"Spyros Liakos, Vangelis Liakos, Pericles Koskinas, and Manos Zournatzis are some of the country’s top cooking talents. At Cookoovaya, they create free-flowing, family-style meals under the mantra “remember how you felt, not just what you ate.” Though the seasonal menu changes often, some of their most-beloved dishes are slow-braised beef cheek with smoked eggplant puree, and grilled fish of the day with amaranth, olive oil, and lemon. It’s a good idea to start your meal with one of their pies; the open-topped version with truffle-creamed mushrooms, grilled beef off-cuts, and crispy onion is the most interesting. [$$$]" - Demetrios Ioannou
Cookoovaya, Athens