Where to eat like a local in Athens
Eastern flavors of Asia Minor on the Eastern Edge of Athens
To eat food without understanding its origin is like having food without flavor!
At the foot of Mount Ymittos, there is a neighborhood called Kaisariani. It is at the eastern outskirts of Athens proper, bordering Pagrati. In 1922 the great “population exchange” took place between Turkey and Greece. The big powers of the time had decided [...]
Politico - anatolian dining off Syntagma Square
Politico
Mitropoleos 3, Syntagma Square
Locals in Athens know that late July to mid August can be a hit or miss time to head out to their favorite restaurants. Like everyone in Athens, restauranteurs outside the tourist zone take their holidays mid to late summer, and thus, many local favorites are closed anywhere from a week [...]
Pick a pack o’ pita in Pagrati! Kalitsunaki Cretan Pitas
Kalitsunaki
Zinodotou 6, Pagrati – 210-721-0707
Athens is full of little pita shops, and everyone has their favorites. But most shops sell one or two, maybe three “styles” of pitas, from the flaky filo wrapped, to the thick, bread crusted traditional “horiatiki” or village, pita. You’ll even find pizza pie shapped pans filled with scrumptous rich, [...]
Cafe Avisina - Not only on Sunday …
Cafe Avisina (http://www.avissinia.gr) (Closed Monday – Lunch and Dinner the rest of the week)Plateia Avisina, Monasteraki, Antique Market, 210/32 17 047) We don’t generally recommend places in the Plaka/Monasteraki area, but the food here is excellent, and more than once we have spent a lazy weekend afternoon nippling mezedes and sipping wine while being entertained by [...]
Ariston - Grab a bagful and have a pita party in Syntagma Square!
10 Voulis Street, Syntagma Square (closed Sunday)
From Syntagma Square, face McDonald’s and walk one block down Ermou, Ermou is the center street just to the left of McDonald’s. At the first street, which is Voulis, turn right. Go 1.5 blocks down and you’ll find the bakery on your left hand side, just after one of [...]
Zeidoron - Food is life’s gift at this Psirri eatery
10 Taki and Agion Anargiron 210 321-5368
We stumbled upon Zeidoron one sunny autumn afternoon while exploring Psirri when Carole’s parents were visiting from Chicago. Knowing that Psirri restaurants are often excuses to operate until the wee hours as a club, we had about given up on finding anything really surprising in the neighborhood (that doesn’t [...]
Alegro - Ag. Fanouriou 6 at Imittou, Pagrati
One might wonder how come all the restaurants we write about are great. The reason is that we go to many places that we spend alot of time eating at places that we don’t write about …
Our quest usually takes us to side streets and places that are not usually written about or visited [...]
Tzitzikas & Mermigas - Syntagma Square
SYNTAGMA SQUARE
Mitropoleos 12 – 14
210/32.47.607
The true foodie’s cardinal rule: Never go to a restaurant too hungry and never, ever leave too full.
I violated both.
We’d been hearing buzz about Tzitzakis & Mermigas for awhile. Friends who work in the Parliament building say it’s their favorite long lunch, so we thought we’d better check it out. [...]
Giant shrimp – not an oxymoron on the waterfront in Mikrolimano, Pireaus
Restaurant, Botsaris Fish Taverna, Akti A. Koumoundourou, No. 30, Mikrolimano / Tourkolimano / Garidadika, Piraeus, Greece
You’d think the shrimp were lobsters!
Yorgia and Yorgos Papadopoulos operate this casual restaurant right on the waterfront of Mikrolimano or Tourkolimano in Piraeus. Although the kitchen and a few tables are located on the dry side of the street, [...]
What’s your favorite souvlaki in Athens?
O LefterisSatobriande Street, behind the Hondos Center off of Omonia SquareOpen noon ’til around 4:30 PM, maybe 5, perhaps even 7:00 PM …
Stop a hundred Athenians on any street corner and ask them for their favorite souvlaki stand, and the chances are you will get a hundred different responses. As a child growing up in [...]