RFK Rankings · Athens
Best Restaurants for Family-Friendly in Athens (2026)
For families · Athens · 7 tavernas ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published May 20, 2024 · Updated June 11, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Athenians bring their children to the taverna as a matter of course, and the meze table is what makes it work: a dozen small plates land at once, and fussy eaters find something they like. These seven, from a 1935 Plaka ouzeri to a former schoolyard garden in Exarchia, are ranked on the cooking, the room and how easily a family settles in.
1.Scholarchio
The Kouklis family brings a tray of eighteen meze to the table; the pick-what-you-like service suits fussy eaters.
Scholarchio, the Kouklis family ouzeri at Tripodon 14 in Plaka, has run since 1935, and its signature is the tray: a server brings around eighteen to twenty small plates and you point at what the table wants. The zucchini balls, the saganaki and the dolmades anchor a set meze deal at roughly 15 euro a head, with individual plates 5 to 9 euro.
The two-storey building has a vine-covered terrace, and the choose-from-the-tray format is made for children and indecisive eaters alike. It sits a short walk from the Acropolis, open daily into the night, closed Tuesdays. Take the terrace, let the children pick from the tray, and order the zucchini balls and the saganaki to start.
2.Strofi
A rooftop terrace with full Parthenon views, family-run since 1975; the children watch the Acropolis while the moussaka lands.
Strofi, at Rovertou Galli 25 in Makriyanni, two blocks south of the Acropolis, has been family-run since 1975, and its rooftop terrace looks straight at the Parthenon. The classic Athenian menu runs to moussaka, lamb wrapped in grape leaves and slow-cooked veal, at roughly 30 to 45 euro a head, with the terrace seating up to a hundred.
The view is the reason children sit still here, and the terrace is enclosable and heated, so it works across the seasons near the Acropolis Museum. Portions are generous and the welcome is warm. Book the rooftop rather than the indoor room, time it for dusk when the Parthenon lights, and order the moussaka for the table.
3.Oikonomou
Kostas and his children run a 1930 neighbourhood taverna of olive-oil vegetables and rabbit stew; affordable, unpretentious, easy with kids.
Oikonomou, in Ano Petralona, has been a taverna since 1930, now run by Kostas with his children George and Angeliki, who kept the kitchen intact when it changed hands in 2023. The board is daily home cooking, the ladera olive-oil vegetables, rabbit stifado, rooster with spaghetti and baked lamb with quince potatoes, very affordable at roughly 15 to 25 euro a head.
This is a genuine neighbourhood family taverna, casual and unpretentious, away from the tourist crush, and it took the FNL Guide's Best Traditional Greek Cuisine award in 2025. The home-style cooking has broad appeal for children. Go for an early dinner, order the rabbit stifado and a plate of the ladera, and let the family run the table.
4.Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani
Fanis Theodoropoulos plates pastirma and cheese in a frescoed deli; the sharing platters are easy with children.
Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani, Fanis Theodoropoulos's deli and restaurant in Psyrri at Sokratous 1, builds its menu around Anatolian-Greek charcuterie. The pastirma, the air-dried cured beef served several ways, anchors a board of cheeses and meze platters at roughly 20 to 25 euro a head with drinks, in a restored neoclassical room with original frescoes.
There is indoor and outdoor seating, and the sharing-plate format makes it an easy table with children even when the room is lively. The Greek Gastronomy Guide and Time Out both recommend it. Take a table near the deli counter, order a mixed pastirma board and a couple of cheeses, and let the table graze across the platters.
5.Atlantikos
A cheerful Psyrri fish room plates grilled seafood at taverna prices; the open kitchen keeps children watching.
Atlantikos, at Avliton 7 off Ermou near Monastiraki, is a casual seafood room that has grown a second annex around the corner to handle the crowds. Grilled fresh fish and seafood meze anchor a board that stays notably affordable at roughly 20 to 30 euro a head, served across two floors plus the annex.
It is cheerful and a little chaotic in the best taverna way, with an open kitchen children can watch and room enough for a family to spread out. Open daily from early afternoon into the night, central and year-round. Come early before the rush, order the grilled catch of the day and a plate of fried small fish, and take the table by the kitchen.
