Dia Tafta's, Monastiraki
Dia Tafta's in Monastiraki, the market area of Athens, was really one of the best places we ate in Athens. The mojito I ordered, for one, was by far the best cocktail I had throughout the whole trip. It was mintier than usual, which made it even more flavoursome, and there was a really decent amount of actual mojito, as opposed to the glass being mostly full of ice. I was slurping up ever last drop of the mojito it was so good. I ordered a pork gyros for the meal, which came as more of a deconstructed gyros, which made it so much easier to eat. There was, of course, shavings of pork, pitta, onion, tomato, chips and tzatziki (which I have become OBSESSED with). The meal was really lovely as was the dessert, possibly the best baklava I had in Greece. The restaurant is right on the outskirts of the market area of Monastiraki, on a street full of restaurants, so it's a really nice, busy atmosphere. The view from the restaurant is also really beautiful as it overlooks Hadrian's Library, the old ruins of the ancient library in Athens. And, of course, there are cats roaming the streets and begging for food, which sounds annoying but is actually quite nice.
Ama Lachei, Omonia
Ama Lachei was such an amazing restaurant in Omonia. It was really beautiful and lively, especially the outdoor seating area. We sat inside since we didn't book and it was so busy, but it was still nice indoors (just not as nice as outside). The food was THE BEST I had in Athens. I don't think I've ever been so blown away by a meal in my life. I got Orzo pasta with beef meatballs on top, covered in some Parmesan. It was honestly the most amazing meal I think I've ever eaten. The meatballs were massive but the meat fell apart really really easily as it was so well cooked, allowing it to mix in with the pasta. They also had a number of small plate dishes on the menu which would be really great for sharing. The restaurant was a ten minute walk from Omonia metro station in a quieter area of Omonia where there were so many great looking restaurants. Since the area was quite a lot quieter than other areas of Athens, it didn't have so much of a tourist feel to it and it did just feel like going to a great restaurant in a small, residential area of Athens. We got this recommendation from a friend of a friend and we were so glad as it was by far the best meal we had in Athens.
Mironi, Metaxourgeio
Mironi was a nice restaurant where we were staying in Metaxourgeio. There was a really nice, traditional greek atmosphere in the restaurant, especially because of the greek dancing and plate smashing that happened in the middle of the meal. It really feels like you're eating with the whole restaurant, not just those at your table. The food was delicious. I ordered a pork steak, which came with fries. We also had tzatziki and pitta as a starter, which was also delicious. I ordered a margarita cocktail, which I didn't really love, but I don't love margarita's anyway. If you do love a margarita then you probably would have loved this one. Whilst the restaurant was nice in itself, the area of Metaxourgeio isn't somewhere I think is worth seeing in Athens. Had we not been staying in an airbnb there, we definitely wouldn't have had any interest in exploring this area. It's nowhere near as nice as areas like Acropoli, Monastiraki or even Omonia. It's far more residential and less central, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it definitely didn't feel as safe, especially leaving once it was dark after the meal. It's a cheaper place to stay than somewhere more central, but it's definitely not as nice and, to be honest, it's a bit dodgy.
Selina Hostel, Omonia
Selina Hostel was where we stayed on our way back from the greek islands when we stopped off for one night in Athens. Obviously it's a hostel and not a restaurant so it wasn't as good as the above places. However, it's worth mentioning as it was a nice place for a quick meal, especially if you don't want to spend lots of money. I got chicken meatballs and a pint-sized mojito (they substituted rum for Bacardi vodka for some reason, but it was still nice). It wasn't as good as restaurant food, but it was still very nice. The reason I mention Selina hostel is less for the food and more for the view from the rooftop bar and restaurant. The view is amazing, you can see so far around Athens, and the Acropolis looks spectacular from up high. I'd recommend it more as a place to get a few drinks than to eat, but it's definitely worth visiting for the view. Selina Hostel was also a really nice place to stay. The three of us got a private room, so I don't know what the situation with dorms is like, but it seemed very sociable and they organised bar crawls for the people staying in the hostel. It was relatively cheap, thought I would say that the extreme GeN-z ViBeS of the hostel was a bit much, but definitely appealing if you're on a bender in Athens. I wasn't, so eating on the rooftop bar after a six hour ferry trip felt a bit like having a meal in the middle of a night club whilst stone cold sober. Quite awkward. But definitely a nice place to stay if you're planning on TeArInG uP tHe ToWn.
