Tomato wedges, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, kalamata olives and a thick slab of feta with oregano and good olive oil, the Greek summer salad of Athens.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Horiatiki is the village salad, designed around the peak-summer Greek tomato. The classic Athens version uses no lettuce, only ripe tomatoes and feta in a thick slab over the top. The dish became the Athens lunch staple in the 1960s and is now a non-negotiable taverna order between June and September. The salad requires good tomato to work; it dies in winter when supermarket tomato is the only option.
Common allergens: Dairy
Tip from the editors. Never refrigerate the tomato. Room temperature is the only way to taste it; cold tomato is flavourless tomato.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Why locals love it: Pangrati neighbourhood taverna since 1926 with a rustic courtyard, barrels of house wine, and an order-by-pointing system that keeps the tourist trade away.
Tip: No reservations are taken; arrive before 21:00 on weeknights and before 20:30 on Saturdays.
Why locals love it: The rare Plaka room cooking for Athenian locals on the quiet end of Kydathineon, opposite the Metamorphosis church courtyard, away from souvenir shops.
Tip: Pavement tables face the quiet end of Kydathineon; book a fortnight ahead for weekend dinners.
Taverna Platanos under the plane tree on Diogenous in Plaka Athens has fed the quarter since 1932, a courtyard room where slow-cooked lamb in lemon sauce is the order.
Signature: Lamb in lemon sauce, Stuffed cabbage rolls, Horiatiki
Order: Lamb in lemon sauce, stuffed cabbage rolls and a glass of retsina under the plane tree.
Tip: The courtyard opens late spring; book ten days ahead for the Friday or Saturday seatings.
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