For fish meze at Marida, the historic tavern in Legrena with a history dating back to 1930
Fresh marida fish, marinated anchovies, fried calamari, shrimp orzo and many more seafood delicacies, with the sea as a backdrop, place Marida at the top of our choices for a stop after swimming or a walk in Sounion.
- 19/07/2023
A trip to Sounion or a one-day excursion to one of the Riviera’s beaches is not complete without a stop for lunch at a taverna for fish meze with a view to the sea. These are all generously offered by Marida, the traditional tavern that has been standing proudly in the same spot of Legrena since 1930.
Marida started as a café with few snacks, while in the early years it attracted hunters who came to the area to hunt. “My grandfather built the café and around it the hunters camped with their families. At that time, besides, there was no coastal road and access from Athens was difficult. In ’56, when the road was created, we got more business, and from the 1970s onwards, Legrena started to become a destination,” Antonis Zagouris, the current owner, explains to me.
Antonis grew up in the restaurant, having started serving in 1974. In the 1990s he took over the management and to this day he continues the work that his grandfather started 93 years ago. In fact, the kitchen part is now taken over by his daughter, Vicky, who also joined the family business. “Consider we have customers who used to come in their 50s with their grandfather and today they continue to visit us with their own grandchildren. We feel a great thrill,” he tells me.
You deserve to know that Marida is not a gourmet restaurant. You won’t find fancy recipes or new-age dishes here, but instead you’ll find fresh fish and seafood that comes directly from the windmills of local fishermen. “There are families who live off the fish here in the area. There are many fishermen and we choose our fish from them,” he points out.
Simple and traditional, but above all quality dishes fill the menu, which cannot disappoint you, as it includes all the traditional fish dishes we love. Starting with the appetizers, it’s worth trying the variety of boiled vegetables, which go well with whatever fish you choose, the lacquerade, which of course due to its seasonality we enjoy mainly in the winter months, and the excellent anchovy marinade, which brings the sea to your plate.
Then, don’t forget to order the fried calamari, but also the classic maridaki, which is one of the highlights of the menu, as the name of the tavern suggests. As for fish, it depends on what you’ll find on the day you visit Marida, but note that if you get a barbounaki, you owe it to yourself to try it.
In recent years, two dishes have been added to the menu that are more “modern” than the other options and these are the shrimp orzo and the cuttlefish risotto. We tried the former, which apart from its beautiful appearance, we singled it out for its rich flavour and easily ranked it among our top choices.
For the end, you should know that dessert awaits you, and the whole meal is worth accompanying with a glass of white wine. And all this you can enjoy either in the picturesque courtyard that offers the necessary shade to cool off or on the small balcony that faces the sea.
And remember that Marida remains open and operating all winter, so you can combine it with a visit to the temple of Sounion any time of the year.