Athens Eater's Guide
We recently wrote about the excellent Athens food tours run
by Culinary Backstreets, and there's no-one better qualified to publish Athens,
An Eater's Guide to the City.
This Athens Eater's Guide is only a slim volume of 112 pages but if
you're like us and love both Athens and food then it's worth its weight in
gold. It follows the same pattern as the walks do, taking you to lesser-known
neighbourhoods to find the most exciting and authentic Athens eating
experiences. It doesn't matter whether it's a simple kebab place or an
innovative restaurant, the only concern is the quality of the food.
Athens, An Eater's
Guide
The book, which has five different authors, is filled with
the kinds of recommendations that you won't find in regular guidebooks, which
rarely venture outside the city centre. Between them the authors have come up
with over 70 places to enjoy the best food Athens has to offer, ranging from a
dairy serving the best Greek yoghourt, or a bakery, through to terrific seafood
places and wine bars.
The Last of Its Kind
The authors have also tracked down the last bakalotaverna in
Athens: To Eidikon. These were once widespread, being shops that also served
food, but now people seem to prefer to keep the two activities separate. Either
that or no-one wants the hard work that goes with running two different types
of establishment in one. Apostolos Papakonstantinou doesn't mind, though, and
you'll find this unique spot at the junction of Psaron and Salaminos streets in
Piraeus. The best time to go is Saturday night when there's also live music.
To Eidikon
Photo (c) Johanna Dimopolous/Culinary Backstreets
Mouthwatering Dishes
Some of the dishes described in Athens, An Eater's Guide to
the City, are so mouthwatering to read about that they made us want to jump
straight on a plane to Athens and spend a few weeks tracking down every last
one of them.
Let's start with Seychelles, which the book describes as the
'best mezedopoleio in Athens'. You'll find it at Keramikou 49 in the Metaxourgeio
neighbourhood. How about starting with a chickpea salad with fresh mint and feta,
before going on to enjoy octopus cooked in red wine and served on creamed peas?
Or how about Argoura, a seafood place where you'll be
welcomed with a complimentary fish soup? You could follow it with a green salad
with sea urchin dressing, and then maybe prawns with fava beans. Or would we
have the mussels with seaweed?
The Best Kebab in Athens, at Tomas Kebab
Photo (c) Manteau Stam/Culinary Backstreets
Finding Good Food in
the Plaka
We have one very definite rule when we're looking for
somewhere to eat, wherever we are in the world. We never eat anywhere that employs someone to stand outside
and try to persuade you to dine there. They are invariably tourist traps. This
inevitably rules out about 90% of restaurants in the Plaka district of Athens,
the most touristy part of the city. But Culinary Backstreets has found a place
in the Plaka which they do recommend: Paradosiako.
Paradosiako does traditional Greek dishes, but does them
superbly well, say the authors. Their baked feta is done in a ceramic dish with
olive oil, tomato and parsley, while their moussaka is so authentic it sounds
like a benchmark to judge all other moussakas by.
Maxim is one of the city's best places for pastries
Photo (c) Manteau Stam/Culinary Backstreets
Specials
Most of this excellent book is given over to individual entries - with great photos - for the various eating places and shops that are recommended. Each one gets a double-page spread. The write-ups are only short but they are well done, capturing the atmosphere, the character of the owners and the flavours of the food. That's no easy thing to do.
But at the back of the book is a section called Specials. Here you'll find round-ups on different topics. Over four pages you'll read about the new wave of Greek wine, including retsina, with four of the best bars to drink in. That's followed by another four pages, and another four recommendations, this time for the best grilled lamb in the city.
Other Specials include the best coffee places, the best places for feta, the best shops for buying wild herbs, the best souvlaki joints and a spread on which of the city's museums also have good places to eat in them.
