Cuisine of Attica Region for gourmets. Places for dinner - best restaurants

Greeks have a peculiar admiration for their national cuisine. Fresh greens, vegetables, meat, fish, various cheeses, olives, and olive oil of the best quality are traditionally used in cooking. Well, which dishes are worth tasting? Certainly, you have to try the well-known Greek salad with the local Kalamata olives, salty and crumbling Feta cheese and the freshest vegetables. The salad is called Horiatiki or a shepherd's salad here. As for soups, we recommend tasting the avgolemono made with egg yolk and lemon juice mixed with broth, heated until they thicken. This specific dish is also considered to cure cold-related diseases.

While choosing among appetizers, be sure to try the local dolma in grape leaves called dolmadakia, especially if you are served with tzatziki as a sauce, which consists of yogurt, olive oil, garlic, and fresh cucumbers.

Fans of seafood will surely like grilled calamari, so-called kalamarakia, and chiliheads should definitely try the hot pepper stuffed with cheese - tirokafteri. Lamb or beef are traditionally used in the main dishes. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Try souvlaki which is a popular Greek fast food consisting of small pieces of meat, poultry or seafood, for example, shrimps, grilled on a skewer. Fish and seafood are in very regular use in the Greece cuisine, the stewed octopus in a tomato sauce with the addition of beans is especially worth noting.

The local desserts are mostly prepared with the use of honey and dough in different variations. Try the fragrant honey balls called loukoumades. Also, baklava and kourabiedes will obviously touch a sweet tooth’s feelings. Keep in mind that they are very sweet, even sugary, and actually, they are perfect for coffee.

Among alcoholic beverages, it is worth mentioning the local vodka, called ouzo, as well as raki and tsipouro. All these beverages are rather strong, up to 50% alcohol by volume. Try mastika, which is a Greek liqueur seasoned with mastic gathered from the mastic tree. On the other hand, the local wine is inferior in quality and taste to the ones from neighboring Italy. In respect to the prices, the average price for lunch at a cafe in Attica will be around 6-7 Euro, and having dinner at a respectable restaurant will cost you 25-30 Euro. If you want to find a more affordable option, choose not tourist facilities, but the places preferred by the local residents.

It is possible to have a cheap and tasty snack in the street by buying a gyros (a flatbread stuffed with meat) or ice cream with different flavors. The street snacks will cost you around 1.5-3 Euro, depending on the fast food you have chosen. The Greek food service facilities, called taverns, have their special lines of business. Therefore, on the coast you can find more taverns offering fish dishes and seafood, they are psaras taverns; and in the interior parts of the country, you will most likely be visiting a place serving meat dishes – a hasapotaverna. It is not necessary to make a reservation here; you might need it just at the upscale restaurants. A reservation is uncustomary in cafes and small taverns.

Among inexpensive restaurants with the real Greek cuisine, we can recommend “Makalo”, which serves the dishes specific to the country’s northern regions. The prices are very low here, and the food is beyond all praise; furthermore, there is a wide choice of alcoholic beverages provided. The restaurant’s address is Nikis 23, Athens, just near to Plaka Square. Brachera Restaurant can be recommended as one of the colorful public places in the city. It is rather expensive, but there is a summer garden on the roof where you can enjoy a magnificent view of the city and the Acropolis (3 Abyssinias Square, Athens). Miniatoura Restaurant in Syntagma (21 Romvis Str.) offers a small but very tasty menu. Here you can taste the dishes from all over the country; the menu is constantly changing according to the season, and you will always find something new. The dishes are simple, rich and, more to the point, inexpensive. Right in the heart of touristy Plaka, there is an old basement tavern called Damigos (Kidathineon 41). It is a very colorful place with wine kegs and a leisurely service. The tavern works only in the evenings and it is closed in the second half of the summer. Eden Restaurant opens its doors for vegetarians. However, it is worth warning that many visitors are not very happy with the prices and small portion sizes. The restaurant is found on the ground floor of 12 Lissiou, Plaka. You can order food to go or food delivery in the small Noodle Bar at Apollonos 11, Plaka; the prices are very low, and the menu has a variety of meals.

In general, you will have tasty and rich dishes everywhere in Attica; the Greeks are very passionate about food and monitor the quality in their cafes and restaurants and there is a vast number of them in Athens. As a rule, the menu is put up at the entrance, so just have a look and choose a place according to your taste and money you can afford. In addition, pay attention to the fact that many places work neither on Mondays nor in summer.