The post-industrial tinsmith quarter, now Athens' late-night ouzeri and live-music belt with Atlantikos, Klimataria, Telis and Karamanlidika tou Fani.
Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani on Sokratous is the Athens deli-mezedopoleio for Asia Minor cured meats: Karamanli pastourma, sausages and small plates.
Signature: Karamanli pastourma, Cappadocian sausage, Cured-meat platter
Order: The Karamanli pastourma board with sheep cheese and a carafe of tsipouro.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The deli counter runs 08:00 to 21:00 if you want to take meats home with you.
Atlantikos in Psyrri is the central Athens seafood pick: Avliton 7 fires the daily catch on the grill from lunch through to past midnight every day.
Signature: Grilled octopus, Sea bream carpaccio, Fried calamari
Order: The grilled octopus, the sea bream carpaccio and a chilled assyrtiko by the glass.
Tip: The annex across the lane opens at 18:00 weekdays and 13:00 weekends; book the original room.
Klimataria on Theatre Square has poured Athens taverna food since 1927, a Psyrri institution where rebetiko plays live on most evenings from around 22:00.
Signature: Gigandes plaki, Slow-cooked lamb, Stuffed tomatoes
Order: Gigandes plaki, slow-cooked lamb and a half-kilo of the house red from the barrels.
Tip: Live music runs most evenings from around 22:00; book a fortnight ahead for the weekend.
Diporto on Sokratous and Theatrou has poured Attic retsina from barrels in Athens since 1887, a basement koutouki with no sign and a handful of daily dishes.
Signature: Revithia, Sardines, Greek salad
Order: The revithia chickpea stew, sardines and a small glass of retsina from the barrel.
Tip: Lunch only from late morning until the pans empty, often by 17:00; no menu, no English spoken.
Klimataria on Theatre Square in Athens has poured taverna food since 1927, the Psyrri institution where giant barrels line the wall and rebetiko plays most evenings.
Signature: Gigandes plaki, Slow-cooked lamb, Stuffed tomatoes
Order: Gigandes plaki, slow-cooked lamb and a half-kilo of the house red from the barrels.
Tip: Live music runs most evenings from around 22:00; book a fortnight ahead for the weekend.
Diporto on Sokratous and Theatrou has poured Attic retsina from barrels since 1887, a basement koutouki in Athens with no sign and a handful of daily-changing dishes.
Signature: Revithia, Sardines, Greek salad
Order: Revithia chickpea stew, sardines and a small glass of retsina from the barrel.
Tip: Lunch only from late morning until the pans empty, often by 17:00; no menu, no English spoken.
Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani on Sokratous is the Athens deli-mezedopoleio for Asia Minor cured meats: Karamanli pastourma, sausages and small plates with tsipouro.
Signature: Karamanli pastourma, Cappadocian sausage, Cured-meat platter
Order: The Karamanli pastourma board with sheep cheese and a carafe of tsipouro.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The deli counter runs 08:00 to 21:00 if you want to take meats home with you.
Atlantikos in Psyrri Athens is the central seafood pick: Avliton 7 fires the daily catch on the grill from lunch through to past midnight every day of the week.
Signature: Grilled octopus, Sea bream carpaccio, Fried calamari
Order: The grilled octopus, sea bream carpaccio and a chilled assyrtiko by the glass.
Tip: The annex across the lane opens at 18:00 weekdays and 13:00 weekends; book the original room.
Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani on Sokratous in Athens pours Greek growers and tsipouro alongside the Asia Minor cured-meat boards from the deli counter at the front.
Signature pour: Tsipouro from Tyrnavos by the small carafe
Wine focus: Greek growers with Asia Minor cured-meat pairings
Food: Cured-meat boards
Tip: Pair the Karamanli pastourma with a glass of assyrtiko; ask the deli for cheese to go.
O Telis on Evripidou in central Athens has grilled pork chops over coals since the 1970s, the king-of-Evripidou-Street counter with chips, salad, bread and red wine.
Try: Grilled pork chops with chips and Greek salad
Tip: No menu; the order is pork chops with chips, salad, bread and red wine. Closed Sundays.
Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani on Sokratous in Athens runs a takeaway deli alongside the mezedopoleio, with pastourma sandwiches and a cured-meat counter for the road.
Try: Karamanli pastourma and cured-meat sandwich
Tip: Closed Sundays. The deli counter at the front sells meats by the kilo to take home.
Evripidou Street near Varvakios in Athens is the spice and dried-herbs strip, a row of small shops with mountain tea, oregano, saffron and cured meats from across Greece.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Saffron from Kozani is the souvenir buy; the herb shops sell by the gram.
The Artist Athens runs a hands-on Greek cooking class on Kalamida in Psyrri with a rooftop Acropolis view, working through tzatziki, Aegean salad, spanakopita, moussaka and the milk-pie galatopita.
Tip: The rooftop dinner is the point; book the late-afternoon slot for the Acropolis lit at dusk and the post-class meal on the terrace.
O Telis on Evripidou in central Athens has grilled pork chops since the 1970s, the king-of-Evripidou-Street counter where the EUR10 plate comes with chips, salad and bread.
Try: Grilled pork chops with chips, salad, bread
Tip: No menu; the order is pork chops with chips, salad, bread and red wine. Closed Sundays.
Diporto on Sokratous and Theatrou in central Athens has poured Attic retsina from barrels since 1887, a basement koutouki with a EUR10 lunch and no menu.
Try: Greek lunch with retsina from the barrel
Tip: Lunch only from late morning until the pans empty, often by 17:00; no menu, no English spoken.
Atlantikos in Psyrri Athens is the late-night seafood pick on Avliton 7, the small dining room and annex where the daily catch goes on grill until 01:00 every night.
Try: Grilled octopus and the daily catch
Order: The grilled octopus, sea bream carpaccio and a chilled assyrtiko by the glass.
Tip: The annex across the lane opens at 18:00 weekdays; book the original room.
O Telis on Evripidou in central Athens grills pork chops over coals until 23:00, the king-of-Evripidou-Street counter with chips, salad, bread and the house red.
Try: Grilled pork chops with chips and salad
Order: The pork chops with chips, salad, bread and the carafe of the house red wine.
Tip: No menu; the order is pork chops with chips, salad, bread and red wine. Closed Sundays.
Klimataria on Theatre Square in Athens runs until past midnight every night, the Psyrri institution since 1927 where rebetiko plays live and the wine comes from the barrels.
Try: Slow-cooked lamb with house red from barrels
Order: Gigandes plaki, slow-cooked lamb and a half-kilo of the house red from the barrel.
Tip: Live music runs most evenings from around 22:00; book a fortnight ahead for the weekend seatings.