Sculptures, paintings, photography exhibitions, installations… And then cold coffee, snacks, and delicious creative dishes from Greek and other cuisines. The museums in Athens are housed in the some of the city’s most beautiful buildings and offer, besides important permanent and temporary exhibitions of remarkable cultural value, comfortable air-conditioned eateries, some of which boast beautiful outdoor spaces with views of lush gardens or unique archaeological sites. Choose them for cool lunch breaks or atmospheric dinners.

The National Archaeological Museum

At the city’s premier cultural repository, the National Archaeological Museum, with over 11,000 exhibits from the dawn of prehistory to late antiquity, there’s a beautiful garden. Enjoy a coffee, salad, or sandwich as you sit among the statues, surrounded by 700 new plant species and unique artworks. The garden also hosts musical events, and until 31/7, features the “Spectacular Environment” exhibition by artist Elias Papanikolaou, showcasing a series of colorful works with figures in alignment and an emphasis on the expression of his heroes.

The Benaki Museum

The Benaki Museum in Kolonaki, renowned for its collection of prehistoric, ancient Greek, and Roman antiquities, Byzantine artifacts, and relics from the late 18th century onwards, features one of the most elegant terraces in Athens, a space overlooking the National Gardens and with views to Lycabettus Hill, and the Acropolis. Here you can enjoy everything from coffee and cocktails to Kassiot dolmadakia and aromatic meatballs.

Alongside its permanent collection showcasing the treasures of Greek culture, the museum is currently hosting two fascinating exhibitions; the first features twelve original costumes by Oscar-winning designer Holly Waddington, handmade for Yorgos Lanthimos’ acclaimed film “Poor Things” (until 29/09/2024), while the second, titled “Grand Tour,” displays 17 iconic artworks from the British Ambassador’s Residence, on loan from the UK Government Art Collection, including a portrait of Lord Byron by Thomas Phillips. This exhibit commemorates the 2024 bicentenary of the Philhellene poet’s death (until 1/6/2025).

The Acropolis Museum

On the 700-sq.m. terrace of the Acropolis Museum restaurant, with the Parthenon so close you feel you can touch it, you can enjoy creative Greek flavors in dishes made with products of designated origin. Naxos fried potatoes with tomato and graviera cheese, salad with Cretan apaki, Folegandros matsata pasta with beef in the pot are just some of my favorites for lunch or dinner. The terrace also boasts the most amazing view of the Parthenon, adding to the experience. Often, however, I come for the Greek breakfast instead; it’s served until 12:00 and includes, among other things, Thessaloniki sesame bread ring, strapatsada (scrambled eggs with tomato), and fried eggs with apaki.

For your dose of culture, make sure to visit the brand-new Excavation Museum, a groundbreaking exhibition space beneath the museum and featuring 1,150 artifacts from over 4,500 years of history, as well as the photography exhibition by Robert McCabe titled “Hello Stranger: In the Land of Dreams” in the Temporary Exhibition Hall on the ground floor. This unique retrospective of McCabe’s “Greek era,” with about 100 photographs, highlights the timelessness of the American artist’s works. (Until 8/9)

The National Museum of Contemporary Art

Since 2020, Athens has played proud host to the National Museum of Contemporary Art, which offers a globally significant permanent collection and temporary exhibitions showcasing pioneering artistic trends. It has also, rather unexpectedly, become a gastronomic destination. Chef Stamatis Misomikes has crafted three degustation menus at the museum’s restaurant Nyn Esti, focusing on seasonality and featuring unique dishes made with top-quality ingredients from small producers. Highlights include a Rhodes olive oil pie with smoked cashew cream, the tempura zucchini flowers, and a modern take on Rhodes melekouni with acacia, beeswax, and apricot. The cuisine is delicious, gourmet, and contemporary, perfect for a museum of contemporary art.

Until November 2024, the museum is presenting a series of 16 exhibitions titled “What if Women Ruled the World?” dedicated to the artistic work of artists identifying as female. Highlights include “Shitty Disco,” the first solo exhibition in Greece of the internationally acclaimed Los Angeles-based Iranian artist Tala Madani (until 10/11/2024); the monumental installation “RIG: untitled; blocks” by Phyllida Barlow (1944–2023) from the D. Daskalopoulos Collection (until 27/10/2024); and “A Room of Their Own,” a collection of powerful images by renowned documentary photographer Susan Meiselas, current president of the Magnum Foundation (until 10/11/2024).

