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Home - City Guide - Athens - Food and Drink | ||
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Food and Drink In Greece, eating out is an essential part of life. The stereotypical Greek dishes include mousaka, souvlaki and horiatiki salata - made from feta cheese, tomatoes, olives and lettuce. Fortunately, there is a great deal more to Greek cuisine than these perennial favourites and Athens offers the best and most varied cuisine in the country. Tavernas traditionally serve mezÉdhes (Greek hors d'oeuvres), salads, and grilled meat or fish dishes. Snack stalls provide quick lunches and snacks - standard offerings are souvlakí me píta (kebab in pitta bread), spanakópites (spinach pies) and tíropites (cheese pies). There are also an increasing number of new top-class restaurants in Athens that combine the best of Greek cooking with culinary influences from around the world. Restaurant prices are monitored by the tourist police. Service charge is always included but an additional 10% tip is customary. Restaurants are usually relaxed and easy-going, although places that cater for an international and business market tend to be more formal. The Pláka is the most obvious area to head for food. However, it is likely to be heaving with tourists and the standard of food and service can be disappointing. More reliable quality is to be found a bit further out in the Kolonáki, MÉts, Psirri or Pangráti districts. Piraeus is the place to go for fish. Most Greeks eat their main meal between 1330 and 1500 and have dinner late in the evening at 2200 or 2300. The preferred drink is ouzo - an aniseed flavoured aperitif that is often drunk with water. Beer is also popular - the most common brands are Amstel and Heineken. Most places offer a choice of wines, including retsina, with its distinctive pine flavour, which should ideally be served straight from the barrel. After a meal, Athenians may well move onto another bar for a Greek brandy, known universally as Metaxa, whatever the brand. Restaurants Bajazzo, at Anapafseos 14 (tel: (01) 921 3013), is considered one of the best restaurants in Athens. Prices are high (over Dr13,000 for a three-course meal) but the eclectic menu includes such delights as beef fillets with Metaxa sauce and sea bass in ouzo. Competition at the top end of the market comes from the stylish Ermou and Asomaton, at Ermou 137 (tel: (01) 324 6337), which serves international and Greek food, including vegetarian options; and Pil Poul, at Apostolou Pavlou 51 (tel: (01) 342 3665), where diners can enjoy a Mediterranean menu enlivened by Middle Eastern influences and a view of the Acropolis. The elegant but relaxed restaurant Symposio, at Erechthiou 46 (tel: (01) 922 5321), serves excellent Greek and international cuisine complemented by a popular late-night bar; expect to pay Dr12,000 for a three-course meal. Leading the pack in the fashionable Psirri district is Vitrina, at Navarchou Apostoli 7 (tel: (01) 321 1200), which serves delicious modern Greek food in chic surroundings. Meanwhile in the northern suburb of Psychico, the latest hotspot is Deals, at Vasiliou Dimitri 10, Neo Psychico (tel: (01) 677 3183), where Athens' beautiful people come for great food, elegant decor and a stylish but relaxed atmosphere. A three-course meal costs Dr8000. Good Greek cuisine at a more moderate price (Dr6000) can be enjoyed at Vlassis, Paster 8, Plateía Mavili (tel: (01) 646 3060). The menu comprises dishes from all over Greece and is served in generous portions. The only drawback is that it is closed in summer. Alternatively, make the effort to find Xinos (tel: (01) 322 1065), located down a back street in the Pláka at Angelou Geronta 4. Here you will discover excellent food, good music and a beautiful garden, all being enjoyed by a discerning local clientele. The Dioscuri restaurant, Vasiliou Dimitriou 16, Agia Sofia, Neo Psychico (tel: (01) 671 3997 or 657 6546), is reasonably priced and is open all day, every day, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It also has a good cafÉ and bar. Tavernas offer not only good food and drink but also a lively and quintessentially Greek atmosphere. The following are recommended for food: Kostoyannis, at Zaimi 37 (tel: (01) 821 2496), is the perfect place to recover from the rigours of the Archaeological Museum located nearby, and has good starters, fish dishes and a reasonable wine list. A three-course meal costs around Dr5000; credit cards are not accepted. Bakalarakia, situated in a basement at Kydathinaíon 4 (tel: (01) 322 5084), claims to be the oldest taverna in Athens. It serves good, simple Greek food but is closed in high summer. O Platanos, situated at Diogenous 4 (tel: (01) 322 0666), is a favourite with locals and has a great location - underneath the spreading arms of a plane tree in the heart of the Pláka. Surprisingly, it has managed to remain relatively tourist-free. Traditional roast lamb and retsina on tap are among the taverna's specialities. Caught between the Pláka and the flea market, the busy Sigalas, at Plateía Monastiráki 2 (tel: (01) 321 3036), offers a range of cheap and tasty Greek dishes for around Dr2500. Apotsos, at Panepistimíou 10 (tel: (01) 363 7046), is an Athenian landmark, frequented over the years by an array of writers, politicians, business people and actors. This ouzerí is open at lunchtime only for a wide range of delicious mezedhes. The Far East, at Stadiou 7 (tel: (01) 323 4996), is one of the best of the numerous Chinese restaurants in the city. Japanese and Korean food is also served and a three-course meal costs around Dr10,000. Creative Italian food is served at Boschetto, Alsos Evangelismos (tel: (01) 721 0893), where diners can eat in the courtyard during summer. CafÉs A traditional Greek coffee shop is known as a kafenío - a male-dominated institution that serves coffee and spirits. Although many are open all day, they come into their own in the early evening as the place to sip a pre-dinner ouzo. Women are not welcome in the most conservative kafeníos, but in Athens there are plenty of more relaxed cafÉs for women to choose from. CafÉs and patisseries - known as zaharoplastío - offer a heavenly array of sweet pastries and other confectionery, and may also serve breakfast. In Athens, the best of the old guard is Zonar's, at Panepistimiou 9, which has been serving coffee, tempting pastries and light meals for decades. The cafÉ is featured in Olivia Manning's novel, Fortunes of War. Worthy newcomers include three branches of Flo CafÉ (Kifissias 118, Ambelokipi; Fokionos Negri 14, Kipseli; Stadiou 5, Plateía Syntagma) each serving espresso and croissants, fruit juices and light snacks. In addition to a good selection of coffee, Neon, at Tsakalof 6, Kolonaki, serves American-style breakfast, and sandwiches until midnight daily. Tea drinkers may want to try De Profundis, at Angelikís Hatzimihális 1, which has a range of reasonably priced teas and light meals. |