About Botrini's
Botrini's occupies a converted school building in Halandri, a quiet residential suburb on Athens' northern periphery — a destination that rewards those willing to travel slightly beyond the postcard version of the city. Chef Ettore Botrini, who was born in Corfu to an Italian father and Greek mother, has spent the better part of two decades distilling that dual heritage into one of the most distinctive menus in Greece. The result earned a Michelin star in 2014 and has retained it every year since, with Gault&Millau naming Botrini's Restaurant of the Year in 2020.
The former schoolhouse setting is deliberately low-key from the exterior — nothing announces its significance. Inside, the transformation is total: an elegant, sparse dining room with an open-view kitchen where the brigade works with the precise calm of a kitchen that knows exactly what it is doing. In warmer months, a pleasant outdoor garden opens. The chef's table, positioned directly overlooking the kitchen pass, is the most sought-after seat in the house and must be requested specifically when booking.
The menu comes in two versions. The Ploes (Voyages) runs to 12 courses at €90 per person, an exploration of seasonal Greek ingredients through the lens of Mediterranean technique. The Travelling menu offers 14-plus courses at €130 and goes further — deeper into the provenance of each ingredient, more complex in its layering, more ambitious in its ambition. Both menus carry optional wine pairings matched by a sommelier team whose depth of knowledge about Greek wine regions is exceptional. From the Gaia Estate's Assyrtiko in Santorini to skin-contact wines from the Peloponnese, the list illuminates corners of Greek viticulture that most menus never reach.
Signature dishes shift with the season, but the signature philosophy holds: Italian technical rigour applied to Greek provenance. Lamb from the highlands, octopus from the Aegean, mountain herbs, wild greens, citrus from island groves. The cuisine of a chef who understands both countries' culinary traditions deeply enough to move freely between them. Reservations are made via OpenTable and should be secured well in advance, particularly for weekend evenings and the outdoor season.
Best Occasion Fit
Botrini's is the finest Birthday restaurant in Athens: a Michelin-starred tasting menu experience that unfolds across two hours of meticulously composed courses, in a setting intimate enough to feel personal rather than institutional. For a birthday that communicates genuine taste and care, there is no more considered choice in the city. For Impress Clients, a Michelin-starred experience in a former schoolhouse signals both knowledge of the city and confidence in your judgment — clients who care about food will be impressed; those who don't will be converted.
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