4 Best Restaurants in Psirri, Athens

Café Avissinia

$$ | Psirri Fodor's choice

Facing hoary and merchant-packed Abyssinia Square, this timeworn but exceptional eatery is popular with locals who want home-cooked traditional food with heavy Asia Minor influences and endless servings of the excellent barrel wine and ouzo. Diners love to settle within the elegant glass-and-wood interior to sample mussels and rice pilaf, wine-marinated octopus with pasta, fresh garden salad, or any of the dips. Little wonder so many head here to relax after a day of shopping at the nearby flea market. A newer rooftop addition offers spectacular Acropolis views. Another plus: during the winter months, music is often in the air—on weekend afternoons, you can enjoy live accordion performances sometimes accompanied by the piano.

Greek Lunch Dinner $$ Fodor's Choice
Kinetou 7, Athens, Attica, 10555, Greece
210-321–7047
www.cafeavissinia.net
Known For
  • delicious spinach-enriched moussaka and Soutzoukakia
  • an air of nostalgia but with style
  • live music on weekend afternoons
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon., Credit cards accepted, Tues.–Sat. 11–1, Sun. 11–7

Kokkion

$ | Psirri Fodor's choice
An ice cream workshop (dare we say laboratory) and store, Kokkion is the brainchild of a Cordon Bleu patissiere and serves ice cream like no other in Athens. The parlor uses only super-fresh ingredients like cow's milk from a small farm in northern Greece, high quality French chocolate, and homemade caramel, seasonings, and flavorings. Most exciting of all are the unique flavors, like milk chocolate with orange and pepper and coconut sorbet with chocolate steamed biscuit and chocolate pieces, as well as classics like bitter chocolate, salted caramel, and vanilla. Vegan options are available, too.

Avli Psirri

$ | Psirri
A very well-kept secret until a couple of years ago, Avli remains well under the radar even today. But if you walk past its inconspicuous entrance, you'd be missing out on uniquely satisfying small plates and bottomless carafes of barrel wine. Dining here remains a unique experience in a village-like backyard that is nothing like the rest of Athens. Foreign artists and Greek businesspeople alike find refuge here, especially when they want to take the afternoon off and indulge a little.
Greek Lunch $
Aghiou Dimitriou 12, Athens, Attica, 10554, Greece
210-324--4117
Known For
  • basic grills, from fried liver to meatballs
  • simple authenticity
  • completely original village atmosphere

Recommended Fodor's Video

Spiti Mas

$ | Psirri
With a name that means "our house" in Greek, Spiti Mas is designed like the interior of a home, with a bed, a dining area, a "balcony" out on the street, a nice homey bathroom, and a living room. The menu changes by the day, as it would at home, and light meals (omelets, sandwiches, etc.) are prepared according to the day's fresh groceries. Guests can bring a laptop and work while they sip coffee or even have breakfast in bed.