Despite a growing wave of Israelis relocating to Greece, few restaurant owners have opened businesses there, and those who have remain cautious; ‘I don’t regret it, but I wouldn’t do it again,’ says restaurateur Eyal Kitches, while Uri Eshet warns: ‘A property abroad is not an insurance policy’Hilik Gurfinkel|Greece has become a favored destination for Israelis in recent years — whether for investment, refuge from the war, or the promise of a new beginning.But while many Israelis have looked for apartments, only a small number of restaurateurs and food entrepreneurs have taken the next step and built businesses from scratch. Eyal Kitches and Yonatan Gissler opened a fine-dining restaurant in Athens, while Uri Eshet runs a boutique hotel and restaurant in the Cyclades.3 View gallery Eyal Kitches and Yonatan Gissler (Photo: Orel Cohen)In the restaurant industry, however, the wave remains limited, largely because of Greece’s slow bureaucracy. At least two additional projects are currently in development, but their owners have asked not to be interviewed while they are still in the early stages.Kitches and Gissler opened Via Maris in January 2024 in Psiri, one of Athens’ best-known and most tourist-heavy neighborhoods.Kitches, 42, owns the Japanese-style hamburger spot Osu in Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market. His résumé also includes The Bun, a successful Asian eatery that operated in the market, and a nearby skewer restaurant. He previously managed Pop & Pope for three years and began his career in New York, working under chefs Alain Ducasse and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.Did you want another restaurant?