Kuchisabishii: The viral Japanese spot in Athens everyone is talking about
We visited the most viral Japanese spot in Athens right now. Is it really worth waiting in line?
- 31/03/2026 11:04
Friday night, I’m rushing out of the office to grab a table at the place that hasn’t stopped appearing on my Instagram feed over the past few days. Kuchisabishii (which means “lonely mouth”), the brand-new Japanese spot in Koukaki, has become the talk of the town—as if word suddenly got out, as if everyone had long been ready to line up outside just to get a table.
I was welcomed by Giannis Petris, co-owner and a well-known figure in Athens’ bar scene (you know him from Tiki Bar and Pere Ubu), who told me about this new venture he launched together with Babis Askeridis (known from Tuk Tuk), his relationship with Japan, and why Kuchisabishii might just be the most authentic Japanese place you’ll find in the city right now. The word sakaba, which follows the name of the restaurant, refers to the type of Japanese establishment where people drink and eat small plates. That’s exactly the experience you’ll have there, while listening to ’80s Japanese music.
The bad news is that you can’t book a table unless your group consists of six people, for whom there are two available booths and the tatami, where you sit on the floor and take off your shoes. The good news is that the wait isn’t long, because the logic of Japanese cuisine is quite different from ours—the meal is consumed more quickly, and no one lingers for hours.
Giannis Petris trained in Japan, which he visits frequently and whose language he speaks, often working as a guide. The restaurant’s décor is the result of these trips, with elements brought directly from Japan, and that’s why you feel like you’ve stepped into a truly authentic Japanese space, with no Greek influence whatsoever. “Most of what you see, we brought from our own homes.” This deeply personal connection to the country is also reflected in the flavors: you won’t find sushi here, but there are ramen based on different regional recipes from Japan, as well as soba noodles served as a salad which, in my opinion, is one of the strongest dishes on the menu.
There is a sharing concept (after all, it’s a sakaba), with dishes consisting of two or four pieces, while the ramen and rice bowls are more filling individual portions. The gyoza come stuffed with chicken or mushroom, the panko shrimp is another standout dish, the hot dog is made with kimchi sausage, and the cheese balls with Japanese mayonnaise are just the beginning—dishes designed for groups to try as much as possible.
Try the Japanese curry, which differs from the Indian version or “our slow-cooked dish, which is beef simmered in a soy-dashi broth, served with udon noodles.” The rice bowls with chicken, eel, sea bream, or eggplant are the main course you can enjoy either solo or with company, and of course, you’ll finish the meal with one of the desserts suggested on the menu, inspired by the ready-made meals of 7-Eleven stores. Here, the cheesecake is Japanese—light and fluffy like a sponge cake, unlike the ones we’re used to. I, however, ordered the already much-talked-about crème brûlée, made with white chocolate so that the ice cream underneath doesn’t melt, as Giannis Petris explained to me. I, for one, melted anyway.
As for drinks, you’ll find the beloved sake, classic cocktails (like the Negroni) made with Japanese spirits in ready-to-serve bottles, as well as wines from Attica, also in small bottles.
The space features strong aesthetic references to 1980s Yokohama. The metal roof above the open kitchen recalls Japan’s fast-paced ramen shops and fast-food spots, while the waiting area, with its characteristic tiled walls, evokes Japanese metro platforms. The pergola completes the setting with an atmosphere reminiscent of Japanese pubs, creating an experience that feels like a small urban snapshot of Japan. Before heading to the restroom, chances are you’ll stop at the pinball-style arcade machine and play a round.
The choice of neighborhood is no coincidence. Koukaki is “the center of the universe,” as Giannis Petris says, meaning the center of Athens: easily accessible from everywhere, close to the metro, and a meeting point for people coming from the city center, the Athens Riviera, and every corner of the city, after work or the theater. After all, Tiki Bar and Tuk Tuk are also located in the same neighborhood, and one could say that the duo behind them is determined to put Koukaki back on the map as one of the hottest destinations.