My Favorite Neighborhood Coffee Shop (Athens, Greece)

A few days before, sipping my coffee, I was thinking I really need to share my love for our local coffee shop with you. So here is my homage to Makriyianni 3. 

I love it because they serve the best coffee by far in this area, because of its location (close to my home: essential for a neighborhood cafe. Hehe. But seriously, it’s close to the Acropolis and its metro station and so perfect for some people watching), because of their delicious home-made lemonade, sandwiches and snacks not found anywhere else in central Athens, because of their friendliness and because despite all of this goodness their prices are still more reasonable than all the touristy places next door. 

So whenever you’re in the neighborhood, check it out. Good chance you’ll find us there reading our Sunday newspapers. Don’t forget to say hi!  

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Sunday Cooking (Athens, Greece)

Baked Eggplants from Vefa’s Kitchen


I’ve had Vefa’s Kitchen Greek cookbook in my book case for over a year and have hardly touched it. Perhaps I listened too intently to my Greek friends who laughed at me for having bought it, telling me Vefa has turned into quite the cult figure over here in Greece. Shame on me. 


I love the book’s minimal and clear design, plus its beautiful photographs. And isn’t that reason enough to buy it in the first place? I also found it very handy that all measurements are given in metric and imperial, as well as temperatures in Fahrenheit and Celsius.


And so this Sunday afternoon I finally decided to try out one of her recipes: baked aubergines (or Καπακωτή in Greek). The dish was, although a bit time-consuming, very easy to make. I did add some more chile pepper as most Greek dishes are a bit bland to my taste. The result: a tasty and healthy early fall vegetable dish!


Do you love eggplants as much as we do? Check here for another delicious eggplant recipe by our very own hungry nomad.  
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Dinner at the Port (Zakynthos, Greece)


Last time we visited our favorite island Zakynthos, we decided to eat at the main port of the island. I’ve passed by this place each and every time I set foot on the island, but had never considered a tavern at this busy transport hub to be a good choice for a nice dinner out. So boy, was I surprised when I noticed the lovely nautical decor, including some amazing vintage pieces I was ready to take home then and there (the radio! the fan!). All this prettiness nicely hidden from the travelers coming and going from the ferries. Our food was well prepared, the wine local and the sunset very agreeable. My favorites: the grilled veggies and the stuffed sardines.

Komis Fish Tavern is not the cheapest option in town, but it’s well worth the experience. Supposedly their bathrooms are a sight in and of itself. I have to admit though that not every guest was as big a fan of two of Ratatouille’s friends checking out the grounds once darkness had set…

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