Athens Food and Drink

Let’s be straight – the food here is pretty good, but that’s not why you’re coming.

You’re coming for a table on their outdoor terrace that has the most outrageous view of the city of Athens and beyond.

We totally lucked out when we climbed Lycabettus Hill for sunset and stumbled upon this restaurant, spotting a spare table in prime position for the taking.

The menu is on the pricey side with starters starting at €13 and mains starting at €21. However, I was surprised to find bread and oil for €6 (you bet we skipped starters to just have that) and the desserts were all €8. The drinks were pretty affordable too with wine from €5 and a glass of prosecco for €6.

The food was tasy but nothing to write home about, but I will probably never stop banging on about the view. It was incredible and I’d happily pay the price all again to witness that epic sunset!

If you’re on more of a budget, try Cafe Lycabettus instead or even cheaper still, pack some drinks and snacks and sit up top for free!

We arrived on a busy evening where we hadn’t booked and managed to negotiate a table for two for an hour – and we’re so glad we did!

Jumping straight into the main courses, I went for the Shrimps Saganaki (€8.00) and James opted for Ewe Sirlon Steakettes(€9.00) which came served with chips. Both were hearty portions that were absolutely delicious.

The drink costs were also very palatable! Just €4.50 for a litre of wine – yes please – and €3.80 for a draft beer.

What we loved most though was the extremely friendly waiters who were attentive and never made us feel rushed during our quick meal.

As we approached O Thanasis and saw the outdoor tables laden with fellow tourists, we held back for a moment.

Was this place a tourist trap?

However, as soon as we sat down and a huge Greek salad (€5.50), dish of tzatziki  (€3.60) and the most delicious pita (€0.20) EVER was thrust down in front of us, I remembered that sometimes a spot is popular for good reason – because it’s great.

If you’re wanting to sample the many classic dishes the menu holds, come hungry as the portions are huge. As well as our starters, we ordered the chicken souvlaki (€9.40) to share and went back to our hotel incredibly full, but incredibly satisfied.

We visited Juan Rodriguez Bar back when there was a ban on music in bars and the server told us we were really missing out on what was normally one of the liveliest bars in the neighbourhood!

The good news is that the cocktails more than made up for it – costing around €10 each – and we loved the vintage decor and how it even extends to their outdoor terrace too.

I’ve popped down this place as a ‘treat’ due to the cocktail prices but the food was more on the affordable side – as were the coffees too!

I saw the queue first and then I saw the boxes of deep fried balls topped in honey, chocolate and cinnamon clutched in people’s hands and went ‘we need to try this’.

And the good news is that Lukumades is popular for good reason – it’s delicious.

Plus, starting at €2.90 for a box of 10 they’re really affordable and enough to share between 2 if you’re after a small treat.

There’s lots of vegan options too – powdered sugar, maple syrup and chocolate – as well as an extensive toppings list for others that incudes greek honey and cinnamon, bueno and peanut praline.

They’re also open late – often their hours stretch from 8am to 1am – and so it’s the perfect late night snack to devour after a dinner and a few drinks.

I am a big fan of Greek Yoghurt.

Huge.

And so I felt I was duty bound to go and find some when I was in Athens.

The problem is that this isn’t as simple as you may think. Greek Yoghurt – known as Straggisto, or strained yoghurt here in Greece – may well turn up on menus but if you’re after the creme de la creme of the Greek yog world, you don’t have many options.

Back in the 1960s, there were around 1600 dairy bars in Athens and Piraeus that sold milk and yoghurt, and yet now there is just one.

Stani.

Fortunately for us, it was next door to where we were staying at DAVE Red Athens and at €4 for the yoghurt, honey and walnuts, worked out cheaper than paying for breakfast at our hotel.

The serving was HUGE and oh so decadent – it definitely felt more like a pudding than a dish to start the day – but wow, wow, wow.

Please also let me know if you end up ordering the ‘butter with honey’ dish… I am INTRIGUED.

What can I say, I’m a sucker for salted caramel and so as soon as I saw that Kokkion had that as one of their flavours, I was handing over my money.

The great thing about it – and the other flavours on offer – is that they’re handcrafted in Kokkion’s ice cream lab and use top quality ingredients including fresh Greek cow milk, French chocolate and nuts from all over the world.

They offer sorbets too if you’re lactose intolerant or vegan.

As well as cones and takeaway tubs, you can buy bigger tubs for at home too and they’ve got great coffee and cakes on offer too. I couldn’t resist buying a mini pistachio loaf and it was delicious.

I paid €2.50 for a small tub – it’s €4 for two flavours and €5.80 for three and €0.50 more for a cone. The cake was around €1.

I highly recommend!