Hotels Restaurants Cafés Nightlife Sightseeing Events Maps - KISADO

38RestaurantsRestaurants39Greek foodMezes (sing.) / Mezedes (pl.): A selection ofentrées served in small plates and placed at thecentre of the table for sharing among friends.Horiatiki: Traditional salad consisting of tomatoes,cucumber, green peppers, olives, feta cheese anda generous serving of olive oil, universally knownas Greek Salad.Horta: Salad composed of certain varieties ofboiled wild herbs or greens.Saganaki: Pan-fried type of dish served with lemon.Popular varieties are the shrimp, or ‘garidessaganaki’, cheese or ‘tiri saganaki’ and musselsor ‘midia saganaki’.Gemista: Oven-roasted tomatoes, peppers (andless usually, courgettes and aubergines) stuffedwith rice and herbs (and optionally mince meat,pine nuts, raisins).Gigantes: Giant beans oven-roasted in a tomatoand herb sauce.Melitzanosalata: Aubergine salad (dip).Taramosalata: Fish roe salad (dip).Fava: Chick-pea dip served with lemon andchopped onion.Soutzoukakia: Spicy meatballs flavoured withcumin and served in a red sauce.Moussakas: Well-known oven-baked dish ofpotatoes, layered with mince meat, auberginesand bechamel sauce.Spanakopita: Traditional spinach pie.Tiropita: Traditional cheese pie.Stifado: Type of meat dish slow-cooked in wineand spices, together with a generous amountof shallots.MediterraneanAthinaios F4, Stadiou 22, MPanepistimio, Syntagma,tel. (+30) 210 3238000, fax (+30) 210 3238108,athineos@esperiahotel.com.gr, www.esperiahotel.com.gr. Athinaios is the favourite restaurant of the Athenianestablishment. Businessmen and politicians take their (long)lunch breaks over its enormous buffet, which is available dailyuntil 17:00.Prices are not low but still reasonable consideringthe quality of the cuisine, the large selection and theunlimited consumption. Dinner is à la Carte, but you’ll beequally impressed. QOpen 13:00 - 17:00 & 19:00-22:00.€€€. PTJHARBoschetto J5, Evangelismos Grove, MEvangelismos,tel. (+30) 210 721 08 93. For the fans of aristocratic finde-siècleambience and for those who still cling to ‘passé’formalities, rules of etiquette and other such charmingantiquated traditions. As expected, this restaurant attractsa mainly older and well-mannered, ‘high-society’ crowd. Thathaving been said, it must be stressed that the strengths ofthis establishment do extend to an interesting selection ofdishes on offer, with a slight preference for fish and seafood,and its lovely garden. QOpen 13:00 - 16:00 & 20:00-00:30.Closed Sun. €€€€. PJAFor more restaurant reviews check out:inyourpocket.comCanteen A4, Iakchou 8 & Efmolpidon, Gazi, MKerameikos,tel. (+30) 210 3451508. Simple east Mediterraneanfood in a minimal environment at the right price isthe philosophy of this brand new retaurant (opened a coupleof months ago). It is located just off the hustle and bustleof the top Athenian nightlife destination, Gazi, and comescomplete with a separate bar and a club upstairs whereyou can continue your evening until the early hours amongyoung and cool crowds of the city. QOpen 20:00 - 01:00,Sun 13:00 - 01:00. Closed Mon. €€. PABGB Corner G5, Hotel Grande Bretagne, MSyntagma,tel. (+30) 210 3330000. This classic brasserie, a meetingpoint for government officials, prominent businessmen andpowerful media professionals lives up to the fame and luxuryof its host Grande Bretagne hotel. Art-deco atmosphere,leather sofas and immaculate service, together with the wellprepared Mediterranean food, make up the GB experience.Probably the most formal business lunch you can have in Athens.And you’ll pay for it accordingly. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00.Closed Sat, Sun. €€€€. PJAWMataroa B4, Kerameikou 116 & Iera Odos, MKerameikos,tel. 210 3428312. Yet another new entry in thewider Gazi area, this restaurant’s strongest point is a largeroof garden with an excellent view. The menu is Medditeraneanwith a modern twist and includes a risotto made withfive different organic rice varieties, fresh salads and homemade ice-cream. QOpen 20:00 - 01:00, Sun 13:00 - 01:00.