Greece Thread

[kevwun 15788]

We are in the process of coming back.  We got stuck overnight at JFK because of a local delta mess.  Thanks for the recs.  Milos was beautiful and not crowded as dago said it would be.  Would go back there for sure.  The sites in Egypt were great, the travel process is something else.  We had a good guide, driver and a tourism cop who wore a suite and carried a sub machine gun under his jacket.  We didn’t leave the hotel without our guide because it so overwhelming.  Driving there would be insane.  We were on a 4 lane highway at one point that had 6 lanes of traffic on it and everyone honks all the time.  Luckily our hotel had a legitimately good restaurant.

 

Edited June 25, 2023 by kevwun

[squib 1120]

Headed to Greece in the morning for a bit over two weeks for job. Have work stuff in the mornings but done everyday by noon. First week in Athens. Staying in Plaka. I am sure it will be mega crowded--and that aint my bag. Any recs on places to eat/drink that might not be so touristy? I have dropped some pins on a google map for Tapfield and The Clumsies.  Still looking for restaurants. And if I hit up a beach in Athens, which one (or two) should it be?  Thanks for any help. 

[locodos 5387]

2 minutes ago, squib said:

Headed to Greece in the morning for a bit over two weeks for job. Have work stuff in the mornings but done everyday by noon. First week in Athens. Staying in Plaka. I am sure it will be mega crowded--and that aint my bag. Any recs on places to eat/drink that might not be so touristy? I have dropped some pins on a google map for Tapfield and The Clumsies.  Still looking for restaurants. And if I hit up a beach in Athens, which one (or two) should it be?  Thanks for any help. 

Handlebar in Psyrri for a drink in the evening.  Not touristy and grungy enough to keep them away.  Think younger greek hipsters.

 

[We’reTexas 1473]

2 hours ago, squib said:

Headed to Greece in the morning for a bit over two weeks for job. Have work stuff in the mornings but done everyday by noon. First week in Athens. Staying in Plaka. I am sure it will be mega crowded--and that aint my bag. Any recs on places to eat/drink that might not be so touristy? I have dropped some pins on a google map for Tapfield and The Clumsies.  Still looking for restaurants. And if I hit up a beach in Athens, which one (or two) should it be?  Thanks for any help. 

I liked the Clumsiest. Baba au Rum as well. 

[YoungCounty 165]

Spent the longest 6 hours of my life in Athens airport last night. Due to long delay in Chicago, we missed our connection in Brussels to Corfu. 
 

Ended up spending the day in Brussels and had a blast. But then flew into Athens at 1:00 am. Flight to Corfu was at 7:25 am. I had been up for like 36 hours straight I think. I was highly intoxicated and delirious. 
 

But finally made it to Corfu this morning. It has been great!  Next 8 days will be traveling Albania and North Macedonia, before coming back to Corfu for one more day/night. It is beautiful here. 

[squib 1120]

On 7/6/2023 at 11:52 PM, We’reTexas said:

I liked the Clumsiest. Baba au Rum as well. 

Great. I have Baba au Rum pinned as well. 

[squib 1120]

Sitting in Tap Field right now. Insomnia IPA is legit good. Baba au Rum hadn’t opened when I walked by. 

[Anastasis 23469]

On 7/6/2023 at 1:38 PM, locodos said:

Handlebar in Psyrri for a drink in the evening.  Not touristy and grungy enough to keep them away.  Think younger greek hipsters.

 

 

We really liked Psyrri, had an apartment there and it worked well for us in that location. But just understand that two blocks one way or the other and things go from a range of casual greek hipster lounges and hookah bars to a abandoned overgrown lot filled with rubble. It's an interesting area. Feels like greek gentrification. We liked the scene and had a good meal there. And the view from the apartment rooftop certainly did not hurt.

 

   

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by Anastasis

[Mo Horn 8842]

On 7/6/2023 at 12:55 PM, squib said:

Headed to Greece in the morning for a bit over two weeks for job. Have work stuff in the mornings but done everyday by noon. First week in Athens. Staying in Plaka. I am sure it will be mega crowded--and that aint my bag. Any recs on places to eat/drink that might not be so touristy? I have dropped some pins on a google map for Tapfield and The Clumsies.  Still looking for restaurants. And if I hit up a beach in Athens, which one (or two) should it be?  Thanks for any help. 

