In his Chef’s statement, Michelin-starred Petros Dimas promises guests a journey through flavors designed to make dreams come true. With that promise in mind, we arrived at Makris eager to experience dinner on the rooftop terrace, where sweeping views of the Parthenon provide one of Athens’ most spectacular dining backdrops. Our timing seemed perfect—we imagined watching the sun set over the ancient city before seeing the illuminated Parthenon rise above the darkness of night.
The rainy weather, however, had other plans. Rather than the rooftop, we were escorted to Makris’ elegant lower level, where an unexpected surprise awaited us. During construction of the restaurant, ancient ruins were discovered beneath the building, and our table was quite literally positioned above a piece of Athens’ remarkable history.
Makris offers guests a choice of three tasting menus, as well as an à la carte menu, with dining experiences ranging from €125 to €175 per person. Wine pairings begin at €99 and extend to €750 for selections featuring some of the restaurant’s finest and rarest bottles. Opting for the à la carte menu, we chose to create our own culinary journey and discover whether Chef Dimas’ promise would become reality.
Table with a Glass of Champagne
Dinner at Makris – Athens
Chef describes this as a memory of earth, smoke and light composed of four separate bites. The first is a mushroom and Jerusalem artichoke tartlet with crispy flakes covering burnt milk cream. Next is a grilled quail leg resting on caramelized onions with an edible biscuit bone. A spoonful of venison tartare made with egg yolk cream, hazelnuts and truffle mayonnaise was heavenly and the last bite, an edible branch made with mushroom and onion scraps (also delicious) to emphasize chef’s commitment to zero-waste cooking.
Bouquet From the Farm
An iconic dish at Makris is a bouquet of herbs and greens hand-picked by the Chef from the farm, resting on a tomato water gel. It is accompanied by avocado cream and cheese from Sifnos, marinated in a vinaigrette of extra virgin olive oil, preserved bergamot, macadamia nuts, fresh wild strawberries and picked peas.
Carefully poached shrimp are garnished with Kharmani Persian Kaluga caviar to compliment the richness and buttery texture of the shellfish. The shrimp, and a soup of carrots, ginger and oranges with an emulsion of coriander is served beneath a tuille, made from all the pieces of the shrimp.
Next we are presented with a lengthy menu of Greek olive oils from which we chose the two shown above. One bold and the other mild, presented us with a wonderful contrast of flavor to accompany the bread and butter (under the flower) in the image below.
Chef’s Signature Dish
For our main we chose Blue Brittany Lobster Ravioli. The homemade raviolis are created from mixing two pastas, one saffron and the second colored by cuttlefish ink. The ravioli is filled with blue Brittany lobster tartare and the dish is crowned with lobster claw, fresh truffle and caviar. The dish is finished with garum sauce aromatized with tomato water, lime and aromatic oils.
Hellenic Cheese Course
Our cheese course took us on a delicious journey around the Greek islands. From left to right, Kefalotiri Niotiko from Ios is a pale yellow salty goat cheese paired with kumquat jam.
Next is a rare rolled Manoura cheese, an artisanal semi-soft, alabaster-white aged cheese from Sifnos. It’s made from sheep or goat’s milk and aged in wine sediments (lees). With a spicy, earthy flavor it tastes incredibly creamy and buttery – paired with olive.
The third cheese is Arseniko, a traditional, hard, aged cheese from Naxos. Made from unpasteurized sheep and goat’s milk it’s celebrated for its rich, spicy flavor and complex aroma. Paired with quince paste.
Our last cheese is the remarkable Kariki made on the island of Tinos. This rare blue cheese is made with cow’s milk and naturally aged inside hollowed-out pumpkins. Strikingly sharp and aromatic it is paired with honey, easily our favorite.
Desserts
Pre Dessert – Grapefruit Textures
Makris presented a beautifully crafted palate cleanser where grapefruit appeared in multiple forms. Aperol gel, is cloaked beneath delicate green apple foam and crowned with a crisp grapefruit coil of spun-sugar opaline. The interplay of sweet and sour flavors was refreshing, providing a perfect transition from the cheese course to the restaurant’s signature dessert.
This recreation of a lemon from their farm has an outer layer of vegan chocolate with lemon filling. Paired with spearmint sorbet (below), both setting on coconut snow.
Mignardise Chessboard
Our server challenged us to discover the two edible chess pieces made with grue de cacao praline and Greek coffee ganache. But, there was one final bite to come.
Parting Thoughts
As we finished dinner and stepped back into the streets of Athens, the rain had finally passed, revealing crystal-clear skies above the city. We lingered beneath the illuminated Acropolis, admiring the breathtaking beauty of the Parthenon glowing against the night sky. It was the perfect setting to reflect on the evening—the exceptional food, the remarkable venue, and the warm hospitality.
Returning to Chef Dimas opening remarks, we both decided he did “make our dreams come true” for our evening at Makris.