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How Many Restaurants Are There in Athens?

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Restaurants in Athens: Key Takeaways

  • Athens has approximately 1,725 restaurants spread across several major neighborhoods.
  • Full-service restaurants dominate with about 1,000 venues offering traditional dining experiences.
  • Greek cuisine is by far the most popular, with roughly 1,000 Greek restaurants listed in the city.

Athens boasts a vibrant culinary scene with 1,725 restaurants. This article presents a detailed breakdown by area, type, and cuisine, highlighting why exact figures can vary across sources.

Explore the distribution of restaurants across neighborhoods like Athens Center and Piraeus, and learn about categories from full-service to pop-up, plus popular cuisines.

If you are a business owner or manager looking to hire top hospitality talent, our guide on how to find the best staff for your restaurant covers proven strategies for assembling a strong team.

Breakdown of Restaurants in Athens by Area

Below is a detailed snapshot of how many restaurants each major Athens area contains.

AreaNumber of Restaurants
Athens Center1000
Piraeus337
Kallithea167
Chalandri167
Vouliagmeni100
Kifisia50
Glyfada50
Marousi50
Nea Smyrni50
Peristeri50

Athens Center represents the city's culinary heart with around 1,000 restaurants. Piraeus follows as an important port area with over 330 dining venues.

Neighborhoods such as Kallithea and Chalandri have a notable presence of 167 eateries each, while areas like Vouliagmeni and Kifisia host smaller but thriving food scenes.

For those focusing on specific roles, our restaurant manager job description gives insight into the responsibilities found in businesses across Athens.

Breakdown of Restaurants in Athens by Category

This table illustrates how various restaurant types contribute to Athens’s dining landscape.

CategoryApproximate Count
Full-Service Restaurants1000
Fast Food and Quick-Service Restaurants500
Cafes and Coffee Shops100
Bars and Pubs75
Food Stalls and Mobile Vendors50
Pop-up Restaurants25
Ghost Kitchens and Virtual Restaurants25

Full-service restaurants are the backbone of Athens’s food scene, comprising about 1,000 venues. Fast food and quick-service options also have a significant footprint with roughly 500 outlets.

Emerging dining formats like pop-up restaurants and ghost kitchens add innovative variety, while cafes, bars, and mobile vendors enhance the city's wide culinary offerings.

If you're interested in recruiting efficiently, our tips on how to hire restaurant staff fast will help you scale your team to meet the demands of different restaurant categories.

Breakdown of Restaurants in Athens by Cuisine

Athens offers a rich variety of cuisines; the following shows the approximate number of restaurants per food type.

CuisineApproximate Number
Greek1000
Italian300
Chinese200
Japanese100
Mexican75
Indian50
Middle Eastern50

Greek cuisine is the dominant flavor with about 1,000 restaurants focusing on traditional and modern Greek fare. Italian and Chinese restaurants also have strong presences with 300 and 200 establishments respectively.

Diverse options like Japanese, Mexican, Indian, and Middle Eastern cuisines reflect Athens’s cosmopolitan palate and evolving dining preferences.

Restaurant owners seeking to stand out can benefit from our article on how to write a job description to attract top talent across various cuisines.

Official Athens Records and Registered Restaurant Businesses

The City of Athens maintains official records of food establishments through health inspections and business licenses. These registrations help ensure restaurants comply with local regulations and food safety standards.

Such records serve as a reliable baseline for counting legally registered and operational restaurants, providing an authoritative source on the city's dining venues.

To further boost efficiency, learn about effective restaurant staff hiring and improve your restaurant's compliance with regulations and business goals.

Restaurants in Athens Listed on Google and Other Online Platforms

Online platforms like Google Maps list actively operating and publicly visible restaurants. These sources may report different numbers than official records, as they include venues with an online presence, user reviews, and recent activity.

Consequently, online directories can reflect current market trends but might omit new openings or temporarily closed places, leading to discrepancies in restaurant counts.

Considering roles in hospitality? Take a look at the restaurant consultant job description if you're interested in a career that aids restaurants in improving their performance.

Why Restaurant Counts in Athens Vary and Conclusion

Variations in Athens’s restaurant numbers stem from differing data collection methods, definitions, and update cycles. Some sources count only licensed establishments, while others include informal vendors and virtual kitchens.

Overall, Athens features a dynamic culinary environment with over 1,700 restaurants, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and continuously evolving food scene.

For guidance on streamlining your restaurant's hiring process, explore our comprehensive step-by-step overview for restaurant employers.