€€€. PJAOrizontes I3, Lycabettus Hill, tel. (+30) 210 7227065.Only a helicopter can offer you a better view of the city. Here,the view will cost you a little less and you’ll get dinner addedin as an extra bonus. At the top of Lycabettus Hill, the panoramicview of Athens will add a special touch to a romanticdinner. Take the railway from the top end of Ploutarchou St. inKolonaki. QOpen 12:00 - 02:00. €€€€. PABSalero G2, Valtetsiou 51, Exarchia, MVictoria, tel.(+30) 210 3813358. There’s nothing the owners can doabout the dodgy surroundings. So they made up for it by doinga pretty good job of brightening the interior. Salero started offas a Spanish delicacies restaurant and has now evolved intowhat we would call a Mediterranean treat. Tapas are alwaysup for grabs, but don’t ask for the bill before you’ve tried thespinach pie or the Catalane crème. QOpen 14:00 - 01:30.€€. PJAMexicanMeson El Mirador C4, Agisilaou 88 & Salaminos,Kerameikos, MKerameikos, tel. (+30) 210 3420007,www.el-mirador.gr. This renovated 3-storey residence ishome to one of the centre’s top Mexican restaurants. Thefood is excellent and prepared by a Mexican lady. We recommendthe “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 depollo”. The wine list is satisfactory with domestic as well asforeign selections but the sangria is one of the best you canhave in town. QOpen 19:30 - 01:00, Sun 13:00 - 17:00.€€€. PTJAB24 hrsPapandreou Aristogeitonos 1, Central Market,MOmonia. This is a veritable institution of the centralmeat market. A 24-hour restaurant serving marketworkers and visitors alike since 1896. A favourite earlymorninghangout for journalists in the older days, whenall national newspapers were based downtown. Thesedays party animals and bar staff make a stop here in theearly hours of the day. If you just had a crazy night outtopped with copious amounts of alcohol to boot, take ourword for it, this is what the doctor orders before headingback to your hotel balcony to watch the sunrise. QOpen24h. €. PJSOuzeriGlykis F6, Agelou Geronta 2, Plaka, MMonastiraki, tel.(+30) 210 3223925. Glykis is an ouzeri just off Plaka squarefrequented mainly by students and some tourists where youcan have an ouzo lunch accompanied by a pikilia (a plateof assorted mezedes) coming in different sizes dependingon the number of people sharing. QOpen 10:00 - 02:00.€. JBNaxos D5, Hristokopidou 1 Psirri, MMonastiraki,Thissio,tel. (+30) 210 3218222. An ‘old school’ ouzeri in Psirri thatpre-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 ouzodrinkingexperience you ought to have ay least once while inAthens. QOpen 08:00 - 01:00. PTJBOuzou Melathron D5, Astigos& Philippou, MMonastiraki,tel. (+30) 210 3240716. Thessaloniki in northernGreece is a city of fine food and a relaxed lifestyle and it isonly 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 visitorsalike. You may have to wait for a table (no reservations) but itis well worth it. QOpen 13:00 - 01:00. €€. PJARebecca D4, Miaouli 22, Psirri, MMonastiraki. If you’relooking for an unaffected, no-frills going-out experience in abuzzing, youthful environment, this is worth checking out.Situated in the lively nightlife area of Psirri and brimming with acasual crowd of students sipping their “rakomela” (traditionalsweet but in no way innocent drink concocted by warmingup raki -a strong spirit- with honey), the atmosphere here isreminiscent of a university campus bar. You will be surprised tofind that despite its in no way extraordinary décor, it managesto create a lively, playful ambience and you may even have toqueue for a cramped little table on the curb. A good choiceif you’re the laid-back type and enjoy being at the epicentreof all the buzz - the ideal people-watching spot. QOpen13:00 - 02:00. €€. JNBSea FoodBarbounaki H7, Stadiou Sq 2, tel. (+30) 210 7011753.A pleasant modern fish tavern that opened its doors a fewweeks ago. The dinning hall is all white with a strong Cycladicisland reference. Its menu is biased towards less expensivefish varieties like sardines, red mullets etc. and the sidedishes are interesting and some rather creative. The placeis conveniently located on the Panathenaic Stadium squareso you can combine dinner with sightseeing. QOpen 20:00- 01:00. €€. PTJABAthens In Your Pocketathens.inyourpocket.com athens.inyourpocket.com February - March 2010