Spending Easter in Athens? Absolutely—it’s festive, delicious, and deeply traditional. The city comes alive with the scent of blooming bitter orange trees, filling the streets and nearby countryside with fragrance. While Easter is often associated with nature, road trips, and outdoor feasting, it can just as easily mean cozy tavernas that perfectly show off decades of grilling expertise—whether right downtown or on the city’s outskirts. It can also mean luxurious hotel restaurants showcasing gourmet versions of classic Easter dishes like lamb on the spit and kokoretsi.
For others, Easter is all about enjoying a prepared holiday meal—mageiritsa and roasted lamb included—at home, without the hassle of cooking. Athens offers that, too. In a city this big, there’s a perfect Easter table waiting for everyone. Wherever you choose to go, one thing is essential: make a reservation. Many locals already have their favorite spots, and the ones listed here fill up quickly. It’s also smart to place your order in advance. One last tip: many tavernas don’t serve red eggs, so if you plan to follow the tradition of cracking them with friends, bring your own.
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Central Athens
Lonza tis Geitonias in Exarchia serves mageiritsa—including a vegan version—until 6 pm on Holy Saturday. Over in the international neighborhood of Koukaki, Balcony prepares mageiritsa on Saturday night and roasts lamb, kokoretsi, and kontosouvli on Easter Sunday. “Agora Select,” located behind the Hilton, offers mageiritsa on Saturday evening and a full Easter feast on Sunday including oven-roasted lamb with potatoes, gardoubakia, kokoretsi, and kontosouvli. In Kolonaki, the beloved old taverna Stou Filippou offers home-style cooking. You can order your mageiritsa ahead of time and pick it up by 5 pm on Saturday.
Kouvelos in Koukaki is a hidden gem with a flower-filled courtyard and a whitewashed wall. They serve mageiritsa on Holy Saturday and offer oven-roasted lamb, goat, and kokoretsi on Easter Sunday. Epirus, inside the Varvakeios market, begins serving mageiritsa from early Saturday afternoon but is closed on Easter Sunday. The centrally located Telemachos, on Panepistimiou Street, puts on a full Easter spread in its grand dining room, with lamb on the spit, kokoretsi, kontosouvli, lamb chops, ribeye steaks, and burgers, just like its sister location in Kifisia.
At Koutsou & Co, near Syntagma, you can pre-order mageiritsa for pickup by Holy Wednesday. Vlassis, a historic restaurant in Ilisia, offers mageiritsa via delivery on Good Friday. Over in Pagrati, Musique Café & More sources its meats from its farm in Naxos and serves oven-roasted lamb and goat, pan-seared lamb, and kokoretsi on Easter Sunday. Nearby, the Cretan taverna Aoritis serves a full Easter lunch with traditional spit-roasted lamb, kokoretsi, kontosouvli, fried liver, and their signature savory pies.
For sweeping views over Athens, head to Orizontes Lycabettus in Kolonaki, where Chef Michalis Zacharis prepares a holiday menu with slow-roasted lamb on both Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.
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Luxury Hotels
Luxury hotels across Athens are also putting on a show. At The Dolli at Acropolis, you can dine on Easter Sunday on the 5th floor with magnificent views of the city, enjoying oven-baked lamb, lemon potatoes, herb-infused kokoretsi, and a spread of gourmet sides. At the iconic Hotel Grande Bretagne, the GB Roof Garden offers a Holy Saturday menu with mageiritsa, lamb chops with lemon and oregano, grilled sheftalia, and a dessert of orange pie with curry cream and vanilla sorbet. Easter Sunday begins with ouzo, appetizers, and red eggs by the spit, followed by a rich buffet featuring mageiritsa, traditional starters, and live carving stations with lamb and pork kontosouvli.
At Saint George Lycabettus Hotel, the award-winning rooftop restaurant La Suite Lounge serves both traditional and vegan mageiritsa, lemony goat stew with wild greens, antikristo lamb, and kokoretsi. Diners enjoy stunning views of the Saronic Gulf and the candlelit descent from the nearby church of Saint George. An Easter buffet is also served on Sunday afternoon.
At NJV Athens Plaza, right in Syntagma Square, Holy Saturday dinner is served at Plaza Café, and a festive Easter meal is hosted at the Parliament restaurant. Guests can also order the hotel’s Easter specialties to enjoy at home.
The Atheneum InterContinental offers Easter Saturday dining at ArtBistrot, starting with mageiritsa followed by vine-wrapped lamb with Metsovone cheese and herbs, traditional pork stew, and desserts like galaktoboureko and orange pie. Easter Sunday moves to Cafezoe, where the buffet includes roast lamb, whole roast pig, kokoretsi, mageiritsa, a wide selection of salads, dips, roasted vegetables, smoked seafood, and desserts ranging from ekmek kataifi to strawberry cake.
