Blind Spot

A barber shop upstairs, brunch downstairs. Blind Spot, which opened a few weeks ago high up on Euphranoros St, combines these two disparate functions in a nice, bright space with plants and large wooden tables. The coffee they serve comes from Area 51’s Greek roasters while the menu includes, among other things, fluffy cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs and mimolette cheese on dinkel bread, sando (sandwiches) with prosciutto, parmesan and pear chutney and salad dishes.

Borghese

The new sandwich shop (and mini deli and spritzeria) is a good stop for breakfast on the hoof. Two slices of well-made sourdough bread are topped with quality cheeses and charcuterie – mostly Italian – from porchetta and San Daniele prosciutto to Bolognese pistachio mortadella. On the menu you’ll find about 20 different combinations, such as the spicy BLT with pancetta, tomato and chili relish or the one with goat cheese, green apple compote and sliced almonds.

A favorite at this time of year is the sandwich with sweet, creamy gorgonzola, fresh figs, arugula and spicy salami. Pickles, sauces, jams and other delicacies are made in the Borghese kitchen. At the sidewalk tables you can eat or chill out with a spritz. You can also shop the cheeses and charcuterie, as well as select Italian-made pastas, sauces, biscuits and snacks for home.

Feelings (Φίλινγκς)

Lemon pie fanatics should stop by Alexandros Koniaris’ new pastry shop. He makes it with a thin, fragile tart and fills it with lemon custard mixed with sour sheep’s yogurt. But that’s not all. The light apple pie millefeuille, the daisy-shaped rum baba, the choux with pistachio cream and apricot are some of the other goodies we discovered in the window at Feelings.

Take a good look at the baked goods cart too: from madeleines, fluffy cinnamon buns and financiers to biscuits and rolls with bacon and maple syrup or with mortadella and pistachio pesto.

Aperitif

Classic spritzes and more unusual versions like the Hugo with sparkling elderflower liqueur, lemonade and soda, the Spritz al caffe with coffee liqueur, cherry liqueur and tonic or the aromatic Mediterraneo with mastic, kumquat and bergamot liqueur are served on the pavement outside Aperitif under a large, shady tree. For snacking, the spritz bar offers bites with simple combinations of quality ingredients, like artisanal bread with apple, anthotyro, mortadella and capers.

Abstract Multiverse

What does the abstract movement have to do with the cocktails we drink at night in Pangrati? Here you’ll find a splashy Margarita that evokes the works of Pollock, a Sour inspired by Mondrian and a Daiquiri that, in addition to strawberry, white pepper, lime and mint, has an impressive appearance reminiscent of the marbling technique.

Many culinary concoctions and hours of preparation have been creatively conjured up here by head bartender Konstantinos Vassilakopoulos. Try the Zombie served on a mountain of shaved ice. The photogenic cocktails can be sampled indoors, under neon lights or on the cute pedestrian walkway at the side of the shop.

This article was previously published in Greek at gastronomos.gr.