Athens Travel Blog

Aglio, oglio e peperoncino, Porinou 13, near the Acropolis Museum, t. 210 9211801 is a small, cosy trattoria which promises a unique culinary experience. Special attention is paid to the quality of all ingredients, and all plates are freshly prepared. The menu suggestions are from all over Italy and...

If your plans in Athens involve a hostel, apartment, camper, charter yacht or sailboat, you’re going to be happy about the new addition to the Arrivals level: a traditional “pandopoleion” stocked with locally made dry goods, American cereals, fresh fruit, cheeses, meat, olives, beer, wine, herbs,...

The Greek Revolution from the Ottomans started with a series of insurgence fighting, mostly from wild-eyed mountain men with the handlebar mustaches called “Kleftes.” The official, legendary start date is March 25, 1821, when Bishop Germanos of Patras raised a flag on Agia Lavra in Kalavryta...

It’s the second Sunday of the Great Fast here in Athens; we’re still trucking along down the highway of penitence called sarakosti, forty days of blood free meals until 12am Easter morning. It’s true that practicing a perfect lenten diet is waning with modern times, but everyone...

Walking through Plaka today I spied the oxidized sign of Brettos Distillary, the centenarian drinking hole that’s made it into every Athens guide that’s worth reading. But what was this? I wasn’t at 41 Kydathineon Street in front of the dark, crowded bar, lit solely by the rainbow of...

There’s a cumulative sigh of relief coming from cows, sheep, goats, chickens and fish all over Greece. The period of Carnival is over; this week started with Καθαρή Δευτέρα, Clean Monday, when all of the Orthodox-approved foods were rolled out onto long banquet tables and shared with...

Welcome to Athens Chocolate 101, a course covering all things chocolate and delicious in Athens. Lesson one: deliciousness for the masses. Athens is home to not one, but two domestic chocolate makers: Ion and Pavlidis. Bitter The Pavlidis (Pah-VLEE‘-this) Chocolate Factory was started in 1861...

Planning a Valentines Day dinner in Athens? Two pieces of good news for you: one is that Valentines Day is not a popular holiday in Greece. Two is that it falls on a Monday this year, meaning restaurants won’t be booked solid. Well, maybe. On second thought, this city’s unpredictability factor...

Nippy outside! Good thing kitchens in Athens are focusing on heavier dishes designed to keep you warm and fluffy through the winter; one of my favorites is Beri meze which, roughly translated, means the plate of the drunkard. It’s prepared according to the individualistic interpretation of the...

For the third day running, Greece is on holiday. The soundtrack of the streets is the constant, highly personalized ring tones of mobiles, followed by the greeting “Xronia polla! Kalie xronia!” Any hoop-ti-doo, personal or national, is reason enough to shout out the first wish of “many years”;...