6.Ama Lachei stis Nefelis
Set in a former primary school, its lemon-tree courtyard is a rare kids-can-roam garden in central Athens.
Ama Lachei stis Nefelis, at Kallidromiou 69 in Exarchia, occupies a renovated former primary school, and its standout is the garden courtyard, the old schoolyard, shaded by lemon trees and bougainvillea. The creative Greek meze, the courgette fritters and regional small plates, runs roughly 20 to 25 euro a head, served midday until past midnight.
The courtyard is a genuine kids-can-roam space, rare in the centre, bright and relaxed with room to spread out. Culinary Backstreets and the This Is Athens guide both flag it. Book the garden rather than the indoor room, let the children use the courtyard, and order a spread of the fritters and the daily meze for the table.
7.Mani Mani
A two-floor Koukaki room of handmade Mani pasta, refined but relaxed; the distinctive menu still keeps children happy.
Mani Mani, at Falirou 10 in Koukaki, cooks the food of the Mani peninsula in a two-floor neoclassical building near the Acropolis, with ingredients, the handmade pasta from Gythio, the siglino smoked pork, the Lakonian cheese, brought in weekly. The regional menu runs roughly 25 to 35 euro a head, refined but relaxed rather than formal.
It is welcoming to families despite the polish, with a comfortable space and a distinctive menu that still has plenty children enjoy, in a quieter corner of Koukaki. The New York Times named it a go-to in its Athens coverage. Take the upstairs room, order the handmade pasta with siglino, and let the table share the Mani small plates.
Not for everyone
Wonderful, but not for children
Spondi. Arnaud Bignon's Pangrati room holds two Michelin stars for its French-Mediterranean tasting menus, an elegant, formal, advance-booking dinner. It is a magnificent adults' evening, the opposite of a relaxed family taverna.
Delta. The two-star room inside the Stavros Niarchos Center in Faliro runs a tasting menu over two and a half to three hours. It is destination fine dining with a quiet, grown-up room, not a table for restless children.
Hytra. The one-star room at the Onassis Cultural Center plates a refined contemporary Greek tasting menu in a hushed dining room. Beautiful for two, but not the place to bring the family on a busy evening.
How to eat with family in Athens
The meze format is what makes the Athenian taverna so easy with children: a dozen small plates land at once and everyone finds something. Scholarchio's tray and the sharing boards at Ta Karamanlidika and Ama Lachei are the most child-friendly versions of this.
For a view with the meal, Strofi's rooftop puts the Parthenon in front of the children while the food arrives, and Ama Lachei's schoolyard garden in Exarchia gives them room to roam. Book the terrace or the garden ahead, and time dinner early before the late Athenian rush.
Frequently asked
Which Athens restaurants are best for families?
Scholarchio in Plaka, with its tray of meze you point at, and Strofi in Makriyanni, with a rooftop facing the Parthenon, are two of the easiest tables with children. Ama Lachei in Exarchia has a former schoolyard garden where children can roam.
Are Athens tavernas child-friendly?
Yes. Athenians routinely bring children to the taverna, and the meze sharing format, a dozen small plates landing at once, makes it naturally easy for families. Most neighbourhood tavernas welcome children as a matter of course rather than as an exception.
Where can I eat near the Acropolis with kids?
Strofi at Rovertou Galli 25 has a rooftop terrace with full Parthenon views, two blocks south of the Acropolis, and Scholarchio in Plaka is a short walk from the site. Both are relaxed, family-run rooms suited to children.
Which Athens restaurant has a garden for children?
Ama Lachei stis Nefelis in Exarchia is set in a former primary school, and its courtyard, the old schoolyard under lemon trees, is a rare central garden where children can roam. Book the garden rather than the indoor room.
Do family tavernas in Athens need reservations?
The popular rooftop and garden tables, at Strofi and Ama Lachei, are worth booking ahead, especially in summer. The casual neighbourhood tavernas like Oikonomou and Atlantikos take families easily, but an early dinner avoids the late Athenian rush.
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