Travel bucket list idea:
Athens, Central Greece, Greece
Athens is famous for the diversity of its culinary offerings; from simple ouzerias, where meze are served with glasses of ouzo, to Michelin-starred restaurants showcasing the New Greek Creative Cuisine, which serves traditional dishes with a contemporary twist.
Street food is one of the city’s major culinary pleasures; snack on souvlaki (meat skewers with pita bread), various pittes (filo pastry pies) such astyropittes (cheese pies) spanakopittes (spinach pies) or zambonopites (ham pies), and koulouria (dough rings with sesame seeds, sometimes stuffed).
For a sweet treat, try loukoumades (deep-fried dough rings with cinnamon and honey) – they’re the city’s favourite.
Although snubbed by many, try the local retsina wine, an Attica staple since ancient times.
Also see John’s round-up of traditional Greek foods you must try in Greece.
For the full spectrum of culinary experiences, try one of the small tavernas in Koukaki or Petralona, a fish taverna at Mikrolimano in Piraeus, and one of the more expensive restaurants at Chalandri or Kifissia.
For more upscale eating, chefs such as Lefteris Lazarou – the first Michelin-starred chef in Greece – and Ettorie Botrini are the hottest tickets in town. For the ultimate culinary treat, Spondi was the first two-starred Michelin establishment in Greece.
Athens, Central Greece, Greece
Experience
Pop into Brettos, the oldest distillery in Athens, for a shot of ouzo or mastic liqueur. The cosy interior, lined with multi-coloured bottles and barrels, dates from 1909.
Min age 18
Good for age: 18+
Athens, Central Greece, Greece
Experience
Before you visit the Acropolis, cross from the metro exit to Fresko (Dionysiou Areopagitou 3) and order a tub of frozen Greek yoghurt with fresh fruit.
Good for age: 4+
Mikrolimano, Central Greece, Greece
Experience
An amphitheatric harbour – and the best-looking spot in Piraeus – with shoulder-to-shoulder fish tavernas where you can taste the day’s catch.
Good for age: 18+
Athens, Central Greece, Greece
Experience
As you walk around Monastiraki, pass by Plateia Eirinis and join the queue outside Kostas, the most famous hole-in-the-wall souvlaki-seller in Athens, with its secret-recipe tomato sauce.
Good for age: 18+
Athens, Central Greece, Greece
Experience
The best shop in town to stock up on organic Greek foodstuffs. Psomotiri at Kato Patralona Metro station sources produce directly from small businesses all over Greece.
Good for age: 18+
Athens, Central Greece, Greece
Experience
A timewarp step into Athens’s past culinary traditions, this tiny yet popular ouzeri at the corner of Sokratous and Evripidou has slightly expanded its menu, but not its cramped space.
Min age 18
Good for age: 18+
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