When it comes to finding a restaurant in a strange city, I'm a fan of the "hit and run" method. You case the place, maybe saunter past casually a few times to gauge the atmosphere and patronage; you thumb through the outdoor menu for something to catch your eye; then you either hit up the place or you run off before the outdoor attendant tries to convince you that it's "the best food in all of [fill in the city]."
In southern Europe it's quite common for restaurants to have an outdoor attendant to
Although our time in Athens was short, I have a few eatery recommendations below for the general Monastiraki and Plaka areas.
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| Stock photo of gyro. Not taken at Quick Pitta. |
The very name should serve as a clue that this place markets tourists. That being said, we did not find the prices to be unreasonable for the portions or the quality; however, you will find cheaper elsewhere if you're so inclined. Having stumbled off the plane only a few hours prior, we wanted cheap Greek food and fast. Quick Pitta was exactly what we needed at that time.
If you order your meal to go, you can take a wrapped gyro (otherwise known as a döner or döner kebab in other corners of Europe) and be out the door in minutes. We chose to sit down and enjoy ours, in which case the meat and other ingredients are brought out on a plate for you to wrap in pita yourself.
The service was typical for Europe; Americans should leave their expectations of overly smiling, chatty-Kathy waitstaff at home! Our server was neither impolite nor affable. We did not have to wait long for our food or drinks, and we were satisfied with our experience.
Price Range: $
Service: 3.5 out of 5
Bang for your Buck Value: 4 out of 5
TripAdvisor Rating: #515 out of 2,343 restaurants
Location: Mitropoleos 55 in the Plaka district; it is located at the corner of Mitropoleos and Aiolou Streets, just northeast of Hadrian's Library or southeast of Monastiraki Square.
Dia Tayta
Walking through ancient ruins all day can work up a Herculean appetite! (See what I did there?) Thankfully, there are a number of restaurants in close vicinity to the ancient Athenian Agora, of which Dia Tayta is an excellent choice.
We began our meal with an appetizer of tzatziki and pita, accompanied by a small bowl of olives; hands down, it was the best tzatziki we had in all our time in Greece. Danny ordered gyro meat on pita while I opted for souvlaki with peppers, onions, and mushrooms. In a word, delicious.
The serving sizes were appropriate for the price, and Danny's Hellas beer was also reasonably priced. Dia Tayta is located on an especially busy street, as it's the main thoroughfare from Monastiraki Square to the entrance of the Agora. Street vendors and pedestrians will be your immediate view, but you can catch a glimpse of some of the ruins over their heads. The patio attendant made sure to shoo away the girls trying to make you buy their flowers, but not before I got a slight pinch on the nose and Danny a smack on the hand by one cheeky teenage girl when we refused to buy a rose.
We were very pleased with both our meal and the general atmosphere for our lunch at Dia Tayta and would recommend it to others.
Price Range: $$
Service: 4 out of 5
Bang for your Buck Value: 4 out of 5
Taverna Karyatis (KARUATIS)
Situated in the heart of the Plaka district just one block east of Hadrian's library, the Taverna Karyatis offers a pleasant atmosphere of outdoor seating beneath leafy trees and serves delicious Greek cuisine to tempt your palate. We ate at this restaurant on our last evening in Athens.
We were coaxed into choosing this restaurant by the outdoor attendant, but his manner wasn't too forceful and he kept the scamming street sellers at bay during the entirety of our meal. Predictably, Danny selected the gyro entree accompanied by a Mythos beer. I choose a chicken and mushroom dish served in a creamy sauce with a side of rice and french fries - not exactly authentic Greek food, but one must not resist pregnancy food cravings!
The gyro was excellent; my rice was slightly undercooked, and my french fries ended up being smothered in the creamy sauce. But the sauce was delicious, and both the chicken and mushrooms were good.
While the food at Taverna Karyatis certainly didn't overwhelm us, the restaurant was a solid choice, and a place we wouldn't necessarily overlook in the future when we return to Athens.
Price Range: $$
Service: 4 out of 5
Bang for your Buck Value: 3.5 out of 5
Old Ithaki (ΠΑΛΑΙΑ ΙѲΑΚΗ)
Location: Mitropoleos 55 in the Plaka district; it is located at the corner of Mitropoleos and Aiolou Streets, just northeast of Hadrian's Library or southeast of Monastiraki Square.
Dia Tayta Walking through ancient ruins all day can work up a Herculean appetite! (See what I did there?) Thankfully, there are a number of restaurants in close vicinity to the ancient Athenian Agora, of which Dia Tayta is an excellent choice.
We began our meal with an appetizer of tzatziki and pita, accompanied by a small bowl of olives; hands down, it was the best tzatziki we had in all our time in Greece. Danny ordered gyro meat on pita while I opted for souvlaki with peppers, onions, and mushrooms. In a word, delicious.
The serving sizes were appropriate for the price, and Danny's Hellas beer was also reasonably priced. Dia Tayta is located on an especially busy street, as it's the main thoroughfare from Monastiraki Square to the entrance of the Agora. Street vendors and pedestrians will be your immediate view, but you can catch a glimpse of some of the ruins over their heads. The patio attendant made sure to shoo away the girls trying to make you buy their flowers, but not before I got a slight pinch on the nose and Danny a smack on the hand by one cheeky teenage girl when we refused to buy a rose.
Price Range: $$
Service: 4 out of 5
Bang for your Buck Value: 4 out of 5
TripAdvisor Rating: #423 out of 2,343 restaurants
Location: Adrianou 37 in the Plaka district; it is located southwest of Monastiraki Square by approximately one block.
