To continue the tale of Athens... which we actually enjoyed after the stressful start with our AirBNB Nightmare which you can read about here, we did enjoy our apartment's central location, after you get past the dodgy part, where drug deals may or may not have been going on.
Our first meal was at this cozy Restaurant Deli recommended by our landlady's boyfriend after he came to the flat to hear out all our concerns. It was probably less than 10 minutes on foot away and it turned out to be included as one of the Top Authentic Greek Restaurats in Athens so that was a good way to re-start of Greek holiday.
Karamanlidika
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| There's a big deli counter smack in the middle of the restaurant. |
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| Say Cheese! |
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| The place was so crowded, they utilized the small spaceoutside the restaurant to fit in more tables. |
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| It has an open kitchen, and bar seating is also available. |
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| Cold cuts, fresh mozza and greens |
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| One of my favorite Greek dishes! Fried Saganaki FTW!!! |
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| Grilled Sausage platter, with bacon I think. |
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| Greek version of Corned Beef Hash |
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| Now we're happy. |
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| Can't leave without having Greek Yogurt for dessert, topped with sweetenedcarrots. |
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| Dinner was quite reasonable too at around €10 per head. |
If there is one thing I remember about Athens from my first visit more than 10 years ago, it's how convenient everything is located for tourists. I have memories of visiting the Ancient Sites, which I remember being very close to the main shopping street, with the market being right beside one of the old sites. Clearly, even 10 years back, my priority was some sightseeing (enough to consider it Been There, Done That), then spending time (and money) on retail therapy. Hahaha.
On this trip, we lived in the Psyri Neighborhood, close enough to the ancient sites, but central enough to see how the locals lived. We stayed very close to the central market, and we really enjoyed walking around and checking out the local shops.
Olives
Local Delis
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| I would check out the stores every day, looking for a goodbargain that I was willing to carry home. |
Athens Central Market
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| Our photo was crashed... not just photo bombed by creepy butcher guy. |
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| If I remember right, cutting through the meat section leads you to theShopping Street, thus our H&M haul. |
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| Assorted Nuts and Spices |
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| Did you know that fresh pistachios look like this? |
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| This was my favorite thing to hoard! In fact, I need to goback soon since my stash is almost gone. |
On the main street called Athinas, we have a favorite coffee shop called en Athinas. You can read my post on that here.
Wanderlust Sandals got it's inspiration from here. Thus, my very first product is called the Athinas Sandals. Just a shopping tip, if you are shopping for sandals in Athens, the price of sandals downtown is half the cost vs stores in the market near the ancient sites.
Churches and Religious Stores
Walking around town leads directly to Monasteriki and the Acropolis.
If you're travelling in summer, bring a wide brimmed hat, or buy one along the way.
Some of our satisfying meals were from simple places that the locals frequent.
Theikon Grill House Restaurant
Conveniently located on the corner of Athinas Street, across the Central Market, we kept passing this place as we were walking around and we could see the appetizing spread of grilled chicken and kebabs so we made it a point to try it out.
Everything looked good, so we ordered Grilled Chicken, a kebab platter, and a Greek Salad of course.
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| I love the way they do salads in Greece. It's more like a slab of Fetawith greens on the side. |
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| Oh, We didn't expect the kebab platter to be this big.Maybe we didn't need a side-order of grilled chicken after all. |
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| The chicken came in handy as midnight snack or breakfast the next day. |
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| We didn't expect to finish it... but we did! |
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| Cheers to another great meal!Yes, that nice copper tin is what the house white wine comes in. |
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| Our dinner for four with wine was less than €40. But we definitelyordered for 6 or 8! |
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| What you need to save space for is the local dessert. |
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| We loved the bougatsa so much, which is like puff pastry with cream fillingsprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon on top that we came backfor more the next day. |
We also ate at this sidewalk eatery near are apartment on Theatrou Street. There seemed to be a lot of people eating here, which was a good enough reason for us to try it.
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| In Greek Turo-Turo Style, you just point to what you want. |
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| I think we pointed to everything if the space or lack of it, on our table was any indication. |
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| This meal was so much cheaper compared to all our other meals since a dish is €3 on average. |
I really love visiting Athens. I can't wait to plan another visit back with Sofia, staying the the same hood, but in a safer area of course! just saying.
Karamanlidika - The Karamanlidika Fanis
Sokratous 1,
Athina 10552,
Greece
Closed Sundays
Theikon Grill House
9 Aristogitonos Street,
corner Athinas Street
Athens, Greece
Eatery on Theatrou Street
Theatrou,
Athina 105 52,
Greece
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