Spring oils full of sweetness, legumes classic but also creatively cooked, seafood that makes us forget meat completely: in the taverns and restaurants of Athens we find fasting dishes, small miracles. Have you tried artichokes alla polita with Lemnos white bean and sauteed shrimp? Do you know the tavern in Drapetsona that makes dolmadaki loukumi or the fish shop on the slopes of Kastella that serves gambares with the most addictive, fragrant sauce? Where do they make the best marinara pizza and the richest fisherman’s pasta? We walk around the city and eat delicacies!
Baked giants with red lentil puree and more at Ella
The joy of fasting is Ella. One of our favorite, ingenious dishes conceived by the demonic culinary mind of chef Nena Ismirnoglou is the amazing baked giants with red lentil puree. But the good cook always has several vegan dishes on the menu of the restaurant, and especially now during Lent there is a lot going on: chickpeas, fava beans with rovitsa, dolmades yalanzi, chestnut stew, squiofita with asparagus, risotto with mushrooms, spring salad with beetroot , peas, asparagus, cilantro, almonds and strawberries, another awesome salad with roasted beets, orange, grapefruit and pistachios, and quite a few more. Nicoletta Makryonitou
26 Mitropoleos, Athens, T/210-33.15.547
For briam in Vlassis
Vlassis has his way with oils and, justifiably, he is famous for them. After all, it is one of the few restaurants (excluding chefs) that proudly and continuously cooks this category of food. Depending on the season, one will find everything from spinach rice, cabbage rice and celery rice alla polita to stuffed all sweet, beans, and even pumpkin stew! Honeyed and fine, its bream is in itself a reason to pass through Ilisia. Georgia Papastamou
15 Maiandrou, Ilisia, T/210-72.56.335
For marinara pizza at Lisa’s
The simplest pizza is also the most difficult. There the pizzaiolo Stavros Tsamis shows his skills. In Lisa’s open preparation room, he opens his doughs, which are based on natural leaven. He makes various, bold combinations (he also has marmite pizza, mapo tofu pizza, etc.), however, his simple and seasoned marinara stands out. It has a thin, soft base and a garlicky, tomato sauce, full of freshness, which is not “heavy” with the dough. You do it in two bites. G.P.
25 Fokionos Negri, Kypseli, T/ 693-67.72.165
Calamari and fried potatoes in Kostas ouzo
And you fast and enjoy it. What’s better than a portion of calamari fried golden, without oil, pure sweetness, and together with a plate of freshly cut fries, crispy, well salted and pink. We complete the fast of the dream with a portion of boiled greens, greens with good lemon oil, steamed mussels, grilled shrimps and a carafe of ouzo next to it. NM.
Kountouriotou 7, Korydallos, T/210-49.45.102
Shrimps with secret sauce, in Psarokastella
It may be hidden in the hills of Kastella, but the family fish tavern has acquired fanatics. There you will find various fasting seafood delicacies but don’t miss the chef’s specialty which is prawns with sauce, the ingredients of which she keeps a secret. It’s thin, slightly sour, a bit spicy and addictive (I can’t resist dips). The chewy, fragrant octopus, with semi-sweet wine is also a regular on my order. G.P.
Skra 19, Piraeus, T/210-42.22.237
Giant piazzas in Lesbion
When they say piaz in Lesvos they mean white small beans, boiled in water, served as a salad together with raw onions and parsley. Simple and beautiful. A table at an ouzo restaurant on the island is not complete without a portion of these. And in the good ouzo of Galatsi they make them, but there with a small difference: they put giants. And they are amazing. Honeyed, with a thick white slightly lemony sauce, simply served, not even with onions and parsley, pure with their juice, their oiliness and their simplicity. They like ouzo. NM.
Vardousion 3, Galatsi, T/210.29.23.689
Zarkadoulas: For crabs, in Nice the pebbles
The closest thing to an island in the city, Zarkadoulas lays out tables on… the pebbles of Nice and makes us long for summer even more. The fish tavern has an experienced pan where the seafood is golden fried. The best seller, however, is the charcoal-grilled crabs, which come half-cleaned so you don’t have to bother too much. Juicy, with fluffy coolness and oily lemony juices, they fit in the middle of almost every table and match perfectly with the ouzo spirit. G.P.
Bithynias 32, Nice, T/210-42.52.770
The squid that became shortbread, in Travolta
If you find yourself in Travolta during Lent, the last thing you’ll feel is deprived. From scallops and velvety taramo salad that comes garnished with swallow fish roe and chopped chives to seafood pasta with squid, prawns, mussels and quince, you’ll have your fill of delicacies. Among them is the now famous, tender and delicious squid kontosouvli served with its ink for sauce, along with capers and plenty of olive oil. G.P.
33 Arkadias & Agios Pavlos, Peristeri, T/ 210-57.19.222
The fisherman’s pasta at Polpo is all deliciousness
With fresh seafood, they make the pasta at Polpo, which opened a while ago across from the vegetable market of Rentis. Linguini cooked al dente, red sauce nicely bound, cherry tomatoes for freshness. They cook the seafood nicely without straining it and at the end they add fresh herbs for extra flavor. Marina Petridou
John Kennedy 6, Renti Vegetable Market, T/210-71.04.578
Artichokes alla polita with white-nosed beans and shrimp at Rini
Artichokes with white-nosed beans of Lemnos ala polita with sauteed shrimps is prepared by Marina Chrona in her shop next to the Archaeological Museum. The dish is very filling. It smells of spring herbs. The bean together with the prawns, which are nicely cooked without drying out, give it flavor. It is an ideal choice for fasting days. M.P.
8 Rethymno Street, Athens, T/ 210-88.36.781
Dolmadakia at Athena in Drapetsona
In the fish tavern that is almost hidden in a narrow alley of Drapetsona, one can find various nice dishes for the days of fasting based on seafood. But what we liked the most are the dolmades they prepare daily in the shop. The vine leaves stick to the tooth and the rice filling is very tasty and aromatic. M.P.
71 Kapetanidou, Drapetsona, T/210-46.12.696
Goggles with crayfish in Argoura
His raw materials are strong paper, from time to time you find rare or strange things from the sea, every now and then Nikos Michael juggles something new out of his sleeve, so you are always torn between different options. But you will always come back to the goggles. The curved, hollow pasta (sourced from a cottage industry in his native Evia) is served with tender crayfish and a light sauce from their broth with a hint of fresh tomato. It is one of the most characteristic dishes of the fish shop in Tzitzifies. Angela Stamatiadou
49 Agesilaou Street, Tzitzifies, T/217-71.73.200
Artichokes ala polita in Giuvetsakias
Artichokes alla polita are one of my favorite spring laderas and at Giuvetsakia they make them classic, classic. Delicious, tender cups with their honeyed potatoes, their carrot, their onion and plenty of fresh dill. Those that go into the pots come from Iria of Nafplio, where artichokes also have their feast. For a few days now, in the Glyfadio tavern, they’ve been making them fried, simply seasoned with salt and flour – I’ve put them on the plan for next time. Also get the Prespa giants slathered with that thick, sweet-spicy sauce, they’re really good too. LET.
20 Ithomis & Moreos, Glyfada, T/210-96.48.081
Source: Gastronomos
