Fine Dining in Athens: Ignite your SENSES at the AthensWas Rooftop Restaurant

When you think of Greece, the first things to come to mind are great hospitality, stunning views and good food. Now just imagine these three elements gathered in one place and you’ve got the SENSE Restaurant in Athens.

Located on the rooftop of the AthensWas Hotel, this garden restaurant offers Greek hospitality at its finest, stunning views of the Acropolis and an exquisite Greek gastronomy concept.

Service with a smile

The restaurant’s face – the staff – is welcoming and makes you feel right at home in the minimal chic setting of SENSE. From the moment you’re shown to your table, you’re aware of the staff’s fine dining etiquette. Observant, fast, discreet are just a few words to describe the service offered at the SENSE Restaurant, which aims – and succeeds – to turn fine dining into an memorable experience.

The view

It’s not an overstatement to say that the view is the first thing that will take your breath away. The SENSE rooftop restaurant is situated at a prestigious spot in the heart of the historical city of Athens and on the entrance of the main road that leads to the Acropolis hill.

When seated at the SENSE, the colourful rooftops of Athens, the Acropolis hill with the Parthenon temple on top feels so close you can almost touch them and on the other side the Lycabettus hill.

The menu: Authentic Flavours, Intriguing Appearances and Perfection

And while the view of the Acropolis may be hard to compete with, the menu of the SENSE Restaurant has its way of turning everyone’s attention to its modern Greek cuisine concept.

Briam.

For a third consecutive year, the kitchen of the SENSE Restaurant is run by executive chef, Alexandros Charalambopoulos. With a blooming career and having worked for some of the most demanding restaurants in Greece and London, the chef this season once again offers an elevated culinary experience to SENSE’s guests.

Marinated Double Lined Mackerel .

Watermelon “Tartare”.

The chef and his team have inspired a menu that highlights the appreciation for Greece’s culinary tradition and presents impressive dishes through a modern and elegant approach.

“How?” one might ask.
Well, for starters, its the quality of the ingredients that play a key role in each recipe, which are carefully selected and combined in creative ways to be served masterfully.

Chef Charalambopoulos tells us:
“The basis and inspiration for creating the current menu at the SENSE restaurant, are essentially two things. First, the exceptional raw materials that are produced from end to end in our country and, second, local – traditional recipes, curated by us in our own, more creative way.”

Chef Alexandros Charalambopoulos.

Chef Charalambopoulos points out that using local and fresh produce is not a trend but a mandatory option for his recipes.

“The abundance of fruits and vegetables that the Greek land produces at this time of the year, can be considered the ‘foundation’ for all our dishes. Whether they are served separate or are part of the dish,” he adds.

Open Vegetable Aubergine.

Watermelon “Tartare”.

While the menu is ever-changing, the chef reveals that his main inspiration is driven by his childhood memories and – of course – the quality products of the Greek land.

All of the chef’s dishes start with fresh and homemade sourdough bread accompanied by extra virgin olive oil, curated by the man himself.

Bold tastes, artistic appearance and a profound love for the Greek culinary tradition compose the orchestration of the absolute fine dining symphony offered by SENSE Restaurant

Interesting fact:
Chef Charalambopoulos’ recipes include using herbs sourced straight from the restaurant’s own organic, herb garden – something that is quite hard to find in Athens city center.

The chef recommends…

For the morning: the “Bouyourdi” bruschetta with tomato-pepper stew, baked feta, oregano and olive oil combined with an egg salad with soft-boiled eggs, rustic croutons, grated feta and olive oil.

For lunch: a Skyros oil pie (made with fluffy dough and served with Skyrian cheese) with sour cream, tomato and capers on the side.

For dinner: the Summer “Bostani” Garden (seasonal greens, pickled grape /radish, White Navy beans from Limnos Island, seasonal beans, dogberries, nuts, lime) as an appetizer.
For the main dish, a great selection is the restaurant’s “best-seller”- the Coal Roasted Amberjack Fish with “Sofigada Stew” from Lakonia, Greek Jamon and pearl onions.
The perfect dessert to follow this exquisite dinner would surely be the Yogurt Mousse with white chocolate, green apple, mint and lime.

Yogurt mousse.

To top off the night, a signature cocktail at the rooftop bar of AthensWas may be just what the doctor ordered.

We recommend: the Mediterranean Spoon (Mastic, Limoncello, Apricot, Lemon, Bitters), the Fabulous Night (Gin, Yuzu, Lime, Rose), the Passion Treat (Blend Of Rums, Passion, Lime, Butterscotch) or the Edens’ Garden (Vodka, Passion, Violet, Lime).

Open year round

Remember. The SENSE rooftop restaurant is an all day and all year gastronomical hotspot. So whether you have an al fresco dinner on summer evening or dine in colder weather during winter, the – fine dining experience with a view – experience is always available.

Visit the hotel’s website here: https://www.athenswas.gr/

AthensWas is a member of the Anemi Hotels Group and is situated on the Dionysiou Areopagitou pedestrian walkway, only minutes away from Athens’ major attractions.