My first visit to the Plaka was years ago on a cruise tour. I remember getting whisked around from place to place, landing in what seemed at first to be a very authentic Greek tavern, but wound up being the stopping point for every cruise ship in port that day. The charming and quaint family-owned cafe, complete with its antique tablecloths and rickety woven chairs.

Fast forward a number of years to my next visit to Athens, and I decided to come back and explore the Plaka — this time on my own. First up on the agenda was tracking down a traditional Greek restaurant that was not overrun with tourists and offered great food with reasonable prices.

After much research and wandering, we discovered To Kafeneio. Tucked away on one of the small alley streets near the popular graffiti walk, To Kafeneio was once a private residence that was built in the 1800s.

To Kafeneio underwent a facelift just before the 2004 Summer Olympics, but it still retains the Old World charm and quaint feel I was so desperately seeking during my first visit to Athens years before. If the weather is nice, sit outdoors at the marble tables that line the small alleyway, or opt to stay inside with a more formal yet old-fashioned decor.

We arrived early, as they were just opening for lunch, and took one of the outdoor tables looking up to the Acropolis. Our server greeted us enthusiastically and plopped down giant wooden menus with what appeared to be hand-painted details on the covers.

The massive menu — which had English — was filled with interesting details on the restaurant, the foods, and offered an expansive wine list. According to the historical notes in the menu, to Kafeneio became the first restaurant in Greece offering more than 30 different wines in a carafe. We opted to try their own private label wines — the white, rose, and the red, all of which were perfect for our massive lunch.

I should point out before getting into the dishes that we loved the food so much, we came back again when we were in Athens a few months later for the TBEX Travel Blogging Conference. The man waiting on us, who I believe to be one of the owners, recognized us and welcomed us back.

One of the things I like most about their menu is that is covers what is fresh and what is frozen. Various parts of Greece are known for specialty pies and dishes, but they aren’t necessarily local to Athens. Certain pies from the various islands are made fresh, frozen, and then shipped to Athens.

Here are some of our favorite dishes that we’d recommend from our visits to To Kafeneio.

Greek Olives

I always have to start with an order of fresh Greek Olives, no matter what restaurant I’m in. Many of the stores along the Plaka sell vacuum-packed Greek olives, ready for travel. They say carry-on approved and I am sure they are within Europe, but I wouldn’t necessarily risk it on US bound flights.

Tzatziki

Another must-try for me at any Greek restaurant is an order of Tzatziki. It’s great as an appetizer or accompaniment to grilled meats. Tzatziki is typically made with strained yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice or red wine vinegar. Some restaurants will sprinkle fresh herbs on top – maybe a little dill or parsley.

Aubergine (Eggplant) Salad

While this is called a salad, I consider it more of a dip. This is a combination of eggplant, sundried tomatoes, smashed olives, olive oil, and even a bit of honey.

Spicy Cheese Salad

Like the Aubergine Salad, I consider the Spicy Cheese Salad more of a dip. Made with feta cheese, fresh peppers, dried red pepper, and olive oil, this has now become one of my favorite appetizers. I had never ordered it before, but after taking a cooking class in Athens, I am hooked. Don’t miss this one!

Fava “Split Peas”

I learned a lot about fava while traveling on the island of Santorini, where fava is grown. This is not necessarily an easy dish to find in many restaurants, as it’s considered to be a “rare village” recipe by some. The yellow split peas, or fava, are boiled with onion and olive oil, and then served with lemon and onion.

Fresh Bread

With all those delicious dips, you can’t skip out on bread. To Kafenaio makes their own bread and they are all rather amazing!

Saganaki – Grilled Hard Cheese

Saganaki is often mistakenly referred to as the cheese, but it actually refers to any number of dishes cooked in a small frying pan. This version is the standard grilled hard traditional Greek cheese served with fresh lemon on top.

Saganaki – Hard Cheese with Honey Sauce

This version is made by grilling the cheese and then adding a homemade spicy honey sauce. Both versions are good, but this one is my favorite.

Kesaria Pie

This is one of the frozen pies available at To Kafeneio. This is a more rare pie, hailing from the north of Greece, made with pastrami sausage, kaseri cheese, and spices.

Meatballs with THE Sauce

This dish is often sold out at To Kafeneio. The first time we didn’t get to try it, but it was definitely worth the wait. These meatballs are made with a special red sauce, created by Nikolas, the first chef at To Kafeneio. The recipe dates back more than 100 years.

Bekris Mezes

The translation is “food for drunks.” They recommended this to us when the meatballs were sold out during our fist visit. Best dish! It’s made with small chunks of beef, peppers, cinnamon, and onion, all boiled with wine and tomato.

Special Dish

Sadly, we don’t have the notes on the actual name of this dish, but it was a special not listed on the menu and I believe it was a special “grandma’s” style dish. Despite neither of us remembering the name, it was too delicious not to include a photo of!

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What other restaurants do you recommend in Athens, Greece? 

