In Athens, as well as throughout Greece, eating out is a way of life.
Restaurants are more than places
to have a bite before the evening entertainment; very often they are
the entertainment. Whether in a local taverna
or one of the most elegant restaurants, Greeks take their time over
food. Breakfast is light; lunch is eaten in the midafternoon; and
dinner usually does n't start until 10 P.M.
Then the parade of Greek food begins: appetizers such as horiatiki
(tomato, cucumber, olives and feta cheese salad), taramosalata (a
fish roe spread), plaki (a bean dish), melitzanosalata (eggplant salad),
dolmadakia (grape leaves stuffed with meat, rice and onions served
with lemon sauce); then the entree with a choice of grilled meats
(baby lamb or beef, veal or chicken) and a wide assortment of seafood
such as octopus, squid, red snapper, lobster or youvetsi (a shrimp
casserole).
Greek wines accompany all. Topping
it all off are rich Greek pastries and thick, strong coffee.
Sounds like you would probably by paying a lot but you will
be presently surprised at the low cost of meals offered in most
tavern as and restaurants.
Most hotels offer an international a la carte menu. All food
establishments must comply with stringent health regulations.
There is a variety of restaurants to suit all tastes and pockets,
from deluxe restaurants with international
cuisine to small coffee
shops serving light snacks. There are also fast food restaurants.
Typical Greek tavernas often
present tasty local dishes and somewhat inexpensive checks. The warm
climate allows for outdoor eating in most of these tavernas. Don't
be afraid to enter the kitchen to choose your own meal, it is a custom.
To help you enjoy delicious Greek meals, here is a list of most of
the dishes and drinks offered: Mezedes (hors d'oeuvres) usually
consisting of keftedes (meat balls), oktapodi (octopus), garides (shrimps),
kalamaraki (squid), feta (white goat cheese), a dolmadakia (stuffed
vine leaves), taramosalata (pate of a smoked fish roe), tzatziki (yogurt
dip with cucumber and garlic), melitzanosalata (eggplant dip), loukanika
(small f sausages), tiropitakia (small cheese pies), bourekakia (small
meat pies), spanakopita (spinach pies), fasolia (broad white beans).
Main dishes can consist of moussaka
(layers of eggplant, minced meat and potatoes topped with cheese
sauce and baked), youvetsi (a shrimp casserole), pastitsio (macaroni
with minced meat and bechamel, baked), gemista (either tomatoes
or green peppers a stuffed with mince meat or rice), dolmades
(cabbage or vine leaves stuffed with minced meat or rice and
served with an egg and lemon sauce), yiouvarlakia (stewed meat
balls with rice), souzoukakia (meat balls with tomato sauce
and garlic), giouvetsi
(lamb or veal with pastry), fassolada (bean soup), gigantes (large
dried beans with onions and tomato sauce), melitzanes (fried aubergines
and courgettes), kokinisto (meat with tomato sauce), stifado (meat
with onions), frikase (meat, onions, aherbs), kokoretsi (skewer of
liver and kidneys), saganaki (fried cheese served with lemon), astako
(lobster), kavouri (crab), stridia (oyster), midia (clam), barbounia
(red mullet), lithrinia (bass), ksifias (swordfish), glossa (sole),
marides (whitebait), kakavia (bouillabaisse), arni (Iamb), moschari
(veal), katsikaki (kid), chirino (pork), kotopoulo (chicken), souvlakia
(pieces of meat grilled on small skewers).
For drinks, besides the usually beverages, you can e have the Greek liquor ouzo or the popular wine retsina.
Dessert can include pastes (very sweet cakes with cream), baklava (syrup cake), loukoumades (fritters with
honey or syrup), kataifi (shredded what soaked in honey) and pagoto (ice cream).
Keep in mind that service charges are included in the bill and it
is up to the customer to add a tip, if he felt the service was excellent.