Will be athens in september and would love to hear about any restaurants that you would recommend. Most meals will probably just street food or the place that looks like grandma is in the kitchen, but not opposed to making a reservation somewhere nice. 

[locodos 5387]

7 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

 

We really liked Psyrri, had an apartment there and it worked well for us in that location. But just understand that two blocks one way or the other and things go from a range of casual greek hipster lounges and hookah bars to a abandoned overgrown lot filled with rubble. It's an interesting area. Feels like greek gentrification. We liked the scene and had a good meal there. And the view from the apartment rooftop certainly did not hurt.

 

   

 

Agree,

The thing to remember is that if you're only worried about violent crime,  Athens is very safe compared to anywhere in the US.  Yup you'll see junkies and needles in alleys and back streets, if you don't take reasonable precautions you *might* get mugged (much lower chance than US cities) but statistically very safe.  It does look much rougher through US eyes.  My friend from San Fran, of all places, was a twitchy till I showed him the crime comps between Athens and SF.  Then I showed him the murder rate comps LULZ.  'merica!

Sounds like we might have stayed in the same place.  We (along with 2 other families) rented flats in the tall apartment just a door down from Handlebar.  Had full access to the roof.  Forget the tourist trap rooftop restaurants (although we did go to fancy one), instead grab some good food from a local shop, some nice bottles of wine, and put on some music.  The apartments were ok, but the view and location can't really be beat. 

<csb>

I gave my 15 yr old & his friend a challenge to go buy some beers at Handlebar (Like 30yds from the building) and bring them back to us on the rooftop.   They noped out and came back, so we (the dads) went down with them.  They said they were worried about the crowd and scene.  We took them to the bar and waited outside.  This time they were defeated by the hot 20-something braless bartender wearing a thin white t-shirt.  I walked my son up to the bar and asked the bartender if she would have sold him beer.  She smiled at him and said.. "No, but since you're here and it would be fine."  We had a few more out on the street.  The boys didn't mind going to get more beer after that.  Their fear was somehow replaced by an exotic new motivation. Strange how that worked.

</csb>

 

[Anastasis 23469]

1 hour ago, locodos said:

The thing to remember is that if you're only worried about violent crime,  Athens is very safe compared to anywhere in the US.

Oh yeah, just because the surroundings got a little shit holish in some areas, there was never a time when we had ever a concern around safety or the kids were being exposed. We let them free range quite a bit on the islands and in the villages without a concern. In Athens and Thessaloniki they had run of the place while mom and dad went out at night. 

[kevwun 15788]

Psaras Tavern is a good spot in Plaka.  We stopped at it on the way back from the Acropolis because our guide recommended it.  It was probably the best meal we had in Athens.

[kevwun 15788]

Also a day trip to Delphi is worth it.  Beautiful area in the mountains with great ruins and an excellent museum.

[Mo Horn 8842]

59 minutes ago, kevwun said:

Psaras Tavern is a good spot in Plaka.  We stopped at it on the way back from the Acropolis because our guide recommended it.  It was probably the best meal we had in Athens.

We actually have reservations there. It was recommended by someone so we booked a table. Glad to hear it's a good as we were told. 

[kevwun 15788]

The moussaka is excellent.  The house red wine is real bad though.  It is the only thing I would avoid there.  I should have done some research on Greek wines.  I don't know anything about them so we had no clue what to try.

Edited July 10, 2023 by kevwun

[locodos 5387]

18 hours ago, kevwun said:

The moussaka is excellent.  The house red wine is real bad though.  It is the only thing I would avoid there.  I should have done some research on Greek wines.  I don't know anything about them so we had no clue what to try.