On the Athenian Riviera, Four Seasons Astir Palace in Vouliagmeni hosts a lavish Easter Sunday feast at Taverna 37, right by the sea. Chef Alexandros Koskinas prepares spit-roasted lamb, antikristo, pork and chicken kontosouvli, gardoubakia, and grilled sheftalia, along with stuffed zucchini, spinach and cheese pies, salads, roasted potatoes, and traditional Greek desserts like galaktoboureko and portokalopita.
Finally, at The Margi in Vouliagmeni, the stylish Gio restaurant serves mageiritsa, roast lamb, and galaktoboureko on Holy Saturday. On Easter Sunday, the celebration continues at Margi Farm in nearby Kalyvia—20 acres of idyllic Greek countryside—where spit-roasted lamb, kokoretsi, kontosouvli, and fresh sides from their garden complete the authentic Easter experience.
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Northern Suburbs
In the northern suburbs, the Kifisia branch of Telemachos cooks up spit-roasted lamb, kokoretsi, kontosouvli, grilled lamb chops, steaks, and burgers on Easter Sunday. Vrasto in Chalandri offers a relaxed garden setting next to the Rematia stream. They serve mageiritsa and oven-baked lamb on Saturday evening, and on Easter Sunday they serve lamb, kontosouvli, and kokoretsi. At Koromilas in Agia Paraskevi, the charming courtyard is perfect for a long Easter lunch of spit-roasted lamb, kontosouvli, kokoretsi, famous lamb chops, fried liver, burgers, and handmade sausages.
Bebeka in Chalandri offers mageiritsa and a full Holy Saturday dinner. Wood in Kifisia serves mageiritsa on Saturday and follows it up on Sunday with spit-roasted lamb, traditional Cretan-style antikristo, kokoretsi, gardoubes, and lamb chops.
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Southern Suburbs
In the southern suburbs, Roumeliotis in Ano Glyfada offers a special Easter menu centered on spit-roasted lamb. Tzitziras & Mitziras in Palaio Faliro has a lovely courtyard and serves mageiritsa, kokoretsi, and gardoubakia on Saturday, followed by oven-roasted lamb on Sunday. The fun and casual Trelos Gaidaros in both Dafni and Glyfada roasts lamb on the spit and serves kokoretsi and kontosouvli on Easter Sunday.
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‘Villages’ of Attica
In the countryside around Athens, Regkoukos Farm in Amygdaleza provides a peaceful, natural setting and cooks up spit-roasted lamb and kokoretsi using ingredients from their own land. If it’s chilly, there’s a fireplace waiting. The rustic taverna Ramnous, near the archaeological site of Rhamnous, offers a serene escape surrounded by hills and family-run vineyards, gardens, and chicken coops. Their Easter menu includes spit-roasted lamb legs and shoulders, kokoretsi, and grilled chops.
O Christoforos in Kalyvia is a famous village grill house, serving everything from lamb and goat on the spit to kokoretsi, kontosouvli, stuffed burgers, liver stew, and their renowned lamb chops. Agios Merkourios in Varibobi is famous for its meats and panoramic city views, and they’ll be roasting lamb and kokoretsi on Easter Sunday. Pipinios in Stamata is known for its enormous roasting pans and classic spit-roasted Easter dishes. Magginas, a legendary taverna in Ano Melissia, has been serving for nearly 80 years and continues its tradition with spit-roasted lamb, pork, kokoretsi, and enormous steaks. Ta Vlachika in Vari, a regional meat-lover’s destination, offers spit-roasted lamb and rustic fare all year round.
A mini road trip to the meat-centric Dervenochoria leads you to the family-run Stelios Kollias in the village of Pigi. On Easter Sunday (and Monday), the table is laid with house-marinated kokoretsi, kontosouvli, spit-roasted baby lamb, lamb and goat chops, grilled mutton, beef sausages, and Katerina’s salad, with vegetables, pomegranate, and walnuts.
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Athenian Riviera
On the Athenian Riviera, Four Seasons Astir Palace in Vouliagmeni hosts a lavish Easter Sunday feast at Taverna 37, right by the sea. Chef Alexandros Koskinas prepares spit-roasted lamb, antikristo, pork and chicken kontosouvli, gardoubakia, and grilled seftalia, along with stuffed zucchini, spinach and cheese pies, salads, roasted potatoes, and traditional Greek desserts like galaktoboureko and portokalopita.
Finally, at The Margi in Vouliagmeni, the stylish Gio restaurant serves mageiritsa, roast lamb, and galaktoboureko on Holy Saturday. On Easter Sunday, the celebration continues at Margi Farm in nearby Kalyvia—20 acres of idyllic Greek countryside—where spit-roasted lamb, kokoretsi, kontosouvli, and fresh sides from their garden complete the authentic Easter experience.
