IYP Athens Oct/Nov 2009 (6MB) - In Your Pocket GmbH

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restAurAnts
Greek food
Mezes (sing.) / Mezedes (pl.): A selection of entrées
served in small plates and placed at the centre of the
table for sharing among friends.
Horiatiki: Traditional salad consisting of tomatoes,
cucumber, green peppers, olives, feta cheese and
a generous serving of olive oil, universally known as
Greek Salad.
Horta: Salad composed of certain varieties of boiled
wild herbs or greens.
Saganaki: Pan-fried type of dish served with lemon. Popular
varieties are the shrimp, or ‘garides saganaki’, cheese
or ‘tiri saganaki’ and mussels or ‘midia saganaki’.
Gemista: Oven-roasted tomatoes, peppers (and less
usually, courgettes and aubergines) stuffed with rice and
herbs (and optionally mince meat, pine nuts, raisins).
Gigantes: Giant beans oven-roasted in a tomato and
herb sauce.
Melitzanosalata: Aubergine salad (dip).
Taramosalata: Fish roe salad (dip).
Fava: Chick-pea dip served with lemon and chopped
onion.
Soutzoukakia: Spicy meatballs flavoured with cumin and
served in a red sauce.
Moussakas: Well-known oven-baked dish of potatoes,
layered with mince meat, aubergines and bechamel
sauce.
Spanakopita: Traditional spinach pie.
Tiropita: Traditional cheese pie.
Stifado: Type of meat dish slow-cooked in wine and
spices, together with a generous amount of shallots.
Surreal F1, Rethymnis 12, Exarcheia, MVictoria, tel.
(+30) 210 8230313. The setting here is more than a little
inspired by the art movement of the ‘20s. We love the eccentric
other-worldly touches, such as the life-sized Cycladic
statue masquerading as a bright neon extravaganza. The burgundy
red curtains and black-and-white arabesque tapestry
patterns on the walls are midway between kinky boudoir and
cosy bistrot, though you can’t quite pin down exactly which.
Food is more than satisfactory, mainly Mediterranean in character
and reasonably priced, with some innovative dishes on
offer, such as the polenta cooked with gorgonzola cheese and
pears. QOpen 20:00 - 01:00. Closed Mon. €€. PJA
Mexican
Meson El Mirador C4, Agisilaou 88 Kerameikos, MKerameikos,
tel. (+30) 210 3420007, This renovated 3-storey
residence in Kerameikos is home to one of the centre’s top
Mexican restaurants. The food is excellent and prepared by a
Mexican lady. We recommend the “takitos con keso” (cheese
pies) to start with, accompanied by the “salpikon” salad.
For your main course, go for the burritos, the fajitas, or even
the “enchiladas de pollo”. The wine list is satisfactory with
domestic as well as foreign selections but the sangria is one
of the best you can have in town. Its roof terrace (specially
converted for the winter) faces directly the Acropolis. QOpen
19:30 - 01:00, Sun 13:00 - 17:00. €€€. PTJA
Athens In Your Pocket
Ouzeri
Glykis F6, Agelou Geronta 2, Plaka, MMonastiraki, tel.
(+30) 210 3223925. Glykis is an ouzeri just off Plaka square
frequented mainly by students and some tourists where you
can have an ouzo lunch accompanied by a pikilia (a plate
of assorted mezedes) coming in different sizes depending
on the number of people sharing. QOpen 10:00 - 02:00.
€. JB
Naxos D5, Hristokopidou 1 Psirri, MMonastiraki,Thissio,
tel. (+30) 210 3218222. An ‘old school’ ouzeri in Psirri that
pre-existed the charge of the masses. Humble but real food,
fried fish and lots of ‘mezedes’ as well as charcoaled octopus
- usually on weekends- will perfectly accompany the ouzodrinking
experience you ought to have ay least once while in
Athens. QOpen 08:00 - 01:00. PTJB
Ouzou Melathron D5, Astigos& Philippou, MMonastiraki,
tel. (+30) 210 3240716. Thessaloniki in northern
Greece is a city of fine food and a relaxed lifestyle and it is
only natural that Ouzou Melathron, one of its famous ‘ouzeri’
set up shop in the capital. Convenient location and excellent
‘mezedes’ make it a favourite among Athenians and visitors
alike. You may have to wait for a table (no reservations) but it
is well worth it. QOpen 13:00 - 01:00. €€. PJA
Rebecca D4, Miaouli 22, Psirri, MMonastiraki. If you’re
looking for an unaffected, no-frills going-out experience in a
buzzing, youthful environment, this is worth checking out.