As a young man, my wife and I were in Athens and having dinner with some Greek friends. They were quite a bit older (he was missing a few fingers from fighting in the Greek resistance in WWII) we where somewhere outside the city on a terrace on a beautiful night.  I was 23 or 24 and didn't have a developed taste for wine, but was asked check the latest bottle brought to the table.  It tasted like wine to me, so I told the waiter "Yes that's fine"   After he poured it out for every one, the older Greek took a sip and nearly spit it out.  He called the waiter back and got a different bottle.  I felt bad, and told him I just didn't have a lot of experience with wine and it tasted ok to me.  He laughed and told me not to worry about it, "Greek wines are like our plays, they're all tragedies!"   

[kevwun 15788]

That house wine was basically vinegar.  God it was bad.  I assumed most restaurants we ate at would have wines from France, Spain, Italy, the US, etc that I could pick from.  Most of them just had local Greek stuff though.  Not until we were in Egypt did we get a wine list that I knew anything about.

[locodos 5387]

1 minute ago, kevwun said:

That house wine was basically vinegar.  God it was bad.  I assumed most restaurants we ate at would have wines from France, Spain, Italy, the US, etc that I could pick from.  Most of them just had local Greek stuff though.  Not until we were in Egypt did we get a wine list that I knew anything about.

Things are changing and there are some good Greek wines.  When you get out into the Peloponnese you can see some of the "Wineries" and let me just tell you this, the Italians have NOTHING to fear.  There are a few that have invested in infrastructure and developing wine tourism, but a ton of them are just barebones agricultural buildings, vines, and a donkey.  Which I prefer if the product is great, but rustic doesn't begin to describe it.

[kevwun 15788]

Glad I didn't order any of them because a lot of the wines listed were from the Peloponnese.  Luckily Greek beer is pretty good.  Alpha and Mythos did us just fine. 

[texasdago 7573]

Greek wine has absolutely improved.  Do not ever order Retsina though.  Garbage.

@PenelopeWitherspoon

This one is good in Athens - https://www.manimani.com.gr/en/ 

Also, check out the pedestrianized section in Koukaki where you probably have 15-20 bars and restaurants all right by each other.

[kevwun 15788]

There's a rooftop bar called the Utopia Cafe on Milos in the town of Plaka that has one of the most amazing views I've ever seen.  The drinks were excellent too.  This isn't my pic but it's right were we were sitting.

Edited July 11, 2023 by kevwun

[texasdago 7573]

shhhhhh... Milos sucks

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

1 hour ago, texasdago said:

Greek wine has absolutely improved.  Do not ever order Retsina though.  Garbage.

@PenelopeWitherspoon

This one is good in Athens - https://www.manimani.com.gr/en/ 

Also, check out the pedestrianized section in Koukaki where you probably have 15-20 bars and restaurants all right by each other.

Yeah, Retsina is garbage, though I feel one glass is needed to understand how bad it is.

Mani Mani is excellent.  I had a great meal there.

The following places are restaurants I have been in Athens that were worth it:

Hytra - Definitely posh, but the view is outstanding

Mani Mani - The food was excellent. 

Kuzina - The view on the roof is second to none; food is very good too

Old Tavern of Psarras - Really solid Taverna in Plaka.  Food was simple but solid.

Mavro Provato - Back in 2019, this was one of the it restaurants in Athens, and holy shit was it good.  Not expensive at all, but completely solid food, riffs on classic Greek dishes. (https://tomauroprovato.gr/)

Vassilenas Restaurant - This is a multicourse tasking menu that was absolutely packed when I went.  Food was great.

I also went to this comfort food place in one of the markets.  I went there at 2 or 3 AM after Baba Au Rhum, but the food was outstanding.  I will try and find that one.

On the bar front, Baba Au Rhum was great.  The Clumsies was jam packed, so I gave it a skip.  Brettos is still one of my personal favorites.

 

Edited July 11, 2023 by PenelopeWitherspoon

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

21 hours ago, kevwun said:

Glad I didn't order any of them because a lot of the wines listed were from the Peloponnese.  Luckily Greek beer is pretty good.  Alpha and Mythos did us just fine. 

There are some really good Greek wines, but you need to know what to order.

[locodos 5387]

Ιταλικό κρασί

4 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

There are some really good Greek wines, but you need to know what to order.

