Eating in Athens: The Places That Actually Deliver
It's easy to get Athens wrong. I learned that the hard way on my first morning, when I tried to grab a quick coffee at a tiny shop near Syntagma Square, only to be handed a steaming cup of Greek coffee that cost €2.50 and was served with a tiny glass of water on the side. The barista, a woman with silver-streaked hair, smiled and said, “This is how we do it.” I hadn’t realized that in Athens, coffee isn’t just a drink—it’s a ritual, and rushing it is a cardinal sin. My real food awakening came a few days later at a hidden gem called Oinomageio, tucked away on a quiet street near Plaka called Kallirroi. I’d been wandering the labyrinthine alleys of the neighborhood, trying to find a place that didn’t feel like a tourist trap, when I stumbled upon this unassuming spot. The menu was handwritten on a chalkboard, and the owner, a man named Nikos with a thick accent, greeted me with a warm, “Kali orexi!” (Good appetite!). I ordered the moussaka, a dish that’s often overcooked and dry i...