The Numismatic Museum

At the Numismatic Museum, you can admire a rich collection of ancient, Byzantine, and medieval coins, including the “phoenix” coins minted in 1828 at the direction of Ioannis Kapodistrias; these post-revolutionary coins are the first silver currency issued in modern Greece. The museum also boasts the lush 800 sq.m. garden of Iliou Melathron, adorned with replicas of ancient Greek statues. Enjoy a Greek coffee or aromatic tea and nibble on a sandwich or salad, but the coolness and beauty of the space are truly captivating.

Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation

In the heart of Pangrati, the plump figures of Fernando Botero and the vibrant colors of Francis Bacon await you in the entrance of the Foundation’s impressive building. In the cool courtyard, surrounded by greenery, you can take refuge from the city outside as you enjoy your coffee with delicious sweet tarts, savory pies, salads or main dishes such as pasta dishes or wine-braised chicken with mushrooms.

This summer, until 27/10, the Foundation will be presenting an impressive tribute to Henri Cartier-Bresson, the man who taught us that photography is art. The exhibition will showcase 76 of the 126 photographs from his 1952 publication “Images à la sauvette,” as well as beautiful shots from his travels in Greece (in 1937, 1953, and 1961).

The Museum of Cycladic Art

The airy canopy-sculpture by Stelios Kois allows natural light to flood across the lush vegetation in this minimalist café, creating a cool oasis where you can enjoy everything from breakfast to dinner and dessert, from a menu inspired by the Cyclades.

Besides the stunning permanent exhibitions, the museum is currently featuring the “Cindy Sherman at Cycladic” exhibition at the Stathatos Mansion, showcasing over one hundred works by Cindy Sherman from her early collections, until 4/11.

The Goulandris Natural History Museum

At the restaurant Natu in the beautiful garden of the Goulandris Natural History Museum, next to the lily pond, among laurels, myrtles, pomegranate trees, olive trees, and pines, you can enjoy cocktails and a lovely Mediterranean meal. You might try some fresh grouper with herbs, baked in a cast iron skillet, or some homemade pasta with organic beef ragout.

The museum offers insights into our planet and the wealth of nature it contains. The new exhibition at the Gaia Center, on until 25/4/2025, is titled “Climate Change and Us.” It discusses the causes of climate stress and presents interactive research proposals and solutions for addressing environmental issues.

Byzantine and Christian Museum

Within the Ilissia villa, the winter palace of the Duchess of Placentia, lies the Byzantine and Christian Museum, one of the world’s most important museums for Byzantine and post-Byzantine art and culture. It houses over 25,000 artifacts from the 3rd to the 20th century, mainly from Greece, Asia Minor, and the Balkans. Enter through the imposing arch and discover a paradise of citrus trees, wisteria, pergolas with climbing plants, and three outdoor exhibition stations: the Well-Cistern, looking at Athens’ water supply; Paradise, examining Byzantine concepts of earthly and afterlife existence; and Ilissos, showcasing the evolution of the Ilissos river landscape. In this enchanting space, enjoy a coffee and dessert or grilled soutzoukakia and crispy filo cheese pies.

The Museum of Islamic Art

How about some soumada (a refreshing non-alcoholic drink made from almonds), a vanilla “submarine” (a nugget of vanilla-flavored or mastic-flavored sugar paste dipped in a glass of cold water), a coffee, or a sandwich on one of the most beautiful roof terraces in Athens, with views of the Kerameikos archaeological site and the Acropolis? Inside the café, marvel at the impressive installation piece “Imagine A Palm Tree” by British artist Navine G. Khan-Dossos.

The museum’s permanent collection of Islamic art includes items from across the Islamic world, including Arabia, Persia, Egypt and other regions of North Africa, the Middle East, India, and Spain. This collection is considered one of the most significant worldwide.

With information in Greek from gastronomos.gr