Kalamaki Solon @ Piraeus

Visited Kalamaki Solon in one sunny Sunday afternoon. It is just below our flat, but we have never visited for one reason or another.

It is situated on Akti Themistkleous, near the big Cross. This place used to be a fish taverna called Solon, then it became a restaurant specializing in kalamaki (meat grilled on skewers). I do not remember the fish taverna Solon, which means that the transformation happened 3 or 4 years ago. The Kalamaki Solon as it was did not survive long and was taken over by Pantos Kairou (a taverna near Dimotiko Theatro of Piraeus), but still as a souvlaki restaurant. For this reason, the signage reads Kalamaki Solon Pandos Kairou now.

It is a small place with several tables outside and several tables inside. This below is the view from one of outdoor tables.

As a souvlaki place, the menu is kept simple: some starters, salad, grilled meat and souvlaki wraps. Before the take-over by Pandos Kairou, it did not have souvlaki in pita. In a residential area like Kallipoli and Hatzikyriakeio, people eat more souvlaki wraps than skewers only, so I believe it was an intelligent move.

Mixed salad cost 5 Euro. It included rather unpalatable hard parts from cabbage, but I should not complain too much about vegetables at a souvlaki shop.

Bread basket.

We were not charged for bread. Maybe because traditionally kalamakia (grilled meat on skewers) are accompanied by bread without supplementary charge.

I wasn't so hungry, so I ordered 1 kebab and 1 pork skewer. One cost 1.40 Euro and the other cost 1.50 Euro (I do not remember which was how much).

Kebab was not soft & spongy kind and was to my liking. The pork skewer, however, was even better: not over-cooked and with right amount of fat.

GH ordered pork souvlaki wrap, 2.20 Euro.

I did not try it, but he said he liked it.

With a bottle of beer, the total bill was 12.80 Euro, which is reasonable enough especially at a table in such a fine afternoon. So why not?

Kalamaki Solon Pandos Kairou
Καλαμάκι Σόλων Παντός Καιρού
Akti Themistokleous 284, Piraeus 185 39, Greece
Tel. 210 4512340

To Ellinio Mezedopoleio @ Glyfada

On 7th May (replacement holiday of 1st May), we found ourselves in Glyfada to receive some sunshine. After a coffee at Casual in Asteras, we looked for somewhere to eat.

First we wanted to go to To Sardelaki, but we found it closed. Maybe because they worked too much during the Holy week.

We decided to enter this place, because there was a lot of people. It is a mezedopoleio with fashionable "bahariko-pantopleio" style decoration.

The menu is very long, with lots and lots of mezedes. Some of the choices sounded interesting and it took a while for us to choose.

They charge 1.40 Euro p.p. for bread, but it came with two small mezedes, one beans the other potato salad. Edible, but not particularly good.

This is bougiourdi with kavourmas 5.80 Euro.

Loads of cheese and quite rich.

Salad "Grandfather's garden (kipos tou pappou)", 7.50 Euro.

It included various rather unfamiliar green leaves like young cresson. Not bad as a concept, but was somehow ruined by too-much dressing. Probably not worth 7.50 Euro.

Chips were supposed to be fresh, but they did not taste like it. 3.50 Euro.

Honeyed pork fillets (7.50 Euro) were the worst of all the dishes.

It was because 1) pork fillets were over-cooked and very dry and tough, 2) the "honey" sauce was burnt and bitter.

The free dessert (free-style baklavades), instead, was the best thing I ate at this restaurant.

With a bottle of beer, the total bill came to 29.80 Euro.

In many elements, this place reminded me of GouGou Meze in central Athens, but the food was not as good. Different from GouGou Meze, To Elliniko gave us the fiscal receipt without any prompt, but it wasn't much of a consolation to me.

Mezedopoleio to Elliniko
Lazaraki 28, Glyfada, 166 74
Tel. 210 8941471

Μεζεδοπωλείο Το Ελληνικό
Λαζαράκη 28, Γλυφάδα, 166 74

Lagoudera @ Perama

It is not far from Piraeus where we live, but I have never been to Perama, because for some reason, GH has an idea that it is a place not worth visiting.

There is no place not-worth visiting, of course, and I persuaded him to drive there in a Sunday afternoon.

The bait was a fish taverna called Lagoudera, of which I have read good reviews.

There is nothing particular about the outlook of the place. Rather shabby construction, no view to the sea (though ships are in sight) and crowded tables, except that there were lots lots of people. It was striking because the taverna next door called Perasma was almost empty.



The menu is quite long, many fish and seafood. There were some intriguing stuff like kokoretsi thalassinon or stuffed sardines.

BUT GH orders tzatziki as always.



Very dense yogurt. Quite good, but nothing particular.

Here is horta, beautifully served with red cherry tomato. Nice.



I wanted to order cabbage rolls with salted cod, but they did not have it and ended up in ordering normal dolmadakia. Again good, but nothing impressive. What impressed us was the yogurt like sauce. We thought it should be tzatziki, but it turned out to be something sweet. Interesting.



The main dish was garides saganaki.



We had expected a larger dish considering the price tag of 11 Euro. There were not many prawns either and their size was medium. It was, however, very filling due to the large quantity of yellow cheese used as crust. I have never seen such a prawn saganaki before. The tomato & red pepper sauce in which cooked the prawns were quite delicious.

The fried potatoes arrived when we finished half of the saganaki. The waiter excused saying that there were so many orders and the kitchen could not keep up with frying fresh potatoes. The point taken, but still it is not pleasant to eat fried potatoes at the end.



The dessert was on the house. Layers of Marie type biscuit, Giotis cream and jello.



