Sofia's in Valaoritou Street, Kolonaki

Post scriptum: Unfortunately this restaurant was closed in 2011.

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Visited Sofia's Brasserie/Cafe in Valaoritou Street, which is near Voukrestiou Street in Kolonaki.

There are only several tables outside, but inside there are really many tables. The whole space is divided in a few rooms and I cannot easily guess how many tables there are.

My visit was made in the pre-smoking ban period and I really had an unpleasant time as the guy next to my table kept on smoking. I hope it is not happening now.



In the regular menu there are only sandwiches (from 3 euros), salads, omelets and drinks, but on a separate sheet (also on the black board on the photo) there was a list of "Today's Dishes" including pies, pastas, and meat/fish dishes, ranging from 6.50 to 16 euros. There are also assorted dishes of Greek cheeses or cold cuts, to be enjoyed, I guess, with wine.

This is bread basket (1.50 euros) of integral wheat bread and kritsinia with seeds. Very nice, but, if you (like my husband) don't like integral stuff, you won't appreciate it. I wish we could have a choice.

I ordered aghinares ala polita (Artichokes in Constantinopolitan Style) (9 euros), as it was Friday. You might not know, if you are not Orthodox Christian, but this is one of the typical dishes for Orthodox fasting days.

What is not very evident in this photo is that the portion was very Very generous. The largest artichoke in this photo is about 7 cm in diameter.

To my surprise, this dish was served hot, while I expected it to be lukewarm as all the "ladera" (vegetables cooked in olive oil and sometimes with tomatoes) dishes are. And artichokes and the other veggies had different temperatures; probably they separated artichokes so that they became too soft.

I finished almost all, but I must confess it was hard to keep on eating the same thing; I would have happier if I could have smaller portion of artichokes and a bit of salad or some carbo.

The total bill came to 10.50 euros, as I did not order any drink (I got free glass of water). Probably I did not make the best choice of food, but it was a pleasant meal in pleasant environment. I would recommend this place for lunch or afternoon snacking, or even for light dinner, although it closes at 9:30 in the evening.

Sofia's Brasserie
Valaoritou 15, Athens
106 71
Tel. 210-3641530