Athens Airport Food, Restaurants & Lounges (2026)
Whether you have landed hungry or face a long wait before take-off, Athens International Airport (ATH) has solid options for eating, grabbing a coffee, or settling into a lounge. This 2026 guide covers where to eat in departures and arrivals, the airport lounges and how to get in, and a few tips for layovers and early flights.
- Where to Eat at Athens Airport: At a Glance
- Restaurants & Cafés in Departures
- Food on the Arrivals Level
- Airport Lounges at Athens (ATH)
- Eating on a Layover or Early Flight
- Getting from Athens Airport to the City
- Athens Airport Food After Security: What Is Open Airside
- Every Café and Restaurant at Athens Airport, by Zone
- Order Food to Your Gate Instead of Queuing
- Eating Before a 06:00 Flight, or After Midnight
- What It Costs, and Whether to Wait
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related guides
Where to Eat at Athens Airport: At a Glance
| Spot | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Eat Greek | Gyros, sandwiches, snacks | Departures |
| Gregory’s | Pies, salads, coffee | Departures & landside |
| Starbucks | Coffee & bakery | Non-Schengen Departures & Satellite |
| Everest Exclusive | Pizza, peinirli (veg/vegan) | Arrivals level |
| Goldair CIP / Aegean lounge | Buffet, drinks, WiFi | Airside, Main Terminal |
Restaurants & Cafés in Departures
The departures level has the widest choice. Eat Greek is the local highlight — proper gyros, fresh sandwiches and snacks if you want a last taste of Greece before flying. Gregory’s is a reliable Greek chain for spinach pies, sandwiches, salads and good coffee, while Starbucks has branches at Non-Schengen Departures and in the Satellite Terminal. There are also bakeries, bars and quick-service counters spread across both the landside and airside areas.
Food on the Arrivals Level
Dining is more limited once you land. Everest Exclusive on the arrivals level does pizza slices and peinirli with vegetarian and vegan options — handy for a quick bite before you head into the city. If you just need a coffee and a snack while you sort out cash and a ride, the arrivals hall has you covered; for a proper meal, most travellers prefer to wait and eat in central Athens.
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Welcome PickupsAirport Lounges at Athens (ATH)
Two main lounges sit airside in the Main Terminal. The Goldair CIP Lounge (level 1, opposite Gate A11, non-Schengen area) and the Aegean Business Lounge (after security, next to Gate A13) both offer hot and cold food, drinks including alcohol, fast WiFi and quiet seating. Access is included for business-class and eligible Star Alliance Gold passengers, or you can buy a single-visit pass at the door or via lounge-access apps and cards such as Priority Pass.
Eating on a Layover or Early Flight
With the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) now fully in place, the airport advises arriving at least 2.5 hours before departure, so build in time to eat before or after security rather than rushing. Most food outlets open early for the first wave of flights. For a longer layover, a lounge or the departures food court is the most comfortable place to wait.
Getting from Athens Airport to the City
Once you have eaten and you are ready to go, the easiest way into Athens after a flight is a fixed-price private transfer that meets you in the arrivals hall and tracks your flight. See our Athens airport taxi guide for every option and current prices, or our WiFi, ATMs & money guide to get online and cash-ready first.
Athens Airport Food After Security: What Is Open Airside
This is the question most travellers actually have, and the answer depends on which side of passport control your gate is. Athens has one terminal building, but three separate airside zones, and they do not share the same outlets. Check your gate letter before you decide where to eat.
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Welcome PickupsSchengen departures (B gates)
The largest airside food area. Sit-down options include Bistrot Attica Athens for Greek cooking (the loukoumades are the reason to stop) and Eat Greek in the Schengen platea for gyros and grilled plates. For something quicker there is Starbucks, Gregory’s for pies and salads, and To Go counters around gates B19–B31. Kostarelos, a Greek dairy and deli, is here too if you want cheese and pies rather than a meal.
Non-Schengen departures (also B gates, past passport control)
Smaller, but the food is arguably better. Ergon Greek Cuisine is the standout — contemporary versions of traditional dishes, and the only proper restaurant most non-Schengen passengers will find. Amore covers Italian, and there is a second Starbucks. If you are flying to the UK, US, Gulf or anywhere else outside Schengen, this is your zone.
Satellite Terminal (A gates)
The satellite is reached by an underground walkway from the Schengen area and has the thinnest choice on the whole airport — a Starbucks and To Go counters around gates A20–A23. If your boarding pass shows an A gate, eat before you walk over. There is no going back once you have made the transfer, and the walk itself takes several minutes.
Every Café and Restaurant at Athens Airport, by Zone
Outlets rotate, and the airport reworked its retail line-up under the Airport Agora programme, so treat this as a September 2026 snapshot rather than a permanent list. Zones follow the airport’s own terminology: All Users means before security, open to anyone including people not flying.
