Hytra Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Athens

Subpar service with unimpressive food. I've been to many Michelin restaurants in New York and Paris. Probably unfair to compare to the food scene in those cities, but Hytra is by far the worst Michelin experience I've ever had.

We requested a table with a view when we made the reservation. When we arrived, the staff gave us a table near the entrance without acknowledging our previous request. Because of a wildfire in the north, the outdoor area was also closed. It's all understandable but there was no effort from the staff to try to make up for the fact that they forgot about our request. A window table next to us was about to pay, so I politely asked our waiter to help us move there when the table is cleaned, and he promised he would. But 10 minutes later, the staff--right in front of us--asked another table near us who arrived much later than us if they would like to move to that window table. I'm not sure what was at play here--I do not want to make assumptions but we felt that we were treated very differently for some reason.

I raised this with our waiter, and his belated solution was to move us to a 4-person table that was still being cleaned. It was too big of a table for just me and my friend, so we had to decline the "offer." When we almost finished our meal, the staff offered to move us again to a 2-person window table. We turned it down obviously, because it was just ridiculous to move when we were about to leave. What could have been better is they just admit they've made a mistake and make genuine effort to help. Instead, the staff passively aggressively said "OK whatever you want" when we didn't take up on their ridiculous offers.

During the course of the meal, the service was also subpar. The staff were not attentive, and it almost felt like some of them were trying to avoid eye contact. Had to wait for a while to get their attention. They also seemed eager to rush us out, trying to clean our plates for the next course when we were clearly still working on the food. The staff also spoke very fast when explaining the dishes. With their accent it was a little hard to understand. Overall service is just disappointing, and the staff clearly need more training.

Now to the food. We did the €90 degustation menu. In hindsight the €110 menu might have been better. There was nothing memorable about the appetizers. The cod was fine but you can find equally decent cod dishes at other restaurants without paying this much. The pork was delicious, and the strawberry dessert was a nice end to the meal with a mastiha twist. Ironically, both my and my friend's favorite part of the meal is just the bread (brioche with flavored butter).

To be fair, the menus are not pricey by Michelin-one-star standards, and the food--although not memorable--was fine. It's just the poor service that left a really bad taste in my mouth (pun intended). I've had much more professional and friendlier service at local tavernas in Athens. I hope this is not representative of the quality of fine dining in Athens. Would not come...

Hytra boasts a charming setting nestled on a green hill up a short garden path - it also boasts 1 Michelin star and may make your list of dine dining haunts in Athens. (If you can find it)

It’s confusingly playing neighbor to another restaurant, Fuga, that seems to be located directly in front of it and hogging half the signage… but fear not, just follow the path upward and to the right from the entrance on the street where the main “Hytra” label sits on the map and emblazoned on the wall next to a sign for “Fuga”.

Google reviewers have uploaded photos from inside Hytra under Fuga’s name… making this even more confusing. Fuga is apparently a temporary rebranding of Hytra’s space for events… is this common in Greece? I have absolutely no idea.

The restaurant is decorated classically and resembles many American fine dining establishments. Comfortable seating, glossy black tables, and modern lighting all fit the bill here. Some people dining nearby had even brought their children - it was really very low key. If you don’t want the usual pressure of a Michelin star restaurant but you want the food quality, you will probably love this. Absolutely zero pretense or stuffiness— just be aware that some people like that and will find this off-putting.

Maybe they’re in a new space recently having moved? It all felt weirdly staged and maybe the restaurant will move spaces? The view is very nice in the evening, can’t deny that. We’ll see how it develops in the future.

But the Michelin reviewers got it right here, I think: the food is captivating and surpasses the elegance of the venue. You’ll find a relatively condensed tasting menu, strong offerings of local wine for a pairing, and no pressure to follow the usual “you must do X or Y” here. You can adjust reservations and dining preferences up to the moment and they’re very accommodating (again maybe reflecting a heightened sensitivity to tourists who might not understand normal Michelin grade strictness?).

All the guesswork aside, the plates are well presented and the food is really top notch. I found myself wanting more and could have maybe eaten two of the smaller 90€ menus. Take that as you will. Bread is a standout, and as is common in Greece, assumes its own course. Always found that funny when it’s an “intermission” plate in American restaurants.

Local fruit and vegetables take center stage and a tender, lush cod main round out the menu - desert is light and fresh and dishes flow well into one another. Again, set expectations appropriately but definitely try this place if you aren’t perhaps a more seasoned Michelin eater and you’ll find that Hytra helps bridge the gap easily between fine dining and the next step up.

I bet it looks even more spectacular in the earlier evening...

Our dinner at Hytra was bland, boring and uninspiring. We ordered the vegetarian „Think Green“ menu with cocktail pairing and left disappointed. We had not even sat down when the staff requested to know whether both of us would be having the vegetarian menu. An aperitif was not suggested so we sat sipping sparkling water for three long courses. The waiter asking us to take our napkins because she had to place a small spoon in its place came across as rude. In terms of the actual food, none of the individual courses particularly stood out to us. When I took the opportunity to mention to the front of house staff that the „housemade cheese“ course was so bland, that the individual ingredients were almost indiscernible, she simply informed us that the dish was meant to appeal to as many people as possible and to be very mild. Other feedback was furthermore disregarded. The fennel and beetroot courses tasted alright but were quickly forgotten about. Neither was out of the ordinary and both seemed as though they could be improved upon in a home kitchen (for example adding some spice to the fennel, more beurre blanc with the beetroot). The same was true for the bread course which was underbaked and doughy. More than once was one portion bigger than the other, a large part of the cutlery and the glasses could have done with some polishing to get rid of dirt marks and some of the plates had smaller cracks. On top of that, the atmosphere was lacking. The music at times was turned up too loud and the the playlist lacked continuity (jazz, 2000s pop,…). It was very windy, the table next to us was placed next to a significant and quite dangerous drop where plants might have been and the sun was blinding. I would have appreciated it if the front of house had shown some excitement for their jobs, if they had shared how the cocktails were supposed to underline the food (or not?!) and if they had a better eye for detail. For example, the staff failed to take away empty drinks glasses, they almost tossed coasters in front of us for the second cocktail and the individual plates of the bread course were placed so far away from each other, that we ended up moving them around to avoid butter melting all over the table. All in all some of the food was good but could have done with some seasoning. The cocktails could have done without the obnoxious ice cubes, the service could have acted a little bit more upbeat and receptive to feedback. There are much better Michelin starred restaurants out there that offer a better (vegetarian) experience at a comparable price point,...