Ιταλικό κρασί

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

1 hour ago, locodos said:

Ιταλικό κρασί

Ιταλικό κρασί

Not always.  I have definitely had some less than great Italian wine too.  French too.  But there are some good Greek wines.  You have to know which ones though.  

[GenXer 2877]

My standing recommendation for Athens is to go to the restaurant at the top of Mount Lycabettus for drinks or dinner at sunset.

Get a table on the patio and watch as the sun sets over Athens. You’ll see the aegean sea drift slowly away as the acropolis lights up. Your nighttime view is this.

 

[kevwun 15788]

Our airbnb was super close to the Acropolis and had a rooftop patio.  We just sat up there one night and stared at it.  It was awesome.

Edited July 12, 2023 by kevwun

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

41 minutes ago, kevwun said:

Our airbnb was super close to the Acropolis and had a rooftop patio.  We just sat up there one night and stared at it.  It was awesome.

It is such a stunning place.  I have had the luck to be up there twice.  The first time, it was hot and crowded.  It was around Memorial Day as I had gone to Greece for 4 or 5 nights around that time back in 2016.  It was still amazing, but the amount of people wasn't fun.  We paid to do a guided tour, and that was great.  We had a group of about 8 or us, and she gave us a lot of background.  I wanted the slopes once I was headed down and saw all kinds of things.

In 2019, I was in Athens for a conference.  I was flying to Denmark on Saturday night, so on that Saturday AM, I went up to the Acropolis.  I got there at 8 in the morning.  The weather was glorious (sunny and about 68-70 degrees), and there were maybe all of 10 people up there until I started to head down.  This trip was amazing.  I absolutely adored being up there that early, and it was almost like I was touring it in a private setting.  It is mind blowing that I was walking where people walked 2500 years before.  It is awe inspiring.

[elfenix 34241]

22 hours ago, texasdago said:

Greek wine has absolutely improved.  Do not ever order Retsina though.  Garbage.

@PenelopeWitherspoon

This one is good in Athens - https://www.manimani.com.gr/en/ 

Also, check out the pedestrianized section in Koukaki where you probably have 15-20 bars and restaurants all right by each other.

[squib 1120]

Will post a full report when I get back, but these wildfires are ruining the views in the afternoon. Woke up to ash all over the outdoor furniture. 

[Mo Horn 8842]

I Athens a few days before getting on a cruise. Hot, but love it so far. Photo upload is borked so no pics of the great food. 

 

[smwhorn 482]

Bumping this thread.

We're doing an Athens - Athens cruise for our 35th wedding anniversary.  We are not stopping in Santorini or Milos.  Once back in Athens, we'll have four days and three nights before our flight back from Athens.  Try to hit both Santorini and Milos?  This will be end of October so we will not have the summer crowds.  We'll be in Athens for three days and two nights before we get on the boat.

Edited April 28 by smwhorn

[Mo Horn 8842]

We did 3 days in Athens before we got on a cruise last September/October. Visited all the regular tourist stuff and just wandered and ate. Would love to go back and spend more time. It's a great city with tons to explore. We pretty much stayed in Placa, but there are other neighborhoods I'd love to visit. 

[GenXer 2877]

1 hour ago, smwhorn said:

Bumping this thread.

We're doing an Athens - Athens cruise for our 35th wedding anniversary.  We are not stopping in Santorini or Milos.  Once back in Athens, we'll have four days and three nights before our flight back from Athens.  Try to hit both Santorini and Milos?  This will be end of October so we will not have the summer crowds.  We'll be in Athens for three days and two nights before we get on the boat.

If you’ve never been to Santorini, I recommend it. The views from the caldera are unlike anything anywhere.

[kevwun 15788]

I would go to Milos over Santorini.  Santorini has some good scenery but is touristy as fuck.  Milos is amazing.  Exploring the small villages there is awesome because they are so different from one another.  We also had the best meals of our trip on Milos and had an awesome airbnb.  I could have spent a week there.  It's much more relaxing than Santorini.  If you do go to Santorini, make sure to have dinner at Sunset Oia one night.  The food is good and the view is great.

Edited April 29 by kevwun