Georgianna Hiliadaki is a Greek chef and restaurateur known for bringing a modern twist to Greek cuisine. She co-founded Funky Gourmet in Athens, becoming the first Greek woman to earn two Michelin stars. After studying at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, she helped open OPSO in London and now works on restaurant projects in Greece and abroad. Her latest restaurant, IODIO in Athens, focuses on seafood with fresh, modern flavors. She has also taught Culinary Psychology at Harvard and was named one of the world’s top female chefs by The Best Chef Awards.
Please introduce yourself to our members.
Hello! I’m Georgianna Hiliadaki, a Greek chef and restaurateur, best known as the co-founder of the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Funky Gourmet in Athens. I originally studied European Studies and Italian in the UK before following my true passion and training as a chef in New York at the Institute of Culinary Education.
Since then, my culinary journey has taken me from Athens to London, where I co-founded OPSO, a modern Greek restaurant in Marylebone. Over the years, I’ve been honored to receive recognition such as being named "Best Female Chef in Greece" and ranking 4th in the world by The Best Chef Awards.
Today, I continue to create and consult through exciting projects across Greece and abroad. Most recently, I co-founded IODIO, a seafood-focused, family-style restaurant in Athens that blends high-quality ingredients with refined techniques and heartfelt hospitality.
Food for me is all about storytelling, connection, and joy — and I’m grateful every day to share that with the world.
Tell us about your current project.
Together with Haris Spyrou and Danae Voridou, I co-founded IODIO, a seafood restaurant in the heart of Athens that launched in November 2024 — and it has been one of the most meaningful moments in my journey so far.
IODIO truly embodies what I care most about as a chef: honoring exceptional ingredients, being creative without losing touch with tradition, and creating a genuine sense of place through food. It brings together innovation, Greek heritage, and an honest love for cooking — offering fresh seafood with a modern Greek twist. Since opening, it has been warmly embraced by both local and international guests.
For me, IODIO isn’t just a restaurant — it’s a piece of who I am. Every dish on the menu is a tribute to Greek ingredients, shaped with precision, imagination, and purpose.
We love to surprise the palate. Dishes like Greek bottarga paired with white chocolate challenge expectations in the best way, while the Giouvarlaki Raw Grouper Tartare reinterprets a comfort classic with elegant raw finesse. Our Anchovy Nigiri brings Mediterranean and Japanese influences together, and playful signatures like “Something Like Clean Monday Taramas” with Lagana Bread or the Spanakopizza — a Spanakopita-inspired pizza — showcase our sense of humor and creativity.
We also explore lesser-known corners of Greek cuisine, offering rarities like Cod Seftalia, and pasta dishes such as Maniatiki Calamarata with Bottarga, which express bold, regional flavors. Our grilled whole fish and langoustines, served at their freshest, anchor the menu in the honest simplicity of Greek seaside cooking.
Even our desserts follow this philosophy — thoughtful, seasonal, and deeply rooted in place. Highlights include our IODIO Signature Pistachio Ice Cream made with pistachios from Aegina, and a reinvented Traditional Milk Pie with Caramelized Nori, both designed to harmonize with the salty-sweet balance of the meal.
In the end, IODIO is a celebration of what it means to cook and eat in Greece today — grounded in love, elevated by technique, and shared with joy.
Tell us about the restaurant scene in Athens.
The restaurant scene in Athens is more exciting than ever. In the last few years, the city has seen a big food revival, mixing traditional Greek cooking with fresh, modern ideas. You can find almost everything from small family-run tavernas serving classic dishes to modern spots that give Greek cuisine a creative twist with global influences.
Talented chefs are coming forward with bold ideas — some grounded in deep tradition, others wildly inventive. You’ll see classic dishes like pastitsio or dolmadakia reinterpreted in unexpected ways, or Mediterranean flavors fused with Asian or Latin American techniques.
What's also remarkable is the shift in mindset. There’s a growing awareness around sustainability, a deeper relationship with local producers, and a move toward menus that change with the seasons. And beyond the plate, there’s a strong sense of collaboration — between chefs, farmers, winemakers, designers, even musicians — making the scene feel less like an industry and more like a living, creative ecosystem.
As someone who’s been part of the Athens food story for years, it’s incredibly fulfilling to watch the city evolve with so much passion, confidence, and openness. Athens is no longer just "up and coming" — it has arrived. And yet, it still feels like we’ve only scratched the surface.
What are your three favorite restaurants in Athens, and why are they great?
1. Pelagos
At Pelagos, I always feel the sea is placed on your plate in the most refined and contemporary way. Luca Piscazzi works with deep respect for each ingredient, creating seafood dishes of exceptional technique, elegance, and soulful flavor.
2. Akra
For me, Akra is an ode to fire and simplicity. Ingredients take center stage, and the wood-fired cooking gives the dishes a raw intensity and depth of flavor that’s rare to find expressed so authentically. It’s food driven by instinct and heart.
