Angelike Contis
HOME
ABOUT
DOCS
WRITING
LINKS
CONTACT
Classic Athens Restaurants
Café Boheme • Kolonaki • Bar/Café/Restaurant
Romantic lighting and lace curtains beckon passers-by into this cozy retreat,
warmed up by natural materials and a low-key, semi-rustic decor. Comfort food—
like fried Norwegian cod with pureed potatoes and boiled greens—is served at
either the small tables or in the two ample nooks with large wood tables and
couch seating reserved for larger parties. The Greek-English ownership is reflected
in the mix of Mediterranean standards like chickpeas in tomato sauce and
more international flavors such as the baked apple dessert topped with vanilla
ice-cream and rose sauce. A bar stretches along one brick wall, serving up
London bar cocktails, including champagne-based drinks like the Honeyberry
Fizz and refreshing strawberry daiquiris. The crowd mostly includes well-heeled
Athenians still in officewear or spruced up for dates. Live-music nights, including
a funk band, may boost its rep as a bar. By day, it’s a good spot to read the
paper solo with a coffee and croissant, or for a discreet tête-à-tête. Mon-Sat
8.30am-midnight. €1 Omirou 36, 210 360 8018
Classic Athens Nightlife
Booze • Downtown • Bar
Vodka with fresh lemon juice is the specialty in this bar that’s housed in a 19thcentury
building surrounded by linen shops. It feels like a successful party most
weekend nights, as crowds squeeze down from the upstairs bar to the newer
high-ceilinged gallery below. The gallery room features its own bar and a massive
chandelier made of preserved “diples” (dough cookies). The year-round
establishment is the site for ongoing exhibits and shows. By day, patrons dip in
to have a coffee and set up their laptops on its massive wood table. 2 Daily
10am-midnight. Kolokotroni 57, 210 324 0944, boozecooperativa.com
Hip & Cool Athens Restaurants
Dasein Coffee Art & Spirits • Exarchia • Café
It’s not just the usual smoke, but also ideas and art that float around this highceilinged
hangout with a rigorous weekly schedule of philosophy, literature, free
films, widescreen sports, music, and art. Beyond the huge wooden swingingdoor
entrance, two enormous black-and-white, celebrity-filled photo collages by
local graffiti artists Carpe Diem set a creative tone. Arty and mainstream clientele
chat at the bar, at street-side window tables, and on big black couches while
nursing mochachinos, straight scotch, or imported beer. Food is limited to the
likes of simple toasted sandwiches and stark nachos, but coffee is served ‘til
late. Things get hopping on weekends after 10pm. Daily 11am-1am. €- 2
Solomou 12, Exarchia Square, 210 384 1857, dasein.gr
Fasoli • Exarchia • Restaurant/Taverna
Though the food and prices are taverna-like, it’s the place’s quirky sense of
style—with lamps made of clothespins and disco tunes pumping—that makes
this eatery so hip. The new branch’s glass-walled corner location, showcasing an
open kitchen and split-level interior, lights up the block. The 30ish-to-40ish
crowd often fill tables for lunch or dinner (after 8:30pm) to enjoy the red house
wine, a wide array of salads, and light, inspired Greek classics, including eggplant
or fava bean dip. The chef applies special touches to some dishes, like a
drizzling of balsamic vinegar sauce here or a shaving of parmesan cheese there.
Top off the meal with a light panacotta, drenched in your choice of sauce. Mon-
Sat 1:30pm-12:30am. € 3 Ippokratous and Navarinou Sts. (also a branch at 54
Emmanuel Benaki St.), 210 360 3626
Hell’s Kitchen • Kotzia Square • Cafe
The flames periodically flare as the chef prepares dishes in the open kitchen, but
Athenians find this small corner hangout heavenly. Located behind Athens’ Town Hall,
this minimalist joint has big windows and a colorful mural. It is one of the few places
in town serving breakfast, with six omelets available till 6pm. By night, a DJ spins, and
you can have a drink (including inspired mojitos), a meal of salads, sandwiches, or
heartier fare from the New York–inspired menu, or munch on a salad buffet around
schoolroom-like tables. Times vary; call ahead to make sure it will be open. € b2
Agisilaou 6B, 210 346 2077
Eating out: “Exarhia lapped by the sea”
MAYBE the name of this new central eatery’s name, Psaro-Kokalo (or “fishbone” in Greek), may put off some, but fear not. This new hip establishment features flavorful, hearty catches from both land and sea.
