambience, promises an extravagant New Year’s Eve night out. The restaurant’s menu highlights for the evening include celeriac velouté with grilled pear and truffle, as well as poultry parfait with pistachio nuts and quince marmalade. The evening’s four-course meal is priced €85 per person, not including wine or drinks.
2 Zirini, Kifissia, +30 210 808 6111