With a bottle of beer, the bill came to 31.50 which was average. Anyway, the food was in general good and I would love to go back, hopefully with more people.

If you go there in Sunday afternoon, you'd better book a table in advance. It attracts much people and there is no ready alternative nearby.

Lagoudera - Λαγουδέρα
Leoforos Dimokratias 33, Perama
Λεωφόρος Δημοκρατίας 33, Πέραμα
Tel. 210 4414154

Antonia @ Tzitzifies

About Antonia first spoke to me a taxi-driver who is also a good friend. He said it was a fabulous taverna and I had to try. And later I read good reviews on the web. So I went one Wednesday night with GH.

From what I read I expected the place to be more humble. So it was a nice surprise when we found this large place with a nice environment. I was relieved, because GH sometimes refuses to enter, when the restaurants I want to go look to shabby.

I could not count how many tables there were. The smokers were on the other side, and the non-smokers were on the side where we were seated.

The menu is not short, but the choice is rather limited, because they do not have grill. Most of the people seemed to order fried calamari, fried prawns (large ones for 35 Euro per kilo), fried small & fresh cod, and/or steamed mussels. They have also usual small fish to fry, like barbounia, koutsoura, and gopes.

To start, we ordered mixed salad and tyrokafteri (Cheese & chili dip).

The salad was lovely and huge for 5.50 Euro. It was filling, for it included black-eyed peas and boiled potatoes.

Of course GH ordered fried potatoes.

I am sure they were hand-cut and freshly fried, but they did not taste quite well, probably because the potatoes were not of the right kind.

As main course, we had fried calamari (frozen) for 7.50 Euro.

Unfortunately I did not like them. Not because they did not cook well, but I found them tasteless. GH, instead, said they were fine.

We had also 4 large prawns (14 Euro in total).

As I did not want 3 deep-fried dishes, I had them boiled (I would have preferred grilled, but, as I said, there was not grill). I found them slightly over-cooked and not quite flavorful. They would have better as saganaki or garidomakaronada (or deep-fried, as the other people were eating).

At the end, we were offered semolina halvas, which was just average (not that I am complaining).

The total bill was 36.20 Euro which is quite reasonable. In fact, in Antonia, all the fish/seafood are sold at 35 Euro per kilo at the most (there are no luxury fish), which I believe is quite a bargain in comparison to many fish tavernas in Athens.

For a relaxing meat with friends or family, this seems an ideal place; you will enjoy the food without worrying too much of the bill. I won't, however, come all the way here for the best meal.

Antonia - Αντωνία
Isminis 36, Tzitzifies, Kallithea, Athens
Ισμήνης 36, Τζιτζιφιές, Καλλιθέα, Αθήνα
Tel. 210 9404508

Anahita Persian Restaurant @ Halandri

After a rather unsatisfying experience at Pars Persian restaurant in Halandri, we definitely had to try the other Persian in the same neighbourhood, Anahita.

This has been the only Persian in Athens for a long time before the opening of Pars and thus is better known.

We went there with 3 other friends and I did not take as many photos as I usually do, but I think I can give you some idea about this place.

We arrived there at 7:30 on a Wednesday. It is standing in a quiet residential area and you won't find it just by chance, while Pars is visible from a much trafficked main car road. From outside, it looks more modest than Pars.

As you can imagine, there was no one else in the restaurant and we were greeted by the owner-chef whose Greek was not perfect. We did not ask her nationality, but she isn't definitely Greek.

We liked the dining area much better than at Pars where it was dark and looked somehow like under-construction. Anahita has more home-like feel.

The folkloric decorations are limited and it is not kitsch. Besides, the restaurant has a strict non-smoking policy. I heard that owner chef lady explaining on the phone to somebody that she would never allow anyone to smoke inside the building. Good (as GB and I do not smoke).

The menu is pretty much the same as the one of Pars. There is no way that it was a coincidence (you can see both menus on their websites). These two must have some connection. I have an impression that the prices of main courses are bit lower at Pars, but as Anahita offers various discounts (coupons, Diners card, Athinorama card, etc), many people, including us, manage to get better price at Anahita.

As starters we ordered one lachmajun (4 pieces), 1 yogurt and spinach mixture, and 1 yogurt and smokey aubergine mixture, 1 salad and bread. They were all fine. Yogurt dips cost only 3.50 Euro, but salad without any meat or fish cost 7 Euro. I have to mention also that the presentation of salad was quite similar also at Pars.

GH ordered lamb kebab with rice (11 Euro).

Now that I look back, he ate exactly the same thing at Pars. The presentation is again exactly the same.

I ordered Saffron rice served with lamb and yellow split peas stew.

Rice was fine as expected and also the meat was good, but the stew had a bit unpleasant smell, probably coming from the oil with which potatoes were flied.

The other people ordered rice based dishes, all served with baked chicken (11 Euro). They were quite happy with their choices.

With 1 bottle of beer and 1 coke, the bill came to 80 Euro, from which 30% was deducted because I have Athinorama card. 16 Euro per person probably was not bad and 12 Euro p.p. was even better.

By the time we left, the restaurant was 80% full and at least half of them have some kind of discount (many were speaking about coupons). Considering it was a Wednesday evening, I can say that it was doing a good business.

Fiscal receipt was provided without any explicit request.

We liked Anahita better than Pars, provided that we have a discount from the catalogue price.


ANAHITA - ΑΝΑΧΙΤΑ
Chrysostmou Smyrnis 3, Halandri, Athens, 15232
Χρ. Σμύρνης 3, Χαλάνδρι, Αθήνα, 15232
Tel. 210 68 91 222
Mob. 6936 8888 79

http://www.anahita.gr/