Alouatou: For Rustic Pies and Biodynamic Wines

Named after the term used by the Vlachs, the once-nomadic people of northern Greece, for “fermentation,” Alouatou opened in July. Founded by four friends – Spyros and Giannis Gavathas, Stefanos Kouris and Theodosis Mantesis – its focus is on bread and savory pies made with honest ingredients. Every morning, the team rolls out filo dough by hand and bakes trays of traditional savory pies – minced meat, spinach and cheese, graviera cheese, Chania-style boureki, and macaroni pie – using family recipes passed down from their grandmothers.

Their bread, which uses a 16-year-old sourdough starter, is made with a blend of whole wheat and multigrain flours; the dough ferments for 24 hours to give it flavor depth and aroma. The philosophy is simple: keep the menu small, do everything right, and let the quality speak for itself.

By night, the bakery turns into a cozy bistro blending Greek ingredients with global influences: horse mackerel with Tinos artichoke purée and soy–chili sauce, Japanese-style chicken meatballs, string bean salad with pickled melon, grouper fricassee and beef tartare with potato cream.

Alouatou collaborates closely with Oi Sympetheroi, a deli in Exarchia known for sourcing rare Greek and select international products. It’s not just the food ingredients that reflect Greece, either; the short but intriguing wine list focuses mainly on Greek producers and is curated by Stefanos, who also designs the cocktails – a natural transition, since he worked as a bartender for years.

Pizza from N(e)apoli

Thin and juicy, with a blistered, airy crust – this is pizza of the neo-Neapolitan school, but instead of coming across it in southern Italy, you’ll find it high up on Ippokratous Street, at the laid-back pizzeria Neapoli.

The pizza dough ferments for 48 hours before being baked fast and hot, resulting in both lightness and depth of flavor. The toppings mix Italian ingredients with a few PDO Greek products. Among the bestsellers are Mozzarella di Bufala with pistachio pesto and mortadella from Bologna; a white pizza with mozzarella, Parmesan cream, prosciutto cotto and garlic oil; and the Dacolini, made with San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, feta mousse from Kalavryta, pickled onion, confit cherry tomatoes and Kalamata olives.

The establishment also serves a few well-chosen wines and icy spritz cocktails to go with your slice.

Hygge: The Swedish Bakery of Ippokratous

You come just for the semla, but you leave with bags full of bread. Charming, cozy and unmistakably Scandinavian, Hygge is a bakery-café that was opened recently in the area between Exarchia and Neapoli by Anne, a Swede from Uppsala.

The open kitchen lets you watch the team pulling warm loaves and braided cardamom buns from the oven, along with fluffy semla, the beloved sweet rolls of the North, filled generously with whipped cream. Simple sandwiches are assembled with care: a sourdough bun with Comté cheese and whipped butter, or a classic Swedish skagen, topped with shrimp, lemon, mayonnaise, dill and pickled onion.

From the breads, make sure to try the Everyday Danish Rye, a rich loaf with rye, cranberries, yogurt and a touch of honey – if you’re lucky enough to catch it before it sells out!

Falafel Bahar: From Tehran to Neapoli

Amin, the Iranian owner of Falafel Bahar, grew up with falafel always on the family table in Tehran. For him, it’s personal, a dish he refuses to dilute or modernize for trends. His recipe includes salt, pepper, curry, cumin and coriander – no onion, no parsley. He adds white sesame seeds, using unhulled ones whenever he can find them of good enough quality. The tahini he uses is stone-ground, and made from unhulled seeds, too.

Amin prepares the mix fresh every morning without flour, breadcrumbs or egg. “Good falafel should be just chickpeas and spices,” he says. “If you fry it properly, that’s all it needs – and one round of frying is enough.” Texture, shaping pressure and oil temperature are the three crucial details, and he’s mastered them all.

Agrafa: Classic Souvlaki Since 1972

This small, family-run grill house serves authentic souvlaki – hearty, generously filled, and made fresh daily for Neapoli’s loyal locals. It was opened in 1972 by Giorgos Polyzos, originally from the mountain region of Agrafa, and still operates in the same spot on Ippokratous Street, although it’s now run by Polyzos’ grandchildren.

The secret to its success? Quality meat and experience at the grill – there’s never a tough or dry bite. Alongside pork and chicken gyros, they prepare rotisserie chicken and excellent kontosouvli (marinated pork slow-roasted on a spit), which sell out quickly. Agras was also among the first places in Athens to tuck crispy fried potatoes inside the pita, a practice dating back to the very first day they opened.

 

 

 

 

 

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Stepa: For Drinks, Small Plates and People-Watching

One of the area’s busiest hangouts, Stepa imbues the pedestrianized corner of Dervenion and Asklipiou with energy every day. Overlooking the leafy courtyard of St. Nikolaos Pefkakion Church, it starts early with breakfast and runs through the night with drinks and food – from snacks and sharing plates to more substantial dishes such as grilled meatballs or rigatoni with beef ragù and Metsovone cream.

The menu also includes creative vegan options, such as avocado ceviche (a zesty salad with avocado, Jerusalem artichoke and sharp citrus flavors), chickpea fritters and a grilled greens pie.

 

 

 

 

 

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Kaldi: Coffee Roasted by the Experts

At this small corner café and roastery, the team roasts its own beans on-site, serving an aromatic blend of Costa Rica and Ethiopia (100% Arabica) that is full-bodied and smooth, with a sweet finish. Looking for something else? Coffee lovers can choose from more than ten single-origin varieties sourced from regions like Ethiopia and Kenya, and the menu also includes over twenty teas and a range of vegan milk alternatives made from rice, soy or hazelnut. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tanini Agapi Mou: For the Newest Generation of Wine Lovers

Arguably the city’s premier Gen Z wine bar, Tanini Agapi Mou (“Tannin, My Love”) brings a casual yet energized feeling to the pedestrianized stretch of Methonis Street. Here, the crowd is young, the mood is relaxed, and the wine list refreshingly modern, focused entirely on Greek low-intervention wines that can be paired with simple, seasonal plates and a few bold flavor ideas.

“We love Greek wine, so we only serve Greek labels,” says Eva Bololia, one of the bar’s co-owners. “From the start, we built a list exclusively around natural and minimal-intervention wines. We’re always looking for pioneering producers, rare indigenous varieties and vineyards that are farmed either organically or biodynamically.”

Originally published in Greek at gastronomos.gr.