To Kafeneio
Price guide: Mid-range
Loukianou 26, Kolonaki, Athens, 10675
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#3 of 25
expert-rated restaurants in Athens- Recommended for:
- Business travellers, Couples, Mature travellers, Singles, Design and architecture, People watching, Romance
Best for Dining alone - Expert review of To Kafeneio
All time classic – old-time Greek fare in urbane surroundings.
Some things never change – and I hope Kafeneio always stays exactly the same. For decades, this wood-panelled restaurant is where politicians cut deals, poets get elegantly wasted, and chic octogenarians eat profiteroles. It’s liveliest at lunchtime, but also a safe bet for an intimate dinner date.
Food and drink:
Traditional Greek comfort food with no trying-too-hard flourishes. I always order a carafe of house wine and a selection of dishes of the day; perhaps lamb fricasee, onion pie, and the signature salad with pomegranates. The house wine is very good and the profiteroles are irresistible.
Recommended dishes:
Everything is so good it’s hard to pick a personal favourite. I can never resist the taramosalata, lahanodolmades avgolemeno (stuffed cabbage leaves with egg and lemon sauce), and artichokes in lemon and dill sauce. But the piece de resistance is the suckling pig.
Ambience:
Parisian bistro from the 1940s – all dark wooden furniture and crisp white linen. With its signed pictures of the famous artists, writers, actors and composers who frequent it, this is the Athens equivalent of Le Café de Flore. Tourists are scarce.
Service:
Elderly waiters from another era. Immaculate and pitch perfect. The suave maitre d’ has a habit of wearing sunglasses, even after dark.
Location:
On a quiet side street in Kolonaki, Athens equivalent of London's Mayfair. Perfect after a hard morning’s shopping or a visit to the museums along Vassilisis Sofias Avenue.
Price advice:
It’s pricier than your average taverna – but the food, service and ambience are anything but average.
Tables to book:
In summer, there are a handful of tables on the sloping pavement. But I prefer the old-time ambience inside. If I’m eating alone, I pull up a stool at the wooden bar.
More information on To Kafeneio:
- Price guide:
- Type:
- Bistro, Restaurant
- Food:
- Greek
- Address:
- Loukianou 26, Kolonaki, Athens, 10675
- Telephone:
- +30 210 722 9056
- Website:
- http://None
- Serves:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Opening times:
- Mon-Sat noon-midnight. Closed Sun.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Reservations:
- Suggested
- Free tags / Keywords:
- Traditional Greek, Old school ambience