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Welcome Pickups| Zone | What is there |
|---|---|
| All Users — Departures level, before security | Food court with Greek, Asian and bakery counters; Burger King and La Pasteria on the 2nd floor; Koi Sushi Bar, Ancho Mexican Grill, Mailo’s Pasta Project, Levito, Barbadimos (Smyrnean); cafés including Artisan Taf, Coffee Berry, Cultivos, Flocafe, Gregory’s, Puro Gusto, Cinnabon, Overoll; Mon Kooloor and Koulourades for Greek koulouri. |
| Departures curbside | Venetis bakery — pastries, breads and coffee, the fastest stop if you have just been dropped off. |
| Schengen airside (B gates) | Bistrot Attica Athens, Eat Greek, Starbucks, Gregory’s, To Go (gates B19–B31), Kostarelos deli. |
| Non-Schengen airside | Ergon Greek Cuisine, Amore, Starbucks, Overoll. |
| Satellite Terminal (A gates) | Starbucks, To Go (gates A20–A23). Nothing else — eat before you transfer. |
| Arrivals level | Everest Exclusive (pizza, peinirli, vegan and vegetarian options), coffee and snack counters, plus an AB Vassilopoulos supermarket if you want to buy food to take with you. |
Order Food to Your Gate Instead of Queuing
Athens runs a service most travellers never notice: Gate Delivery, powered by efood. You order from your phone and collect at one of the pickup stands in the Schengen departures area — there are fourteen of them — rather than queuing at the counter and then carrying a tray to your gate. It is the single most useful thing to know if you land airside with forty minutes and a gate at the far end of the pier.
Eating Before a 06:00 Flight, or After Midnight
Athens has a heavy early-morning departure bank, and the landside food court and the curbside bakery are the first things to open with it. Airside outlets follow the gate schedule rather than a fixed clock, so at 04:30 you will usually find coffee and pastries but not a hot meal. If a proper breakfast matters, eat before security, not after.
Late at night the pattern reverses: the last wave of departures keeps a handful of airside counters going, while landside quietens down. If you are arriving on a late flight and want food before heading into the city, the arrivals level supermarket and snack counters are the reliable option — and if you are staying airside overnight for an early connection, plan on vending machines and whatever the one open counter is serving. Our late-night arrivals guide covers what else is running at that hour.
What It Costs, and Whether to Wait
Airport pricing at Athens is a clear step above city prices, as at every European hub — expect to pay meaningfully more for the same coffee and sandwich than you would in Syntagma or Monastiraki. The gap is smallest at the Greek bakery chains (Gregory’s, Venetis, the koulouri counters) and largest at the sit-down restaurants and international coffee brands.
If you are arriving rather than departing, the honest advice is to wait. You are 40 minutes from central Athens and the food there is better and cheaper. The exception is a late arrival, when the airport supermarket may be the last thing open on your route. Either way, sort your transfer before you sit down to eat — see how the transfer options compare.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there food in the Athens Airport arrivals hall?
Yes, but options are limited. Everest Exclusive on the arrivals level serves pizza and peinirli with vegetarian and vegan choices, plus there are coffee and snack counters. The widest choice is on the departures level.
Does Athens Airport have lounges, and how do I get in?
Yes — the Goldair CIP Lounge and the Aegean Business Lounge, both airside in the Main Terminal. Entry is included with business class or eligible frequent-flyer status, or you can buy a single-visit pass or use Priority Pass.
Can I get traditional Greek food at the airport?
Yes. Eat Greek in departures serves gyros and Greek sandwiches, and Gregory’s does traditional pies and salads — a good last taste of Greece before you fly.
How early should I arrive for food before my flight?
Arrive at least 2.5 hours before departure (more in summer, due to EES border checks) and eat before or after security so you are not rushed.
Is there food after security at Athens Airport?
Yes. All three airside zones have food, but they are not equal. Schengen departures has the widest choice including Bistrot Attica Athens and Eat Greek; non-Schengen has Ergon Greek Cuisine and Amore; the Satellite Terminal (A gates) has only a Starbucks and To Go counters. Check your gate letter before deciding whether to eat before or after security.
What restaurants are at Athens Airport?
Sit-down restaurants include Bistrot Attica Athens and Eat Greek (Schengen airside), Ergon Greek Cuisine and Amore (non-Schengen airside), and Burger King, La Pasteria, Koi Sushi Bar, Ancho Mexican Grill and Mailo’s Pasta Project on the public departures level before security. The food court on the same level adds Greek, Asian and bakery counters.
Can I eat at Athens Airport without a boarding pass?
Yes. Anyone can use the arrivals level and the whole public departures level — the food court, the 2nd-floor restaurants and every café before the security gates — whether or not they are flying. Only the airside outlets require a boarding pass.
Is there a Starbucks at Athens Airport?
There are several. You will find Starbucks in Schengen departures, in non-Schengen departures and in the Satellite Terminal, plus counters on the public departures level before security.
Can I take food and drink through security at Athens Airport?
Solid food is fine in hand luggage. Liquids, including drinks, yoghurt, soups and dips, follow the standard 100 ml rule and must fit in a single one-litre transparent bag. Buy your bottle of water after security, or bring an empty one and fill it airside.
Is there anywhere to eat at Athens Airport at night?
Some airside counters stay open through the late departure bank, and the arrivals level keeps snack options and a supermarket running for late landings, but a full hot meal in the small hours is not realistic. If you are connecting overnight, eat during the evening rather than counting on finding something at 03:00.
Outlet list checked against Athens International Airport’s own directory and the official Athens city guide in September 2026. Airport tenants change — if you spot something out of date, tell us. More on how we research and verify what is on this site.
Related guides
- Athens Airport Fast Track & Security
- Athens Airport Facilities & Services
- Athens Airport WiFi, ATMs & Money
- Athens Airport Layover Guide
- Athens Airport Arrivals Guide
- Athens Airport Taxi Guide 2026
- Luggage Storage at Athens Airport (Care4Bag, prices & hours)
- Wi-Fi, ATMs & Money at Athens Airport
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