Manu_Athens — Restaurant in Athens

When you first approach Manu, it stands out from the rest of the street with the colors of its exterior lights, and it is effortless to feel at home as you walk inside. The movement of metal, tile and wood used for the interior walls reminded me of ships and fishermen. The great choice of music, the minimal 80's Japan inspired posters and decorations all keep your mind delightfully occupied as you wait.

The staff are really friendly and even though the place is newly opened at the time of this review, everyone seemed very experienced. The cutlery, glasses, bottles, everything seemed real, and intentional. I was particularly in love with the handmade plates which were clearly crafted with the concept of Wabi Sabi in mind.

The menu does not overwhelm you with meaningless choices, but instead offers a simple yet diverse selection of remarkable dishes.

Everything we tried was unique on many layers. As every dish was served, we all hesitated to disturb the beautiful arrangement of some dishes (such as the sushi), a true example of "eating first with your eyes". With every bite, the delicate textures and flavor profiles take your palate on a heartwarming dance. Some dishes make you feel like you are in a Michelin Star restaurant, and others take you back to your childhood and grandma's cooking. After sampling enough of the menu, its clear that every recipe of every dish is meticulously constructed, and the end result is truly the artwork of a master chef.

Manu is a great example of how delicious, clean, high-end seafood cuisine doesn't need to be inaccessible to most. I say this because the prices were very fair, and you definitely get more than your money's worth with your visit.

A great place through...

Delightful little place tucked away in an increasingly gentrified area of central Athens. Our front of house was Eleni for the evening. We arrived early so didn’t know whether we should go in immediately but were beckoned in by her from afar. No insistence on coming over to open the door for us. Yes my attitude could be misconstrued as being a little bougie but these are the little things that make a difference. The restaurant was literally empty.

Anyways we move on. The menu is small but thats often a good thing. Plus it will be subject to change dependent on the catch of the day. Again a good thing.

The wind choice was totally on point. A beautifully buttery straw coloured affair. Tick!! Eleni even arranged a makeshift ice bucket for us because the wine wasn’t quite chilled enough…another tick.

We ordered the crab salad, the two main pasta dishes and the ceviche. All were excellent. Balanced and each allowed the stars of their shows to sing. The standout was the orzo. Creamy briny with chunks of lovely tender seafood. The pasta itself was perfectly cooked. Oh I totally forgot about the oysters. At 3.50euro each these were an absolute steal!!

I can’t fault this place. The interior design was lovely. It looks like a fishing station somewhere in the North Pole. You half expect a polar bear to walk by.

Even Eleni warmed up during the course of the meal and was perfectly charming and made us feel right at home.

Ultimately a cosy delicious dining experience which I would thoroughly...

The food is amazing. We had a wide arrangement of food. Highlight was the fish, wild red sea bream, very well cooked, served open and ready to eat (not fillet). Sided with grilled greens. The chorta greens with the fish eggs tapenade was also a great dish. The tapenade was really well made and was well balanced. If I m not mistaken was made with yogurt and lime. Of course hot dog with the black bread bun was also a delicacy. Very well balanced. On the “muah” side of things the risotto seemed a bit too basic. The binding of the materials was a bit loose. Same for the pappardelle; the mussels and the shrimps seems like an overdrive. I would like to have either or, just one would go great with the pesto sauce. For desert we had sweets; the “burned” cheesecake and the chocolate cake. Really nice and proper. No highlights there but really well made and fresh.

The tables are very widely placed and feels spacious. The street is somewhat busy and the pedestrians are often very close but this is again a typically Athenian...