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At Pelagos, Luca Piscazzi Turns Italian Instinct Into Greek Discovery

At Four Seasons Astir Palace Athens, Luca Piscazzi uses Greek ingredients and Italian memory to build a Michelin-starred restaurant that keeps discovering its own coastline.

Before moving to Greece to open Pelagos, a fine dining restaurant in the Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens, Luca Piscazzi had only been to the country on vacation. The Italian chef grew up in Rome and moved to London at 19, hoping to learn about global flavors and techniques. He spent over a decade between England, China, Spain and Hong Kong, never imagining that his culinary journey would one day bring him to the shores of the Athens Riviera. But in 2020, Piscazzi departed La Dame de Pic, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in London’s Four Seasons Ten Trinity Square, for the opportunity to launch something of his own in Greece.

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“I never thought I’d end up here,” Piscazzi tells Observer, speaking from his office at Pelagos in June. “We started talking about this idea in November or December of 2019, and I came to visit. I signed my paperwork right before Covid hit, and I relocated the day before the U.K. closed its borders [in March 2020]. It was a leap.” 

Pelagos tends to surprise diners. Piscazzi’s menus showcase years of discovery in Greece using techniques he’s developed around the world—a compelling way to dine while traveling. Piscazzi is attracted to unconventional pairings, like pan-fried sole served with raspberries and Champagne. He’s constantly coming up with new dishes.

“In the night, I’m up thinking about how things can work,” he says. “And the solution always comes to me just as I’m falling asleep. You can’t rush creativity, and it doesn’t work if you’re stressed out. I’m always playing around and looking for the next good idea.”

Surprisingly, the restaurant was initially inspired by Asian cuisine. But when Covid delayed its opening, the team had the chance to home in on the menu. It made more sense to focus on local Greek dishes, flavors and products, rather than look farther afield. Piscazzi began to investigate Greek ingredients; he already felt a kinship with the region, having grown up in a Mediterranean country. 

“I found similarities,” he says. “Here you have ouzo, which is like pastis in France or sambuca in Italy. But I also found things that were unique, like mastic. They use it for making liqueur, but we could use it in different ways. We melt it........

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