In a recent article we told you about the delicious side of Athens in 32 pictures, that is to say as many stops in our food tour through the streets of the Greek capital. We recently went back and discovered some more interesting places – you can find the story below, told as if it were a one-day tour – and participated – the only Italians together with Spyros Theodoridis, the unforgotten Italian-Greek winner of the first edition of our Masterchef – in the award ceremony at the Quality Awards 2016, a sort of Greek “Academy Awards of good food”. It was organised by prominent magazine Gastronomos, the monthly insert of Kathimerini, a newspaper from Athens and one of the most important in the country (there’s an English version too, sold separately in the US as a supplement to the International Herald Tribune). We described these Greek Awards in our photo-gallery.
10.45 a.m. – In Athens, they are not such morning people. Yet of course you must start with a good coffee. The right place is Taf Coffee, with numerous branches in town. We chose the one at 7, Emmanuel Benaki Street, Tel: +30.210.3800014.Taf imports from small sustainable farms. The coffee has many different versions. It’s “gourmet”, but now a classic in town.
11.45 a.m. – Second stop dedicated to cakes at
galaktopoleio I Stani (10, Marika Kotopouli Street, Tel: +30.210.5233637). Since 1931 it’s the temple of milk based desserts. Try tasting the yogurt with honey and almonds, the delicious rice pudding (
risogalo: creamy, soft, velvety),
anthogalo (a specialty from Crete: a cream made with the part of milk that rises when you boil it) and most of all the fantastic
galaktoboureko, from the Greek
galak (milk) and the Turkish
bourek (cake), a dessert made with custard and semolina closed in crispy phyllo pastry and soaked in syrup.
12.45 p.m. – We continue with the sweet side of cooking: the loukoumades at Th. Ktistaki (9, Sokratous Street, Tel: +30.210.5240891) are irresistible. This place is a guarantee of success since 1912, when the grandparents of the current owner arrived in town from the beautiful Chania, in Crete. Loukoumades are sweet pancakes of Arab-Turkish origin. The batter is made with flour, yeast, cooking salt, milk, water. Cooked in syrup, they are then wrapped in sesame seeds and cinnamon.
Loukoumades at Th. Ktistaki
– A stop at
Pantopoleion is also a must. It’s a sort of small version of Eataly with the best products from all around Greece, carefully selected and sourced mostly from small producers, including many PDO products. They have dozens of varieties of cheese and cold cuts, hundreds of types of oil and then broad beans and tomato paste from Santorini, tuna from Alonissos… It deserves a visit and a tasting! (1, Sofokleous Street, Tel: +30.210.3234612).
1.50 p.m. – Since you’re there, why not stop at the Varvakeios Central Market? There’s as much fresh meat and fish as you wish.
2.05 p.m. – It’s getting late. Time for a new snack. The right place is Karamanlidika (1, Sokratous & Evripidou Street, Tel: +30.210.3254184). They’ll serve trays full of the best products that a delicatessen can offer. They have a particularly good selection of products from Cappadocia: mature cheese, all sorts of cold cuts, sausages, pastrami…
3.15 p.m. – Since you’re in Evripidou Street, after the tasting, have a walk and discover the many small shops selling spices on this street.
3.40 p.m. – It would be a pity not to taste some of the most typical Greek dishes… So here’s O Kostas (5, Pentelis & Mitropoleos Street, Tel: +30.210.3228502): the family came from Northern Greece in 1950 and brought to the capital what is now considered perhaps the best souvlaki in town. Really juicy, an unforgettable street food.
4.45 p.m. – If you want to indulge in a cake at teatime too, here’s a tip that escapes tradition yet focuses on quality. As of a few weeks ago, restaurant Tudor Hall (3, Vasileos Georgiou Street, Tel: +30.210.3330265), on the seventh floor of hotel King George, right beside the famous Grande Bretagne (they’re both part of the Starwood group and members of the Luxury Collection Hotel), can count on the collaboration of French pastry chef Arnaud Larher. On top of French pâtisserie classics he’s having fun presenting new recipes, which include Greek ingredients, such as olive oil or mastika.
9.30 p.m. – After a necessary break, you can dine at the Piraeus, at Lefteris Lazarou’s Varoulko. Or stay in town and go to Hytra, run by chef Anastasios Mantis (who’s also in our Identità Golose guide, read here). We’ve spoken about both in this article.
