Botrini’s is a Michelin-starred restaurant in Athens and the ultimate fulfilment of Chef Ettore Botrini. It is his culinary dream, as he always believed that one of the true pleasures of life is sharing food at a table with friends and loved ones. Botrini’s brings gastronomy with due respect to seasonality, quality and the indigenousness of raw ingredients. The restaurant is located in Chalandri, in an old school in a quiet suburb of the city, on the outskirts of central Athens. Botrini’s was awarded “Restaurant of the Year” by Gault&Millau in 2020.

Concept & Interior

Arriving at Botrini’s, you feel you’ve entered somewhere special. The restaurant is located in a beautiful converted school surrounded by an outdoor courtyard with a lush garden. The building itself has outside seating as well as airy modern dining rooms with view on the courtyard or on the big kitchen. The restaurant’s style can be described as minimalist and the stylish and modern interior gives a spacious feeling which is extended by large dining tables.

The kitchen philosophy is based on Greek classics that are prepared in creative, contemporary ways. The chef works primarily with beautiful products and he and his team prepare these ingredients using different old and new technologies. Ettore is a conceptual thinker and emphasises storytelling in his dishes.

The Chef

Chef Ettore Botrini, a Corfiot Italian with a long history in gastronomy studied in Switzerland and received culinary training all over the world. In 1999, he followed up his father at the famous restaurant Etrusco in Corfu and in 2011 he opened his dream restaurant Botrini’s in Athens.

Botrini’s restaurant is the realization of Chef Botrini’s dream thanks to “Botrini’s Project”, a successful television program by the same name on Alpha TV network. It was created with the intention of opening up a road to cooking, for young people who were seeking a career opportunity in their lives. Botrini’s dream, however, was more complex than that, because he believes that one of the greatest pleasures of life is to share food at a common table with friends and loved ones. For this reason, he wanted to create an affordable restaurant that would bring gastronomy closer to people with due respect to seasonality, quality and the indigenousness of raw ingredients. A truly commitment to sustainable gastronomy.

Head Chef Nikos Billis was born in Velestino and studied cooking in Rhodes. He has worked in reputable restaurants such as Sani Resort’s Water Restaurant, Hydra and Blue Hytra, The Miramar, Le Jardin des Senses, De Librije and Noma. Today, he passionately leads the kitchen team in Botrini’s. His drive and enthusiasm are contagious and can be felt on the plate.

Gastronomy

Botrini’s is a passionately run restaurant with appealing and modern menus which feature local produce in creative, attractively presented dishes. The menus allow one to taste the various expressions of their cuisine and each one tells a story. Their stories connect flavours, textures, philosophical concepts, cooking traditions, nostalgic memories and creative ideas which results in playful twists, beautifully presented dishes with an exceptional quality but at the same time, to emphasize the high technique of their creator.

The menu is updated seasonally. At Botrini’s, they focus on a complete experience which can easily be compared to a ritual. They want to highlight the relationship between raw nature, produce and our cultural history. Like the dish ‘Herring, A Journey Through Time’, which starts with a smoked golden herring brought to the table as décor followed with a white mousse cream to discover underneath the herring and other ingredients.

The impressive zucchini tarte, as a signature dish, is called Gastro Esperanto. The olive puff pastry with zucchini, ‘kariki’ cheese from Tinos and truffle is beautifully layered and a true delicacy.

Sweetbread is served like a Corfiot «Savoro» and tasteful milk-fed lamb with eggplant and a miso fig-pie.

Why Go?

The Botrini’s experience truly is a real ritual and a passionately run restaurant. Reserve a table in the lush garden and savour one of the tasting menus and go for the Greek wine pairing in this contemporary restaurant. Enjoy their philosophical concepts, textures, cooking traditions, nostalgic memories, creative ideas and stories connecting flavours. A must-do in Athens.

Previous Visit 2019