Simul

About Simul

Simul opened quietly in Kolonaki and, through word of mouth rather than press releases, has become one of the most talked-about new tables in Athens. Chef Nikos Thomas — trained in several of the city's Michelin kitchens before striking out — brings a bistronomic sensibility that feels entirely current: seasonal Greek ingredients treated with contemporary technique, smart plates at honest prices, a natural-leaning wine list, and an attitude toward service that is warm without ever performing. It is the kind of restaurant Athens has needed more of, and the room is full because the city knows it.

The space is small and deliberately understated — a narrow bistro-style room with close wooden tables, an open kitchen visible from most seats, and a soundtrack that stops being background after the second glass of wine. Lighting is warm and a little low. The crowd skews younger than Kolonaki's old guard: architects, second-generation restaurateurs, the city's food-curious thirty-somethings, and couples on first dates that want conversation to feel alive.

The menu moves with the seasons and the chef's mood. Expect things like slow-cooked lamb shoulder with trahana and smoked yoghurt; raw Aegean fish dressed with fermented wild herbs; a single perfect omelette with bottarga for two; house-made pasta with seasonal greens and aged kefalotyri; a dessert of olive oil cake with citrus and Greek yoghurt sorbet that everyone orders twice. Most plates sit in the €12 to €22 range, and a dinner with three or four shared dishes plus wine lands around €50 to €65 a head. By any measure of value-for-ambition, this is a benchmark. The wine list is the other reason to come: a short, well-edited selection of Greek natural producers you will not find on hotel menus.

Service is young, relaxed, and properly informed — the floor team can walk you through each dish and each bottle without reaching for cliche. Book a week ahead for weeknights, two for weekends. The chef's counter seats are the best ones in the house.

Best Occasion Fit

Simul is an excellent First Date room for anyone who actually cares about food — the menu and the natural wine list give you something to talk about, and the prices let you order confidently without performance. The counter seats make it one of the better Solo Dining options in Kolonaki. Small Team Dinners of four to six work beautifully.