Pharaoh

Pharaoh is one of the most talked-about restaurants of recent years in Athens, and it holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for good-value cooking. It combines three things in one room: a restaurant that cooks without electricity or gas, a wine bar with more than 400 natural wine labels, and a listening bar where DJs play vinyl through a high-end sound system. The space mixes modern and industrial design, with an open kitchen and a large balcony.

The founders are the food and travel journalist Fotis Vallatos, chef Manolis Papoutsakis, the baritone Dimitris Platanias and wine enthusiast Perry Panagiotakopoulos. Papoutsakis cooks everything on wood-fired stoves, charcoal grills and wood-fired ovens, and the menu is a modern take on traditional Greek dishes made with seasonal, organic ingredients. Dishes mentioned by the Michelin inspectors include taramas with bottarga, stuffed vine leaves, chestnut stew, slow-cooked lamb with traditional Greek pasta, and galaktoboureko, the custard pie, for dessert.

The atmosphere shifts through the evening from dinner to drinks, which makes it a good choice for groups and couples who want food and music in one place. Prices are moderate for the quality. If you are curious about natural wine, the staff can steer you through the list. It is less suited to anyone wanting a quiet, early dinner, as the music and the bar crowd build later on.

Pharaoh opens from 17:30 to 02:00 Monday to Thursday and from 13:30 to 02:00 on Friday and Saturday, with the kitchen closing at midnight. It is closed on Sunday. Booking ahead is advised. The reservations phone line runs daily from 11:00 to 18:00 except Sunday, and groups of more than six or special requests should be arranged by email. Counter seats overlooking the kitchen are fun for couples.

The restaurant is on Solomou Street on the edge of Exarchia, about a ten-minute walk from Omonia metro station and close to the National Archaeological Museum, so it works well for a late lunch on a Friday or Saturday after a museum visit. Exarchia's bars and cafés are a few streets away for later. The four founders bring together food writing, cooking, music and wine, which explains the mix of a serious wood-fired kitchen, a record collection and a long natural wine list.