Where to eat after your visit to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
Around the SNFCC you will find many traditional Greek fish taverns that are famous for their fresh fish and seafood.
- 12/10/2024
A walk in the Park of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center must end with a fish or seafood in one of the fish taverns around. We visited them all and record stories, tastes and impressions in this delicious travelogue.
Pezoulas
Right next to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation is one of the most interesting fish taverns in the area. A Cycladic island setting on the ground floor of a detached house predisposes you to go inside and travel. Pezoulas opened in 1951. It started as a refreshment bar which turned into a wine cellar with a wine of their production, which you can still find today. Today the place is renovated but it takes you on a journey through time and through its delicacies it continues to keep the loyal customers it has always had but also attracts new ones from every corner of Athens. Traditional Greek dishes, such as the fish soup that is renowned, the fava with eel and fish of the day coexist in the menu with more tempting ones, such as the crayfish tartare and the Tuna tiradito.
Pezoulas: 11 Peisistratou Street, Kallithea | tel: 210 9422684
Argoura
Argoura is unlike any other fish tavern on this list. It opened in 2010 and since then it has been in many lists and several food guides, but initially people got to know it and loved it by word of mouth. That’s usually the way it is with restaurants that are worthy and offer really good food. On the menu, the freshly caught oysters, clams, oysters and other seafood stand out. You must also try the octopus carpaccio: Argoura is, after all, a temple of raw fish.
Argoura: 49-51 Agesilaou Street, Kallithea | tel: 217 7173200.
Ta Kanaria
We’re getting a little far away but – trust me – it’s worth it. If you’re wondering what Greek taverns were like in the 60s, just visit Kanaria in Moschato and you’ll have the whole experience of the past on your plate. A fish tavern that stands the same and unchanged all these years in decoration, but above all in philosophy. Kanaria opened in 1950 but since 1962 they have been serving only fish and shrimp. The prawns come from Platamonas, which is reputed to have the best. In fact, in July and August, which is their breeding season and they are not fished, Kanaria tavern is closed. On the side dishes you will find the delicious traditional tomato salad with onion and a little tomato sauce on top along with feta cheese. Simple and delicious.
Ta Kanaria: 119 Kanari Street, Moschato | tel: 210 9422119
Kakavia “Nikos”
One more of the historic fish taverns of the area. It opened its doors in 1968. Mr. Nikos was a fisherman and his wife was a good cook and, just like that, they decided to open a tavern. Their son, Thodoris, has now taken over the restaurant and runs it with the same passion and a lot of love for what he does. And it shows in every dish that comes out of the small but miraculous kitchen. From the kakavia (traditional fish soup) and the smooth taramosalata, to the fresh fried fish and the vegetables that accompany it. Sea bream and other fish that have just been caught by the fishing boats of Glyfada and other areas of Attica are cooked and smell of the sea and freshness.
Kakavia “Nikos”: 231 Sokratous & Major Plesa, Kallithea | tel: 210 9411002
Seafood Antonia
A family-run fish tavern with Mrs. Antonia as the cook, serving fine fish and seafood-based delicacies. With her culinary art, Antonia has managed to bring down the whole of Athens in an alley of Kallithea. French fries that are hand-cut, fried zucchini cut into thin slices – just the way they should be to make them crispy – and of course a wide variety of seafood. Simple but delicious dishes, made only with care and fresh ingredients.
Seafood Antonia: 36 Xenofontas and Ismenis, Kallithea | tel:21 0940 4508
Thalassinos
Opened in 1989. Today, 35 years later, the quality of the cuisine remains non-negotiable, while dishes are served with a more modern look. At Thalassinos you will find traditional Greek fish meze, fresh fish and some dishes that cannot be found elsewhere, such as stingray “bougiournti”, smoked mackerel cooked on charcoal, squid stuffed with tomato confit and gambari prawns, mussels cooked with stamnagathi and cherry tomatoes, garlic pies with shrimp, fresh tomato and basil.
Thalassinos: 32 Irakleous and Lysikratous 32, Kallithea | tel: 2109404518