Location: Adrianou 37 in the Plaka district; it is located southwest of Monastiraki Square by approximately one block.
Taverna Karyatis (KARUATIS)
Situated in the heart of the Plaka district just one block east of Hadrian's library, the Taverna Karyatis offers a pleasant atmosphere of outdoor seating beneath leafy trees and serves delicious Greek cuisine to tempt your palate. We ate at this restaurant on our last evening in Athens.
We were coaxed into choosing this restaurant by the outdoor attendant, but his manner wasn't too forceful and he kept the scamming street sellers at bay during the entirety of our meal. Predictably, Danny selected the gyro entree accompanied by a Mythos beer. I choose a chicken and mushroom dish served in a creamy sauce with a side of rice and french fries - not exactly authentic Greek food, but one must not resist pregnancy food cravings!
While the food at Taverna Karyatis certainly didn't overwhelm us, the restaurant was a solid choice, and a place we wouldn't necessarily overlook in the future when we return to Athens.
Price Range: $$
Service: 4 out of 5
Bang for your Buck Value: 3.5 out of 5
TripAdvisor Rating: #282 out of 2,343 restaurants
Location: Kapnikareas 39 in the Plaka district; it is located on the corner of Adrianou and Kapnikareas in a park-like area directly east from Hadrian's library.
Location: Kapnikareas 39 in the Plaka district; it is located on the corner of Adrianou and Kapnikareas in a park-like area directly east from Hadrian's library.
Old Ithaki (ΠΑΛΑΙΑ ΙѲΑΚΗ)
Our last Athenian meal was spent at Old Ithaki, located adjacent to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. We were enticed to eat here by the views of the Cathedral, the pleasing outdoor seating, and of course, the outdoor attendant who swore it was the best food in Athens "or your meal is free!" Like that would ever really happen!
While the food was not the best in Athens (not even the best of our time in Greece), we enjoyed it and were very impressed by the portion sizes, as you can see from my Instagram post below.
I settled for a salad lunch that day - Caesar, not Greek, as I was craving some lettuce and fattening dressing. My portion was equally huge, and I struggled to eat half of it. The prices were a bit high at Old Ithaki compared to the rest of Athens, but you could work around this by splitting an entree between multiple people. The serving sizes will definitely accommodate it!
Service was prompt, unassuming, and unremarkable. We were more entertained by the other American couple seated nearby who were furiously arguing in hushed tones about credit cards not being accepted and how much to leave in a tip (hint: tipping is not necessary, but you can round up to the nearest or next nearest Euro if you feel compelled).
Price Range: $$
Service: 4 out of 5
Bang for your Buck Value: 3.5 out of 5
While the food was not the best in Athens (not even the best of our time in Greece), we enjoyed it and were very impressed by the portion sizes, as you can see from my Instagram post below.
I settled for a salad lunch that day - Caesar, not Greek, as I was craving some lettuce and fattening dressing. My portion was equally huge, and I struggled to eat half of it. The prices were a bit high at Old Ithaki compared to the rest of Athens, but you could work around this by splitting an entree between multiple people. The serving sizes will definitely accommodate it!
Price Range: $$
Service: 4 out of 5
Bang for your Buck Value: 3.5 out of 5
TripAdvisor Rating: #1,844 out of 2,343 restaurants
Location: Adrianou 37 in the Plaka district; it is located east southeast of Monastiraki Square directly next to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens.
Location: Adrianou 37 in the Plaka district; it is located east southeast of Monastiraki Square directly next to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens.
Haha... I have to say, my husband and I are victims of the "Come in, this is the best food in ___________" a couple of times. Only because we got to the point where we couldn't walk around anymore and just gave in lol. I thought America/Texas has huge serving sizes, that plate is meat overload! lol
ReplyDeleteSounds like me and Danny on this last trip. :) Wandering around hungry and pregnant is not a good combo! I was pretty much ready to eat at the first place we found, haha.
DeleteStill haven't been to Greece yet but I absolutely love Greek food! However I find that "come and eat here" attitude quite annoying....
ReplyDeleteThey do the same thing in Italy, too. Maybe it's a Mediterranean kind of thing? We've never experienced that elsewhere (then again, there are still a lot of places we haven't yet been!).
Deleteah yes...I'm annoyed with the people who try to woo you in...they do it to all people, locals and visitors alike! From all the places you've been I've only visited Dia Tayta and I admit I loved the food there! Having a grandma and mother who cook many Greek dishes I rarely eat in a Greek restaurant when I go out! That being said, next time you're in Greece do visit Tzitzikas&Mermigkas in Mitropoleos street...the location isn't ideal, but the food is amazing!
ReplyDeleteWe definitely will! Thanks for the recommendation! Greece is one of the first countries (other than Germany, since we have family there) that we know we'll definitely return. We loved the food, couldn't get enough of the islands, and even Athens had its charm for me. We didn't get to visit any of the museums, which automatically warrants at least a short return visit (probably en route to another island!).
DeleteIndeed Athens is ideal for a stopover! You can spend there a day or two and check out the museums! The Acropolis museum is a must...because it's not crammed with lots of things that museums usually are!
DeleteOh, what a great guide to food in Athens! I admittedly don't know a whole lot about Greek food, besides tzatziki sauce, lamb, and gyros. I would be interested if you ever did a post featuring the types of food you ate in Greece (although maybe you already have and I missed it!). Looks like a great trip - I would love to go to Greece one day!
ReplyDelete