It’s Mr. and my 10th wedding anniversary this month! So earlier this month, we went on a two-week trip to Greece and Turkey. It’s mostly for a 7-night cruise to Greek Islands and Turkey, but we added four nights in Athens, Greece as well.
And it was our last evening in Athens before we flew back to Vancouver. After having a double date at the National Archaeological Museum (we met an Australian couple on our walk that morning and made plans to hang out at the museum together), we found ourselves at the door of Soil Restaurant. Soil is a MICHELIN one-star restaurant, as well as a recipient of the MICHELIN Green Star for its sustainable practices.
As soon as we walked through the rather non-descript entrance, we were greeted by two staff members, who proceeded to show us the space. We walked past the kitchen, where I waved at the smiling faces of the chefs and the kitchen team, and were led to a beautiful, open-air outdoor dining area, draped with greenery and orange trees.
According to the restaurant, Soil takes a “farm-to-table approach, [where] the specially hand-made ceramic plates for each dish and ultra-premium hospitality create a personal gastronomic choreography for all guests, elevating their senses in an authentic, simple manner.” Soil Restaurant offers a tasting menu of 15 items for 110€ (as of June 10, 2025), with paid add-on options for premium items such as Japanese A5 Wagyu Beef and lobster. There is also wine pairing available: you receive seven wines for 85-350€, depending on which package you choose.
Since we are not strangers to Japanese A5 Wagyu Beef and lobster, we decided to not do any add-ons. And we chose the 85€ Sommelier’s Pairing that included both Greek and international wines. But first, we cheered to a fantastic trip (which I’ll tell you more about in future posts, or you can catch them on my Instagram) over two cocktails: Gloss of Vermilion (Soil Rosso Vermouth, Soil Amaro, Cherry Wine, Verbena) and Feral Root (Tito’s, Italian Bitters, Carrot Orange Ginger Juice, Tangerine Cordial). Gloss of Vermilion was herbaeous and earthy; Feral Root was also earthy but on a sweeter side. Both cocktails corresponded to the earthy, farm-to-table concept of the restaurant and we knew the dinner was off to a good start.
Food
And here are the 15 items as listed on the menu. There was actually a bread course after Peas as the bonus 16th item. We were most impressed by the Amberjack, Shrimp, Porcini, Goat and Strawberry courses. The Amberjack tasted fresh and the acidity in this dish was refreshing and appetite inducing. The Shrimp course was the most interactive course as the server brought over the cured shrimps wrapped in kelp and sauced and served it table-side; it also had multiple components which required us to mix and match to bring the best flavours out of the dish. Porcini was served raw and the overall umami flavours were off the chart. I never had Goat prepared this way before (it’s usually a stew or in curries) and it was tender with a good meat texture, flavourful, and the “XO sauce” surprisingly worked really well. Lastly, the Strawberry course had multiple components and I was blown away by how tasty the strawberries were and how much strawberry flavour they were able to extract into the sorbet. Among the dessert courses, we were also given a stevia leaf to try. I didn’t realize the leaf would turn from sweet to bitter as you chew more and more of it. And I thought having a mulberry and sun-riped tomato as the very, very last bite would be anti-climatic but it’s actually a thoughtful, palate cleansing finish.
Oyster – ossetra caviar, fermented cucumber, thousand leaf
Amberjack – kiwi, green apple, lovage
Seafood Platter – fig, tarama, celery
Shrimp – orange, mussels, marigold
72 Days Dry Aged Beef – cherry plum, pomegranate, ramson caper
Eel Mini Burger – guanciale, vadouvan, sorrel (it actually used eel liver)
Porcini – hazelnut, wild garlic, koji
Peas – nettle, sorrel, horseradish
*Bonus* Bread – butter, pickle
“Chalkitiko” – red pepper, basil vinegar, chili
Goat – aspromitiko beans from Limnos, x.o sauce
Pear – pecan, yogurt, peppermint
Strawberry – pistachio, elderflower, bronze fennel
Macaron – lime, raspberries
Pate de Fruit – pineapple, red chilli
Chocolate Selection
As for the wine pairings, there were a few Greek wines, plus Chilean and South African wines. They were roughly one wine to two courses, but each wine was selected to pair with a particular course. So while you can enjoy two courses with one wine, the pairing would work better for one than another. And overall, I was happy with the wines the sommelier selected and he was able to speak about each wine with ease and confidence.
Service
Since it’s a MICHELIN starred restaurant, I expected Soil’s service to be at a certain standard. And it didn’t disappoint. Shortly after we sat down, we realized there were mosquitoes. We didn’t see any bugs flying around, but me being THE best human mosquito bait I was bitten almost right away. Mr. did ask me quietly if I wanted to move inside but I really wanted to enjoy the outdoor dining space, so I just let it be. That’s when one of the servers subtly approached us and dropped off a bug spray. We didn’t say anything or ask for anything. She was just so observant that she noticed our little struggle at the table. It was a non-toxic spray with the eucalyptus scent, so it was actually quite nice, and I don’t think we got more bug bites afterwards (the damage was already done haha I guess we got “souvenirs” from the trip?!). Throughout the dinner service, there were about five staff members in rotation who would bring over and take away dishes, pour wine, and check in with us. They were friendly, well spoken, and we enjoyed our interactions with everyone.
Of course there is always room for improvement, and there is one thing that they could’ve done better. When we made the reservation, we were asked if the dinner was for any special occasion and we said it’s for an anniversary. There was no acknowledgement whatsoever at this dinner that they read the note, so obviously nothing was done to address it. And it’s totally okay if it’s not something they do — but if you are not going to do anything, why bother asking the question. Especially being a MICHELIN restaurant. I honestly was only expecting them to say something like, “oh so I see that you’re here to celebrate an anniversary, congratulations!” and I would’ve been even happier with our evening there.
Final Thoughts
Overall, we had a great time at Soil Restaurant. I loved the presentation of every plate and each bite was carefully crafted. It was a good balance of meat and vegetables and I think the farm-to-table concept really came through. We were even given a copy of the menu to take home as a memento. If you are visiting Athens, Greece, and are looking for a special evening out, consider making a reservation at Soil Restaurant. The beautiful outdoor dining space was even better in person than in photos.
Soil Restaurant
5, Ferekidou Str., Athens, 116 35
soilrestaurant.gr
VanFoodies.com 
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