Margarita Kalogeropoulou (1979)

Living in Petralona has become easy, in some ways more than others of course. Going out for drinks or coffee has indeed been simplified by a percentage of 100%.

Votanopoleio is one more cafeteria that has opened in the area. Besides Greek coffee, espresso and so on here you will also find a wide selection of teas (Votano means herb in Greek).

I like sitting around here for hours with a book. It has huge windows which they open up during summer or anytime the weather is suitable, so you feel like sitting outside. Doing my Portuguese homework has become a little bit more joyful since I discovered that this place actually feels like a living room. It has couches, a piano, comfortable benches, everything you need to switch from studying and a relaxing coffee to a more relaxing raki.

Please do not blame me if the bar is closed a day it should actually be open. Lately opening hours have become a mess and it was impossible for me to find out when exactly they ARE open.

This is one of the coffee-houses that I just love to sit around for hours. It is in the center of Athens but still, no crowds and no cars. Only the train which passes right in front of the pedestrian street where it is located but even this has a lovely touch to it.

Even in winter the chairs outside of this tiny, tiny place are full of people. Switch to ‘raki’ to keep yourself warm! Not a bad idea if you ask me, and order a humus plate to go with it!

On Sunday mornings you can combine your morning coffee with a nice walk on the second-hand flea market just on the opposite side of the train and if it should get late Texnopolis, which is just another 200 meters away, will definitely have some entertainment to offer you.

For years I was working right next to this so called ‘mageirio’ and it always made up for a good excuse not to bring my miserable-self-cooked food at work. This is definitely as close as you can get to the Greek-home-mother-cooked food at very reasonable prizes.

Sitting there will not be the most memorable moment of your life or your stay in Athens as it is definitely not cosy nor even just nicely situated, but the cook called ‘Voula’ without a doubt makes up for that.

Every day you can choose from around 8 to 10 fresh dishes and believe me it WILL be hard to choose just one. One tip though: always have change in your pocket. The owner of the place, for some reason I still haven’t figured out, never has change on him, next to him and definitely not in the cash-machine.

Is it nice outside and you want to have a nice walk in the center of Athens which you can also combine with some food and drinks afterwards? Well, this is the right choice!

Troon street starts from Thesion right next to Filopapou and ends up in the ‘heart’ (it sounds ridiculous I know) of Petralona. When you are still up the little hill right next to the Alsos of Petralonon (a green spot with basketball courts) you can have one of those really nice urban views of Athens. I just love it during the day and during the night. You can see the West-end of Athens. I was always a fan of city-end view points. So if you are like me, you are going to enjoy this!

And of course, when you reach Petralona, there are thousands of places for food and drinks you can visit…all you have to do is check some of the rest of my spotted places in the region, or just try another one.

This bar probably really wants to stay without name or fame.

From the outside it looks just like an old house, nothing really indicates a bar of any kind. Only when you walk by, you can see through the open windows what is hidden inside, just like in the photo. The bar has kept the form of the original house, so it is divided into three rooms.

The music ranges between alternative/rock and jazzy sounds. The drinks are kept in nice price limits and well, you can also grab a bite if you like together with some more Greek-style drinks like raki or rakomelo (try it!).