Decor/ambience
The look is contemporary without being too “style-conscious”. A minimalist approach predominates that must have good feng shui, because we were instantly relaxed upon entering.
Careful decorative touches include fishbone designs on a few of the off-white walls, bamboo poles clustered around the entrance and a gaggle of orange lamps hanging from the high ceiling. Stairs lead up to an upper level with a denser arrangement of tables around the glass railing.
Our party of four, which included an unusually high percentage of lawyers, appreciated that the music and background noise was lively but low enough to allowed for comfortable discussion of litigation seminars and Cretan vacations alike.
Menu
The hearty, handsomely-presented offerings blend regional and nouveau Greek cuisine, without a hint of culinary superficiality…apart perhaps from the omnipresent black sesame seeds.
Most of the starters have a seafood bent, but we enjoyed the grilled Chios mastelo cheese (6.10 euros) covered with corn flakes (yes, like the cereal), with a hint of ouzo and a drizzling of honey. A tasty thick pink sauce bathed the Baked Eggplant with Manouri Cheese and Sun Dried tomatoes (5.10 euros), but the vegetable rounds were a little undercooked.
The house salad (6.90 euros) of crispy greens (eg rocket and red lettuce), caramelized fig treasures and thin slices of graviera and parmesan cheeses, came in a pleasantly asymmetrical white bowl. The concoction was generously sprinkled with balsamic vinegar.
When it came to the pasta, fish and meat entrees, half of the things we picked were OK - and the other 50 percent extraordinary. While my Shrimp Pilaf with Kozani Saffron (12.80 euros) featured juicy shrimp (the menu said they were frozen, but they didn’t feel it) and nice bits of green pepper, the pilaf lacked seasoning. By contrast, the Bass Fillets Fricassee with Finocchio and Walnut Milk (9.40 euros) was exquisite, with the chunks of fish, tender artichokes and potatoes sitting in a creamy white sauce and sprinkled with dill.
Similarly, while the pork chops with a special house sauce (8.80 euros) were decent, the Beef Fillet Filled with Tomato, Feta and Oregano (11.50 euros) really stood out.
Specialties
Menoudeli (squid ink pasta) and Grilled Salmon with Basil (11.30 euros) is an unusual favourite. Generous portions and glass after glass of the smooth, light white Mycenaen house wine (a custom-ordered Mycenaean blend of Viognier and Chardonnet varieties), prevented us from tasting any of the three dessert options. But I intend to return for the panacotta with Chios mastic.
Service
Co-owner Vangelis Zaharopoulos serves as maitre d’ and waiter, which he noted cuts down costs, but ensures customer care. The professional, graceful backup staff promptly appeared when needed.
Value for money
The meal, including a litter of the white house wine came to 20 euros/person, a good deal considering the hipness factor and the interesting taste options.
Clientele
A gamut of ages were in evidence on the busy Thursday night we visited, ranging from a couple of elderly gentlemen in tweed suits having a good laugh at the next table to a large, dressed-up party at a big table and more casual students upstairs.
Background
The new eatery was the mindchild of Zaharopoulos and chef Nikos Koukelis. Zaharopoulos explains that he and his business partner had experience in the Athens restaurant biz and aimed for, “Casual food, very reasonable prices, with gourmet touches.” They’ve achieved it already, with the help of Koukelis’ inspiration and touches revealing his Chios roots. While it only opened in September, word has already gotten out about it.
Location
Psaro-Kokalo is located at 119 Solonos st (tel 210-384-6596), a few blocks from Exarhia sq. It’s open every day 1pm to 1am.
Similar Restaurants
Gazi favourite Sardelles (15 Persephone st, 210-347-8050) also brings fish seafood with style to the city’s centre.