Followers of our blog may have noticed that we are slightly obsessed with food. It is both an academic and a personal obsession. We have certainly spent enough time extolling the virtues of Greek fruits and vegetables, of various snacks and other products that we have come to love in Greece. We also love eating out, and finding new restaurants (always Greek--we have a rule, no foreign cuisine while we are here). One thing I've noticed this year is that the quality of Greek food has actually gone up in the last few years. This may be objectively true: I can see that Greece has been influenced by the growth of food culture that has gripped both Europe and America. You can see the evidence of that in the large numbers of stores selling "local", "authentic" and "organic" foods in the touristy places--I have to stop myself from buying too many jars of locally made honey, jam, pistachios, beers, etc. This trend is also affecting restaurant food, which is becoming more interesting and diversified, with more emphasis on local dishes and creative re-imaginings of standard Greek dishes. At the same time, I think we have just gotten more sophisticated about what food we seek out and order when we go out. In the interest of sharing our expertise, here are some tips about how to find extraordinary food in Athens and Greece.
1. Avoid eating in very touristy areas. Signs that a place is going to be a disappointment: overly aggressive owners who try to drag you into their restaurants; set price menus (15 euros for appetizer, main course, desert); prominent signs in English, German, etc., particularly advertising schnitzel, etc. Also, you always pay for a view, and even if the food is good, it might not be as worth it.
2. Find or ask about restaurants in more out of the way places. We've had great luck wandering through neighborhoods in Athens such as Psirri and Petralona, where there are vibrant restaurant scenes. Even our own home base, in Ayia Paraskevi, has some real gems (shoutout to Davandouri, a great Cretan place right near our house).
3. Look for local or regional restaurants. There are a lot of Cretan places these days in Athens, especially in our neighborhood; but you also see island specialities, and eastern restaurants (politiki kouzina=the cooking of Constantinople). In other parts of Greece, restaurants usually reflect local tastes.
4. While menus in English don't necessarily mean an inferior meal, it doesn't hurt to recognize the key terms of Greek cuisine in Greek, because every now and then you will find a wonderful place that only has Greek menus, or at least where the daily specials are written on a board in Greek. I won't list the key terms; there are several sites on-line that give lists and definitions of Greek food terms.
5. Avoid the standard dishes if you want to be adventurous. Don't get me wrong: I love a good moussaka or pastitsio, or a souvlaki, with a nice horiatiki salad, as much as the next guy. But if you want to explore, you have to seek out new territory.
6. Order lots of appetizers, and only a couple of main dishes to share. This is standard operating procedure at Greek restaurants: it keeps the price down (and unlike in America the proprietor won't get bent out of shape if not everyone orders a main course), and allows you to try a greater variety of items. And often the real gems are located in the appetizer section.
7. If you see an ingredient on the menu and don't know what it is, ask the waiter. Recently we ate something with pine nuts, and a salad with gooseberries, because we got curious about items we didn't recognize. They were yummy.
8. Keep an open mind. The other day we saw herring on the menu, and we thought immediately of the traditional herring in cream sauce that is a not so fond part of our childhood experience. But we ordered it, and it turned out to be cream-less, and smoked or preserved so that it almost tasted like bacon. Yum!
9. Finally, don't be afraid. Even odd ingredients or combinations can turn out to be delightful. Most Greek restaurants are not very expensive, so if a dish goes largely uneaten, it is not a great loss. And you can always pick up a gyro on the way home.
1. Avoid eating in very touristy areas. Signs that a place is going to be a disappointment: overly aggressive owners who try to drag you into their restaurants; set price menus (15 euros for appetizer, main course, desert); prominent signs in English, German, etc., particularly advertising schnitzel, etc. Also, you always pay for a view, and even if the food is good, it might not be as worth it.
2. Find or ask about restaurants in more out of the way places. We've had great luck wandering through neighborhoods in Athens such as Psirri and Petralona, where there are vibrant restaurant scenes. Even our own home base, in Ayia Paraskevi, has some real gems (shoutout to Davandouri, a great Cretan place right near our house).
3. Look for local or regional restaurants. There are a lot of Cretan places these days in Athens, especially in our neighborhood; but you also see island specialities, and eastern restaurants (politiki kouzina=the cooking of Constantinople). In other parts of Greece, restaurants usually reflect local tastes.
4. While menus in English don't necessarily mean an inferior meal, it doesn't hurt to recognize the key terms of Greek cuisine in Greek, because every now and then you will find a wonderful place that only has Greek menus, or at least where the daily specials are written on a board in Greek. I won't list the key terms; there are several sites on-line that give lists and definitions of Greek food terms.
5. Avoid the standard dishes if you want to be adventurous. Don't get me wrong: I love a good moussaka or pastitsio, or a souvlaki, with a nice horiatiki salad, as much as the next guy. But if you want to explore, you have to seek out new territory.
6. Order lots of appetizers, and only a couple of main dishes to share. This is standard operating procedure at Greek restaurants: it keeps the price down (and unlike in America the proprietor won't get bent out of shape if not everyone orders a main course), and allows you to try a greater variety of items. And often the real gems are located in the appetizer section.
7. If you see an ingredient on the menu and don't know what it is, ask the waiter. Recently we ate something with pine nuts, and a salad with gooseberries, because we got curious about items we didn't recognize. They were yummy.
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| O Kipos ton Troon's "Garden Salad" with Gooseberries, cabbage, lettuce, pomegranate seeds, blackberries, and balsamic vinegar. |
8. Keep an open mind. The other day we saw herring on the menu, and we thought immediately of the traditional herring in cream sauce that is a not so fond part of our childhood experience. But we ordered it, and it turned out to be cream-less, and smoked or preserved so that it almost tasted like bacon. Yum!
9. Finally, don't be afraid. Even odd ingredients or combinations can turn out to be delightful. Most Greek restaurants are not very expensive, so if a dish goes largely uneaten, it is not a great loss. And you can always pick up a gyro on the way home.
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