For Vassilis Kallidis, celebrity chef and host of an Anthony Bourdain-style street food show, eating in Athens is not just about food. "I am crazy about Athens, madly in love!" writes Kallidis in his new Athens food guide, filled from start to finish with places to visit, places to explore and, above all, restaurants and dishes to taste.
The theme of environmental sustainability linked also to food is one of the central topics of Best in Travel 2021, in which we have engaged and enjoyed profiling what will be the trends in tourism in the year to come, such as the particular attention that Greece Greece adopts in the development of organic cuisine.
Vassilis Kallidis has sometimes been called the 'Greek Anthony Bourdain' for his cheerful, no-holds-barred approach to food © Margarita Gokun Silver /
The guide, a round-up of Kallidis' favourite restaurants, places where he 'feels at home', invites readers to step outside the box and immerse themselves in the city that Kallidis describes as 'the most liberal, sexy and sincere city ever where you can do what you want 24 hours a day'.
For a taste of what Kallidis's guide (and Athens itself) has to offer, here are 18 places to eat, divided by Athens neighbourhoods, that will have you as excited as Kallidis is about his beloved city.
Don't forget to accompany all the delicious food in Athens with plenty of good Greek wine © Vassilis Kallidis / Lonely Planet
Syntagma and Plaka
Ergon House, a food emporium, combines a restaurant serving modern Greek cuisine with a traditional Athenian agora (a market). The Ergon House stalls, complete with a delicatessen, fishmonger, butcher, greengrocer and zero-kilometre food shop, are full of products from all over Greece that you can enjoy in your hotel or take home with you.
Around the corner, Inomagerio Evgenia has been serving traditional Greek food for over 24 years. Its moussaka is a Kallidis favourite and ordering their fava, a yellow split pea sauce, is an absolute must. If Greek wine is your thing, drop by Heteroclito, a wine bar that boasts over 200 local labels, serving them with Greek cheese plates and cold cuts.
Athenian cuisine is varied, with everything from fresh vegetables to grilled meat and fish © Vassilis Kallidis / Lonely Planet
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Monastiraki and Psirri
For great moussaka - a hearty dish that is "one of the most popular must-haves in town" according to Kallidis - and excellent souvlaki (spit-roasted meat and vegetables) go to Nikitas, an old-fashioned taverna that has been feeding locals and visitors since the mid-1960s. To feel like you're on a Greek island - white walls and blue doors and shutters - stop by Avli, a taverna that appeared on the Kallidis Food and The City show, for an omelette with sujuk sausage.
In Monastiraki, the most touristy area of Athens, go to To Staki Tou Elia, an old family tavern for their Mediterranean-style lamb chops, grilled over hot coals with oregano. A few blocks away, Thanasis is 'one of the most photographed kebab vendors in Athens', serving succulent kebabs to Athenians and tourists since 1964.
Kallidis seated with the owner of Diporto, specialising in cheap daily menus loved by Athenians © Vassilis Kallidis/Lonely Planet
Tucked away in a corner between Monastiraki and Psirri is Varvakeios, the central food market. Once there, make your way downstairs to Diporto, an unpretentious taverna, for chickpea soup and grilled sardines, 'always very fresh', according to Kallidis. Nearby Oinomageirio Epirus is known for its tripe soup as well as its wide range of vegan and vegetarian Greek options.
Petralona and Koukaki
A stone's throw from Monastiraki, yet almost devoid of tourists, is Petralona, a neighbourhood that at times seems to come straight out of a Pedro Almodovar film,' according to Kallidis. Here Aster serves Cretan specialities in an atmosphere that resembles 'your grandmother's house on the islands' (plastic flowers and ant tables included) and is one of Kallidis' top ten recommended restaurants in the city.
Over the hill at Filopappou in Koukaki, Attikos Greek House boasts a terrace with a view of the Parthenon and, for Kallidis, the best moussaka 'like mum's' in Athens. "[Reserve] the round table in front," he says, "use my name (the code is Vassilis the Chef) and ask for Mrs Mina [the owner]".
Kapetan Mixalis has retained its charm, changing little since the 1960s when it was the café of the intelligentsia © Vassilis Kallidis/Lonely Planet
Panepestimium
Go to Prodorpion for one of the best souvlaki in town. A favourite of Athenians on their lunch break, it's one of six restaurants Kallisis talks about when he says he doesn't choose the "most conventional places [for tourists]". For a trip back in time to 1960s Greece stop by Kapetan Mixalis, a traditional Cretan kafenion turned taverna. Enjoy stewed pork with mustard, a speciality, surrounded by customers old and young and the spirit of the Greek writers, actors and intellectuals who frequented this place.
Pangrati and Kolonaki
Traditional neighbourhood taverns like Mavros Gatos coexist door-to-door with trendy bars in Pangrati, a neighbourhood that many artists and creatives call home. "Everything looks homemade, it's homemade," says Kallidis in his book about Mavros Gatos, adding that their vine leaves stuffed with egg and lemon sauce "moved him". On the other side of the National Gardens from Pangrati is Kolonaki, the posh area of Athens.
Although mostly devoid of summer residents, it is home to one of the most famous open-air cinemas and, next to it, an eponymous restaurant, Dexameni. It serves traditional Greek mezes (small dishes) and offers an excellent opportunity to watch passers-by in this traditional Athenian neighbourhood.
Lefteris has excellent Greek-style fast food: with homemade pita and souvlaki eaten hot straight from the spit © Vassilis/Lonely Planet
Exarchia and Omonia
For 'one of the best seafood places in the centre' according to Kallidis (and 'the cleanest cuisine in Athens' go to I Stoa and order taramosalata, the Greek fish-egg sauce. For authentic Cretan specialities ('Crete is the food capital of Greece,' says Kallidis) stop by Kriti. Try the fried olives, their special meze and the Cretan snails with rosemary and vinegar.
A few blocks away, at Stani, a dairy paradise from 1931, order 'a [workers'] breakfast from 1930': a scoop of Greek yoghurt topped with walnuts and honey. Nearby, Lefteris serves souvlaki in an artisanal pita. There are a few tables, but for a true Athenian experience, eat your souvlaki like the rest of the diners: standing 'with your legs spread like a penguin so the sauce doesn't spill on your shoes'.
Many of the aforementioned restaurants have been open since the 1960s, perfecting the menu and winning loyal customers ever since © Vassilis/Lonely Planet
The Athens Food Guide: A Trip to the Underbelly of Athens is Kallidis' first book in English. Some of the places listed invite you to mention his name to the owner and he has included his Instagram account on the cover. "People can ask me things [directly]," he says, "and I will answer in seconds." Eating in Athens is a personal thing for Kallidis, feeding the love he feels for his city. Use his guidebook, follow the tips and read the anecdotes and stories, and you too will fall in love with Athens.
