The genuine and most fresh food in Athens is at Taverna Mega’s in plateia Anakasa, near Nea Filadelfia.

Finding this place years ago we are still loyal because of the real genuine and daily fresh food from the Family Mega’s who is running this place for decades. The taverna is on the side of the square and in summer time its really relaxing and silent, full of people and children playing. Thanassis is preparing the food in the afternoon as a daily ritual and cook the food to be ready about 6 or 7 in the evening. Not everything is ready cooked though and you can have to wait 20 minutes for the Biftekia, but believe me its really worth the wait. While waiting You simply enjoy a cold Fix beer in the garden watching other people.

This friendly environment is a genuine place of genuine people. Did i tell yo uabout the chicken, this grilled chicken portion with lemon mustard sauce is unbelievable really. The sour and salty mix with the grilled chicken is a real surprice…

Nothing is expensive either and you can easily count 7-12 Euro per head coming as a group, or even less but that depends on your order of course.

Find the taverna in Plateia Anakasa and here is the directions to find it by taxi or driving. most taxi drivers know this area so just ask for Plateia Anakasa and you are home free.
Taverna Mega’s Map

• Dolmadakia (from Armenian dolma): grapevine leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables, meat is also often included.
• Fava: Yellow split pea puree or other bean purees; sometimes made of fava beans (called κουκκιά in Greek)
• Greek Salad: The so-called Greek Salad is known in Greece as Village/Country Salad (Horiatiki), essentially a tomato salad with cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, and kalamata olives, dressed with olive oil [in Cyprus it contains also cracked wheat (bulgur), spring onions instead of red onions and lemon juice].
• Horta: wild or cultivated greens, steamed or blanched and made into salad, simply dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. They can be eaten as a light meal with potatoes (especially during Lent, in lieu of fish or meat).
• Kolokythoanthoi: zucchini flowers stuffed with rice or cheese and herbs.
• Koukkia: fava beans.
• Lachanosalata: Cabbage Salad. Very finely shredded cabbage with salt, olive oil, lemon juice/vinegar dressing.
• Marides tiganites: Deep-fried whitebait, usually served with lemon wedges.
• Melitzanes, eggplants.
• Melitzanosalata: aubergine (eggplant) salad.
• Pantzarosalata: beetroot salad with olive oil and vinegar.
• Patatosalata: Potato salad with olive oil, finely sliced onions, lemon juice or vinegar.
• Saganaki: fried cheese; the word “saganaki” means a small cooking pan, is used to say “fried” and can be applied to many other foods.
• Skordalia: thick garlic and potato puree, usually accompanies deep fried fish/cod [bakaliaro me skordo, i.e. fried battered cod with garlic dip, being a very popular dish].
• Spanakopita: spinach, feta cheese (sometimes in combination with ricotta cheese), onions or spring onions, egg and seasoning wrapped in phyllo pastry.
• Taramosalata (from Turkish tarama, roe): fish roe mixed with boiled potatoes or moistened breadcrumbs, olive oil and lemon juice.
• Tzatziki (from Turkish cacık): yoghurt with cucumber and garlic puree, used as a dip.
• Tyropita: cheese (usually feta) wrapped in phyllo pastry.

Meze is served in restaurants called mezedopoleíon, served to complement beverage, and in similar establishments known as tsipourádiko or ouzerí (a type of café that serves beverage, like ouzo or tsipouro). A tavérna (tavern) or estiatório (restaurant) also offer a mezé as an orektikó (appetiser). Many restaurants offer their house pikilía (“variety”), a platter with a smorgasbord of various mezedhes that can be served immediately to customers looking for a quick and/or light meal. Hosts commonly serve mezédhes to their guests at informal or impromptu get-togethers, as they are easy to prepare on short notice. Krasomezédhes (literally “wine-meze”) is a meze that goes well with wine; ouzomezédhes are meze that goes with ouzo.

The most characteristic and ancient element of Greek cuisine is olive oil, which is frequently used in most dishes. It is produced from the olive trees prominent throughout the region, and adds to the distinctive taste of Greek food. The basic grain in Greece is wheat, though barley is also grown. Important vegetables include tomato, aubergine (eggplant), potato, green beans, okra, green peppers, and onions. Honey in Greece is mainly honey from the nectar of fruit trees and citrus trees: lemon, orange, bigarade (bitter orange) trees, thyme honey, and pine honey from conifer trees. Mastic (aromatic, ivory coloured resin) is grown on the Aegean island of Chios.

The olive oil can also have some negative impact on your digestion. It is recommended to not cook in Olive oil but to add the oil after the dish is ready to serve. That is a recommendation if you are in a situation where you might have problems with digesting normally. The reason is that heated Olive oil is changing the molecular structure and its much more hard to digest.

When in Greece, do as the Greeks do. That means getting used to having your dinner at around 9pm to start with.

It can be a little strange for the quiet holidaymaker to walk into a typical Greek taverna where all the locals know each other. The TV is probable blasting from one corner, a granny is sitting in the other corner peeling carrots and young children are waiting the tables.

But that is the salt and pepper of dining in Greece, it’s different, much different from back home. The noise and friendly atmosphere makes you forget the everyday worries.

Suddenly you check the time and can not believe it’s past midnight. The children are just bringing the dessert and the granny in the corner is still peeling something.

Our favourite mezedopoleio in Aigina Island is the famous small place just next to the Postoffice in Aigina town. Having to walk just 200m to the ferries it can be worth just for a daytrip in order to enjoy Christinas and Vasilis little place. Already at the time of early spring its fantastic to get away from Athens to Aigina for a great meal at to Gramma.
To Gramma Mezedopoleio

To Gramma Aigina town

Christina is a swedish national living in Greece for many years and she is married to Vasilis and have a daughter together. The feeling of their mezedopoleio is fantastic in a calm and silent environment you can eat many different dishes with a mix from both French and Swedish inspirations from Christinas kitchen.

Here is a taste of their deliscious menu.

• Tomato salad with Greek soft cheese & black sesame seeds
• Marinated octopus
• Ovenbaked fetacheese with sesame seeds & honey
• Clubsteak w baked potato
• Fried olives

Visit their website: to Gramma

Being a foreigner in Athens there is no end to run into a new place to eat lunch, dinner snacking in between or only having your delivery direct to office or house. Athens or should we say Greece has a extraordinary field of eating and Athens actually have a eating place in almost every corner of each block.

Our eating guide for Athens is a new idea we have got form collecting many tavernas, mezedopoleio and souvlakis trough the years. Also these are just the general names for a good meeting with friends and family evenings, days and late nights in the busy environment of Athens.

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