In Athens, there are special places that have been a part of the city for so long that they have become symbolic of the eating culture. Here are just a couple of our favourite Athenian eats, which focus on traditional, old school comfort food. A stop at each of these places is always on my to do list when visiting the dynamic city of Athens.
 |
Pork chop heaven: O Telis (Psitopoleio)
When in Athens, you have to visit a traditional pork brizoles (pork chops) taverna. O Telis in Athens is by far
the most famous and the best! Don’t bother asking for a menu here, they serve
brizoles, horiatiki salad, chips, tzatziki and feta. That’s pretty much it. The
brizoles have been beaten thin and are well charred with plenty to salt and
rigani. There is also an amazing ‘special sauce’ – a stainless steel
plate of smoky grilled tomatoes, hot, hot yellow peppers and plenty of oozing
melted feta. To be honest, the special sauce is so good, I could have just
ordered this alone with a glass of wine and a good chunk of country style
bread. It’s very easy to over order here, with the standard serve of brizoles
including a huge plate of chips and at least four chops. So unless you have a
huge appetite, my tip is one serve to share between two! If you do eat at Telis
you also might happen to run into the current Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras who is rumoured to enjoy a brizole or two at this Athenian
institution.
O Telis
(Psitopoleio)
86 Evripidou,
Koumoundourou Square, Athens
Tel. + 30 210
324 2775
Greek comfort food: Thanasis
Ordinarily, I run in the opposite direction to tourist touting tavernas
and Monastiraki has its fair share of those. The one exception to the touristy
surroundings of Monastiraki is the legendary Thanasis. Yes, even tourist weary
Athenians love this institution. While Thanasis’ has a full menu, don’t worry
about reading this. Just go straight for an order of the specialty full kebab
dinner. Here, you get (wait for it) FOUR kebabs on a fluffy pita with sweet,
thinly sliced red onions and smoky grilled tomatoes. All you need to add to
this order is a tzatziki, an order of chips (fries) with riagni and of course a
Greek beer. Again, a good rule of thumb
if you are not ravenously hungry is one full kebab dinner between two, plus the
sides. Simple, happy, uncomplicated comfort food the Greek way.
Thanasis
Mitropoleos 69, Monastiraki
+30 210 3244705
The home of Greek yoghurt: Stani
This old
fashioned dairy shop ( called a galaktopoleio or Γαλακτοπωλείο in Greek) has
been an Athens fixture since 1931. This is one of the very last places in
Athens where you can go to buy milk or yogurt and enjoy a ‘krema’, rice pudding
or other dessert with a coffee. Most excitingly, for me, the dairy on offer
here is predominately sheep milk based, always my preference when it comes to
dairy. Stani gleams like a jewel in the depressed and rather dodgy area of
Omonia Square. Once a vibrant commercial distric, Omonia has been on the
downhill for more than a decade, the economic crisis further depressing the
area. While other stores around it close, Stani remains proudly open, because
its products are just so good. There is an air of nostalgia here, with the
waiters are dressed in crisp white shirts and black trousers. Stani is the
go-to place for simply the best sheep milk yogurt, served in the traditional
Greek way, a big square thick slice (yes, yoghurt so thick it can be sliced!)
on a plate slathered with thyme honey and walnuts. Stani also offers other
traditional desserts such as moustalevria, a thick burgundy pudding made from
grape must, chocolate krema, walnut pie, galaktoboureko and more. All of the
products are on show in industrial-size refrigerators with glass-lined doors.I
just love the fact that you can also order a super traditional and very Greek
breakfast of warm fresh sheep’s milk with honey, fresh butter, eggs fried in
butter, bread, orange juice and Greek coffee. It doesn’t get more traditional
than that!
Stani also
offers loukoumades and, as we came to learn from our friends in Athens – you
are either a fan or Stani’s loukoumades or Aigaion, but never both. It’s a bit
like preferring a Ford or Holden car in Australia, you pick one and stick with
it for life!
If you don’t
have the loukommades at Stani, you should definitely still come to visit the
last galaktopoleio left in Athens. The only other place in Greece that I have
been lucky enough to find another galaktopleio is on the island of Lefkada,
where there are still two to choose from. I hope my future travels in Greece reveal
more and that these traditional old dairy shops do not die out entirely.
Stani
Marika
Kotopouli 10, Omonia
Tel: +30 210
523 3637
Sweet fix: Aigaion
Most
European cultures have their version of doughnuts, the French have their beignets,
the Italians have their bomboloni and the Greeks have loukoumades:
deep-fried pastries doused in honey and dusted with plenty of cinnamon. My go
to place is always Aigaion. Established in 1926, this Athenian institution is
also full of old fashioned charm. Walk down stairs, past the frying dough balls,
to be seated at simple, paired back Formica tables and thonet style chairs
under the cool breeze of whirring fans. The waiter/cook will dressed in old
school whites will bring you a chilled glass of water (or two) to accompany
your sweet treats. While Aigaion offer different toppings of nuts, chocolate
and fine sugar, it is always best to go with the classic loukomades with honey
and cinnamon.
Aigaion
Eleftheriou
Venizelou 46 (ex Panepistimiou street)
For research purposes, you might also like to try two other traditional loukomades shops:
Ktistakis: also centrally
located in Omonia, this store was established in 1912 and their loukomades are
based on a Cretan recipe (now passed down to the third generation of Ktistakis’).
Unlike the traditional loukomades you may be used to, these treats are filled
with a sugar syrup (not the usual honey) on the inside and come with a sprinkling
of cinnamon and sesame seeds – there is also the obligatory glass of
water. (Sokratous 59, Omonoia)
Krinos: established in 1923, Krinos offers loukoumades
drenched in drenched in a honey-citrus
syrup. Here, self-service is the key. Grab your tray, place your order, and
wait for a freshly fried batch (Aiolou,
87).
Genteel time travel in the leafy suburbs: Varsos
Step back in
time amongst the shiny chrome countertops and 60s style salon and smell the
tempting aromas of freshly baked tsoureki. Nothing short of magical, this
family run zaharoplastio (patisserie) has been in operation since 1892 and it
has managed to stay just the same over the decades. The decor remains the same,
as have the recipes for the sweets. I adore the grumpy bow tie clad waiters
(some of whom look like they may have been here since 1892) and the selection
of traditional, old school Greek sweets. Greek coffee is a must do, along with
a slice of galaktoboureko (creamy custard in syrup-soaked filo pastry),
moustolaveria, krema, rice pudding, prune and pecan pie or the healthier choice
of homemade sheep’s milk yoghurt drenched in honey and walnuts. Every kind of Greek cookie is also available
from kourambiedes to melomakarona. These can be purchased to take away as
gifts, perfect for visiting Athenian family or friends. You can also buy fresh
milk and cream and other dairy products.
Kassaveti 5,
Kifissia
Tel: +30 210
801 2472
Snacking on the go: Koulouri
The Greeks are not breakfast
eaters (with the exception of the odd special treat breakfast at Stani). So do
as the locals to and grab a koulouri - a
plain, circular bread topped with sesame seeds. There are numerous koulouri
vendors in Athens, most supplied by ‘Koulouri tou Psyri’ – who have their own
stand outside Syntagma metro station.
No comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comments, I really appreciate every single one!