Situated in the lively nightlife area of Psirri and brimming with a
casual crowd of students sipping their “rakomela” (traditional
sweet but in no way innocent drink concocted by warming
up raki -a strong spirit- with honey), the atmosphere here is
reminiscent of a university campus bar. You will be surprised to
find that despite its in no way extraordinary décor, it manages
to create a lively, playful ambience and you may even have to
queue for a cramped little table on the curb. A good choice
if you’re the laid-back type and enjoy being at the epicentre
of all the buzz - the ideal people-watching spot. QOpen
13:00 - 02:00. €€. JB
Sea Food
Barbounaki H7, Stadiou Sq 2, tel. (+30) 210 7011753.
A pleasant modern fish tavern that opened its doors a few
weeks ago. The dinning hall is all white with a strong Cycladic
island reference. Its menu is biased towards less expensive
fish varieties like sardines, red mullets etc. and the side
dishes are interesting and some rather creative. The place
is conveniently located on the Panathenaic Stadium square
so you can combine dinner with sightseeing. QOpen 20:00
- 01:00. €€. PTJAB
Efta Thalasses G4, Omirou 11, Kolonaki, MPanepistimio,
tel. (+30) 210 3624825. Coming to Athens after
a big success in the capital of good food Thessaloniki, Efta
Thalasses (seven seas) is a modern fish and sea food restaurant
with a civilised feel. It is not dirty cheap but the quality of
the food served (everything is fresh and deliciously cooked)
makes it a good choice for an ouzo lunch among politicians
and local businessmen. QOpen 13:00 - 01:00. Closed Sun.
Closed until Sep 6 €€€. PTJA
Gialiskari Achilleos 119, Paleo Faliro, tel. (+30) 210
9837498. We don’t often recommend restaurants outside
the city centre unless we think that the food you will enjoy
there is really worth a short bus or tram ride. This is one of
those cases: a restaurant paying utmost attention to the quality
and the freshness of the ingredients they use. The menu
is therefore not set but depends on the fish that passed the
cook’s daily tests: ie the best in the market. And what’s more:
the bill will be just a fraction of what you’d pay elsewhere for
the same quality. Some regulars will be disappointed we’re
giving away their little secret, but that’s our job after all, isn’t
it?Tram from Syntagma Sq, tram stop Achilleos (about 30 min)
QOpen 14:00 - 00:00. Closed Mon. €€. PTA
Sardeles A5, Persefonis 15, Gazi, MKerameikos, tel.
(+30) 210 3478050. This modern and reasonably-priced
fish restaurant specializes in humble varieties of fish and has
become a huge success. When the weather is good it more
than triples its size with pavement tables right on the main
Gazi street, where you can watch the crowds go by and enjoy
the complimentary limoncello and masticha liquors offered
to pleasantly conclude your meal. QOpen 12:30 - 01:30.
€€. PJA
Thalatta A5, Vitonos 5 (& Pireos 105), Gazi, MKerameikos,
tel. (+30) 210 3464204, www.thalatta.gr. A
lovely sea food restaurant housed in a converted old house
just off the Gazi district. It is an excellent choice for those
looking for a little more sophisticated seafood cuisine than
Sardeles, but not quite as pricey as Varoulko. Mr Triantafillidis,
the owner, starts his day early in the open-air markets
of the city, to make sure his guests enjoy the freshest fish
and oysters he can find. QOpen 20:00 - 01:00. Closed Sun.
€€€. PJAL
Turkish
Tsiflik Bahtse A4, Triptolemou 26, Gazi, MKerameikos,
tel. (+30) 210 3462926. Turkish restaurant with a pleasant
ambience enlivened by touches of artistic playfulness (such
as the place mats depicting scenes from different regions in
Turkey and the baroque-style gilded mirror frames), the menu
here focuses on the rich gastronomical tradition of Asia Minor.
We recommend the ‘hounkiar begienti’ (meat in an intensely
flavoured sauce served on a bed of mashed aubergines),
the meat and ‘meze’ platter (‘Aga’s meze’ meaning the
Noble’s meze) and the ‘manti’ (pastry ‘pouches’ stuffed with
yoghurt, oil, garlic and sumac and oven-roasted). There is live
music every Saturday and Sunday QOpen 20:30 - 01:00.
€€. PJAE
24 hours
restAurAnts
Papandreou Aristogeitonos 1, Central Market,
MOmonia. This is a veritable institution of the central
meat market. A 24-hour restaurant serving market workers
and visitors alike since 1896. A favourite early-morning
hangout for journalists in the older days, when all national
newspapers were based downtown. These days party
animals and bar staff make a stop here in the early hours of
the day. If you just had a crazy night out topped with copious
amounts of alcohol to boot, take our word for it, this is what
the doctor orders before heading back to your hotel balcony
to watch the sunrise. QOpen 24h. €. PJS
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October - November 2009
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