3. Vezené
Aris Vezené knows how to merge Greek gastronomy with a bold and deeply personal touch. His meats have character, his seafood is full of flavor, and everything is cooked with passion. It’s a table that never stops inspiring me.
What’s a new restaurant in Athens that you think is doing great things?
A new opening that really caught my attention is Hafu, the latest project by chef Sotiris Kontizas, located in downtown Athens. I haven’t been yet, but I find the concept genuinely inspiring.
The name Hafu means “half” in Japanese, referring to someone of mixed heritage, and it perfectly captures Kontizas’ own cultural background and the identity of the restaurant. It’s all about blending two worlds, Greek and Japanese, in a way that feels natural and personal and true to who he is as a chef. It’s thoughtful without being overcomplicated. Definitely high on my list.
Do you have any hidden gem that you want to highlight in Athens?
It wouldn’t be a hidden gem anymore if more people discovered it, would it? However, I must refer to the delicious traditional Souvlatzidiko called “Panerythraikos”, known for its authentic grilled souvlakia and those classic flavors that remind you of old-school Greek street food at its best.
What’s your favorite kind of restaurant, and why?
I love restaurants that feel warm, honest, and unpretentious, where the food is thoughtful but not overworked, and the energy is just right. For me, it’s all about places where you can feel the intention behind every detail, from the ingredients to the service, but without any stiffness or show.
Whether it’s a small seafood taverna by the sea or a modern bistro in the city, I’m drawn to places that have a soul. Where you can truly relax, share food, and connect, not just with the people at your table, but with the people behind the food too.
At the end of the day, my favorite kind of restaurant is one that makes you feel something. That’s what great hospitality is all about and that is what we are trying to achieve at Iodio daily!
What are your three favorite food cities and your favorite restaurants in those cities?
It’s hard to pick just three cities! But if I had to choose, I would go with:
1. Stockholm
A city where precision meets purity. Stockholm’s culinary scene blends Nordic minimalism with deep respect for seasonality and local ingredients. From Michelin-starred artistry to cozy bistros serving modern Scandinavian comfort, it’s a city that celebrates quiet excellence on every plate.
Frantzén: An extraordinary culinary journey—Frantzén masterfully blends Nordic precision with Asian elegance. Each course felt like a quiet revelation, both technically brilliant and emotionally resonant.
Rolf’s Kök: A true Stockholm gem. Rolf’s Kök delivers elevated comfort food in a stylish, intimate setting, with warm service and timeless flavors that feel both familiar and refined.
2. Barcelona
Vibrant, expressive, and endlessly creative. Barcelona pulses with culinary energy from the playful innovation of avant-garde tasting menus to the rich simplicity of market-fresh tapas. It’s a city where food is woven into the rhythm of daily life, bold in flavor and full of soul.
Disfrutar is a celebration of creativity and surprise. Daring, playful, yet flawlessly executed, each dish pushes boundaries while remaining deeply satisfying. A benchmark for modern gastronomy.
3. London
Dynamic and constantly evolving, London is a true global food capital. It offers everything from cutting-edge fine dining and natural wine bars to neighborhood gems that reflect its multicultural spirit. A city where tradition and reinvention coexist beautifully on the same table.
Brat combines rustic charm with serious culinary craft. Wood-fired cooking, bold flavors, and understated elegance make it one of London’s most compelling dining experiences.
The Barbary is vibrant, intimate, and full of soul. The Barbary offers bold, smoky flavors inspired by North African and Mediterranean cuisines, served with energy and heart in a unique counter-style setting.
What is your favorite dish and where is your favorite restaurant to have it?
One of my all-time favorite dishes is katsikaki lemonoriganato — young goat slow-cooked with lemon, oregano, and olive oil. It’s deeply comforting, a traditional Greek recipe that brings back so many memories.
And the truth is, my favorite place to enjoy isn’t a restaurant, it’s at home, made by my mother. No one cooks it like she does. The flavor, the tenderness, the smell that fills the house... it’s not just a meal, it’s a feeling. It reminds me why I started cooking in the first place: to share love through food.
Who is an up-and-coming chef you are keeping an eye on?
Apart from my beloved partners and friends mentioned above, Danae Voridou and Erasmia Balaska, who are already well-established in the culinary field and have shown remarkable growth in recent years, there is another chef I deeply appreciate and have been collaborating with for years. George Maniatis who is involved in all the projects I work on, as he is one of my most trusted ones. He stands out for his approach, attention to detail, unwavering focus on delivering excellent results and his commitment to ensuring that the client is always highly satisfied.
Who is a food expert whose restaurant recommendations you’d like to see?
Every food expert that has visited IODIO so far is well-known, established in the field and highly respected. Though we would love to welcome acclaimed food critics like Tasos Mitselis and Dimitris Antonopoulos whom voice in Greek gastronomy has long been a benchmark of refined taste and honest critique. I am always truly honored to receive their recommendations, as their perspective forever helps us.
Moreover, my business partner Harris Spyrou and my friend Katerina Katopis, passionate food lovers who see beyond the dish, they taste intention, feel the story and honor the craft.’
