My 75-year-old neighbor took me to Oinomageirion Tsopanakos for the primary time and I used to be impressed, if by nothing else than by the décor. It’s filled with memorabilia. The identify means “the shepherd,” or “little shepherd,” and so it stands to motive that this can be a place to come for Greek-style meats, particularly their chops. Oinomageirion interprets to “wine-cooked food” restaurant, a really particular sort of eatery that was as soon as discovered throughout Athens however has all however disappeared. There are solely a handful of locations left like this: easy, cheap, specializing in residence cooking, casseroles, Greek classics, and a few finger-licking grilled treats.”
Dishes to look for—in the book, and elsewhere in Athens
Kasseropita kourou (Kasseri cheese pie)
Where to get it: Dodoni, on Lykourgou Street, near Omonoia
“This is Athenian street food at its most indulgent. Kourou refers to a pastry that’s more like a short crust than a typical olive oil-flour dough. It’s crumbly and mostly made with feta, but the kasseri filling, found in a few downtown spots, makes it crumbly and melty. It’s an indulgence that I only partake of when I know I’ll walk it off.”
Galaktoboureko
Where to get it: Kosmikon, which has been producing this creamy Greek-Anatolian dessert since 1961, and Galifianakis, which started producing its model of galaktoboureko with a kataifi (shredded wheat) crust in 1973
“Galaktoboureko, a semolina custard–filled phyllo pastry moistened with simple syrup, is a dessert that people associate with Athens, even though there’s no real regional association beyond just being beloved and having some very good renditions in a few sweet shops. We used to seek out the galaktoboureko from a place in Patissia when I lived here in my 20s, and getting it warm was a treat.”
Poor Man’s Plate of Greek fries with floor meat sauce and grated myzithra
Where to get it: Leloudas Taverna within the Botanikos neighborhood
“The Poor Man’s Plate is from a cult taverna, one of the oldest ones in the city, in an old working class neighborhood. It’s just so simple and over the top at the same time. Greek fries are piled high with a spiced ground meat sauce (the same one that goes into pastitsio and moussaka) then topped with shavings of myzithra cheese, the traditional, sharp grating cheese of Greece— long before parmigiana entered the language!”