A toast to Cretan food at the Kriti restaurant
Photo (c) Manteau Stam/Culinary Backstreets
Athens Maps
The entries are grouped by district, and at the back of the
book are four maps for the four districts, with each place mentioned being
marked on them. They're not the most detailed of maps, though, and you'll still
need a proper Athens street map or satnav on the phone to find the places.
Better maps are one of the few ways in which the book could
be improved. The lack of prices is deliberate, as they can date quickly, and
we've no argument with that. Addresses, phone numbers and opening hours are all
provided, but we'd like to have seen websites too for the places that have them
- though most probably don't.
To repeat - if you like Athens and you like food, this
little book is worth its weight in gold, and will be in our hand luggage next
time we go to Athens.
Don't miss this visual tour of Athens with photos by Donna Dailey of Greece Travel Secrets.
Other Athens pages
Greece Travel Secrets gives its choice of the best hotels in Athens from budget and moderate options through to 5-star luxury choices.
Athens Airport hotels include the luxury Sofitel at the terminals, Holiday Inn near the airport, and others close by like the Hotel Pantheon.
This drive around Attica offers visitors high hills, beach resorts, small villages and classical sites like Marathon and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.
Athens is a top vacation destination. The Greece Travel Secrets Athens guide has information on hotels, museums, Athens airport and all the best things to do.
Antonis Maroudas is a Zakynthos winemaker who lives on the 'wine road' and is one of the people who make Zakynthos.
Corfu’s special cuisine includes dishes like sofrito and pastitsade and the chance to try ginger beer and kumquats.
Corfu olives are an important part of this Greek island's economy, with an estimated 3-4 million trees producing olive oil of exceptional quality.
Information for travelers on Corfu Food and Drink including restaurants and tavernas, Corfiot specialties, desserts, wine and other Greek drinks like ouzo.
The First Corfu Beer Festival took place in Arillas in North West Corfu and celebrated the beer of Bavaria and of Corfu, in the Ionian islands of Greece.
The Greece Travel Secrets guide to tipping in Greece from two Greece travel experts, including when to tip, what to tip and when not to tip.
This beginner's guide to Greek architecture explains how to tell your Ionic from your Doric columns, and what to look for in temples and Byzantine churches.
What is Metaxa? Metaxa is an amber Greek spirit combining brandy made by distilling wine, sweet wine from Samos and a secret recipe of Mediterranean botanicals.
Raki is an alcoholic drink made with distilled grapes and anise, and popular in Greece and other Mediterranean countries, including Greece’s neighbour Turkey.
What is a Greek Salad – a Greek Salad is made up of tomatoes, cucumber, onions, green pepper, olives, and feta cheese.
Greece Travel Secrets tells the history of the classic Greek dish tzatziki, with a recipe for making your own yogurt and cucumber dip.
Greece Travel Secrets reveals the history of the classic Greek dish, moussaka, as well as providing a recipe for you to make your own.
Greek ouzo is an aniseed-based aperitif made all over the country but especially on Lesbos, tasting like a Greek pastis or arak and usually drunk with water.
The Greece Travel Secrets guide to Greek grape varieties to help you know which wines to choose when dining in restaurants or buying wine in Greece.
Greek food and drink is a highlight of any visit and Greece Travel Secrets brings you info about food and drink from all over Greece, from Athens to Zakynthos.
Greek feta cheese is the most popular cheese in Greece, usually made from sheep’s milk, with a soft texture and salty taste and used to top off a Greek salad.
Greek alcoholic drinks include distinctly Greek drinks such as ouzo, Metaxa, retsina, raki, tsikoudia and tsipouro, but also Greek wines and Greek beers.
Greece Travel Secrets explains the long history of the Greek dish of dolmades, or stuffed vine leaves, which goes back to ancient Greece, and provides a recipe.
Visiting Santorini wineries is a popular activity on this Greek island in the Cyclades, whose volcanic soil provides a distinctive terroir.
There are lots of flights from Athens to Santorini as well as a ferry service from Piraeus, with flights to Santorini leaving from Athens International Airport.
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