Returning to Santorini after seven years, I was determined to locate a restaurant that not only offered good food with a view, but also one whose menu featured a number of local Santorini specialties. We found this in Assyrtico Wine Restaurant. You might recognize the name Assyrtiko, as it’s one of Santorini’s best-known wines; however, the restaurant is actually spelled Assyrtico.

The masterminds behind this innovative venture are two of the best chefs on Santorini. Nikos Pouliasis from Koukomavlos and Vasilis Zaharakis from Nichteri joined forces to create Assyrtico Wine Restaurant, offering a creative take on some traditional Santorini dishes.

And the view is pretty amazing. Assyrtico is located up a set of stairs where you are met with a beautiful arched balcony that looks directly back to the caldera of Santorini. It was pretty windy the day we were there, but we braved the less than ideal weather to sit at one of the best tables.

Assyrtico offers an excellent Greek and International wine list. If you are interested in trying some of the best local varietals, the staff is quite knowledgeable. We opted with a P.D.O Assyrtiko from Hatzidakis Winery as recommended by our server.

Normally, I have trouble choosing between appetizers to try and this was my worst challenge yet. Assyrtico’s six different starters made it so hard to choose – we opted to forgo an entrée and try all six since they represented some of the best in local Santorini dishes.

Amuse Bouche – Homemade Breads and Hummus

We started off with a basket of homemade breads and hummus. The bread had local Santorini capers baked inside and the hummus was one of the best I’ve had in Greece.

Tomato Ball Pancake

Made with sundried tomatoes, spearmint and watermelon chutney with lime and feta cheese from Tripoli. Light in texture, the tomato ball pancakes were well balanced and the watermelon chutney with feta was a nice way to cut the richness from the pancake.

“Like” Zucchini Fritters

These are giant beans from Prespes and zucchini from Santorini, mixed with a sesame crust and served atop a curry avocado yogurt sauce. I was worried the sesame crust was going to overpower the delicate bean and zucchini flavors, but they worked well together. The curry sauce added some cool spice and a subtle hint of sweetness that was a nice finish.

Fava

If you try only one thing in Santorini, it should be fava. Fava beans are locally grown on the island and absolutely delicious. Typically served as a puree, Assyrtico’s version is served with pickled onions in forest fruits, mousse of smoked pork from Mani, capers and sage scented olive oil. This was easily my favorite dish – the fava puree was divine and the pickled onions were so flavorful, but not overpowering in the slightest. I could’ve eaten two, maybe three of these myself!

“Saganaki”

The saganaki appetizer at Assyrtico features Gruyere cheese from Mytilini Island aged in olive oil. It’s wrapped in a pastry crust and served with a chutney of Greek dry fruits marinated in Vinsanto wine. The chutney on this dish was a clear winner with both of us. The Gruyere was mild and the pastry crust not soggy in the least.

Kataifi Fillo

The kataifi fillo was one of the most stunning dishes we had that afternoon. It’s made with four types of Greek cheese, scented with mastic, mandarin sauce, and rose petals confit. It’s hard to argue with this dish just looking at it. It’s delicate – both in presentation and flavor. If you’ve never heard of mastic, it’s a Greek specialty product. Mastic is a “gum” found only in the mastic tree, which is grown in only one part of the world – the Greek island of Chios. Mastic is used in a variety of products, from culinary specialties to skin and beauty products made in Greece.

“Santorini” Bruschetta

The last dish featured several Santorini products as well – sautéed squid, smoked mouse of white Santorinian eggplant, topped with an aioli sauce with cuttlefish ink and seaweeds. At first glance, the seaweed and the thick cuttlefish ink may be a turn off to some, but don’t skip this one. The squid was perfectly prepared and the white eggplant mousse was sublime. The seaweed and cuttlefish ink were perfect accompaniments for this appetizer and had we still been hungry, I would’ve been tempted to order another Santorini Bruschetta.

Due to Santorini’s landscape of volcanic ash, there are no natural trees and very few plants, making local food products somewhat of a rarity. Items like fava beans, tomatoes, and certain grape varietals thrive in volcanic soil, helping earn the island an excellent reputation within the gastronomic community. Santorini’s fava bean production is so respected, it has been granted P.D.O. (Protected Designation of Origin) status.

Prices at Assyrtico are reasonable, especially as compared to similar restaurants along the “waterfront”. Appetizers range from 8 euros to the most expensive at 11.50 euros (as of May 2014). Assyrtico’s main courses looked amazing as well but we obviously didn’t have near enough room to try one nor the desserts sadly. We definitely plan to return again and try the chefs’ individual restaurants as well.

Assyrtico Restaurant

Φηρά, Σαντορίνη (Fira, Santorini)
84700, Ελλάδα  (84700, Greece)
Phone: +30 22860 22463,
+30 22860 34255

Email: info@assyrtico-restaurant.com

This is the first in a series of upcoming posts from Our Tasty Travel’s 23 day tour of the Mediterranean on Holland America’s MS Noordam. Follow the hashtag #OTTMED14 on Twitter and Instagram for more yummy photos and social media recaps from our incredible adventure of the local culinary culture in many parts of the region.