Kerkyras Street: Coffee, Meze, and Dreamy Desserts in Kypseli

Only a stone’s throw from Pedion tou Areos, Athens’ largest city park, and the Evelpidon court docket advanced, a cool new scene has been growing on Kerkyras Avenue, which is quick changing into a preferred assembly place. Whether or not you need to begin your day with a cup of high-quality espresso, share easy however well-prepared meze in a relaxed setting, or sip a refreshing Paloma whereas listening to music, Kerkyras has all of it. New, thrilling locations have joined the space’s few beloved traditional hangouts with out altering the neighborhood’s character, offering Kypseli residents and guests alike with quite a few causes to spend their day right here.

Italian Maritozzi or Almond Cake?

The crew behind Williwaw (69 Kerkyras, Tel. (+30) 210.822.0745) – Irini Kouleli, Athanasia Mandalou, and Alexis Efstathopoulos – have been among the many first newcomers to reach on this charming Kypseli avenue roughly two years in the past. Irini, a seasoned hospitality skilled with a ardour for espresso, launched her buddies to her love for the craft. They opened a café on the underside flooring of a Nineteen Sixties house constructing, fastidiously restoring its authentic options, together with the excessive ceilings and terrazzo flooring.

In line with Alexis, they have been instantly captivated by the area, in addition to the road’s vast (by Kypseli requirements) sidewalks and plenty of four-legged passersby. “This needs to be essentially the most dog-friendly avenue in Athens! You see plenty of canines. We all know lots of our clients by their canine’s title, not their very own!” he laughs. Williwaw serves nice espresso from the award-winning Kross Espresso Roasters, in addition to selfmade pastries and sandwiches made with slow-fermented sourdough bread baked within the open kitchen throughout the road. A standout is their sandwich with focaccia, mortadella, and burrata, in addition to the Italian-style maritozzi: mushy brioche buns crammed with whipped cream.

And talking of whipped cream, no go to to Kerkyras Avenue could be full with no cease at Bozas (Kerkyras and three Paxon, Tel. (+30) 210.821.1107). This pastry store, crammed with the aromas of mastic and mahleb, bakes contemporary tsoureki each day. Their actual specialty, nevertheless, is the fluffiest and most heartwarmingly conventional almond cake in Athens (out there by the slice or as a complete cake) liberally topped with roasted almonds simply earlier than it’s packaged up to remove.

Since 1967, when Xenophon Bozas – an completed pastry chef who had beforehand labored in Paris and at Athens’ famend Zonars cafe – opened the store, the recipes have remained unchanged and so have the high-quality elements, which embrace Volos nuts, Lesvos butter, and ION chocolate. His son Panagiotis Bozas, who has taken over the enterprise, is constructive concerning the modifications to the neighborhood. “There was an actual revival over the last 4 or 5 years. I see many younger individuals coming in and having fun with the normal flavors,” he says. Crisp kourkoubinia (flaky phyllo bites soaked in candy honey syrup), amygdalota (almond cookies), karyokes (chocolate-covered walnut-paste treats), and florentines are only a few of the fantastic delights ready to be found at this iconic pastry store.

Meze and Residence-Cooked Meals

Kostas Kafetsis based Allios on the backside finish of Kerkyras Avenue (17-19 Kerkyras, Kypseli, Tel. (+30) 695.511.3063), impressed by the conventional Greek kafeneio (espresso store) and the rules of simplicity, camaraderie, and affordability. The meals is straightforward and seasonal, with many elements sourced from small native producers, and consists of dishes similar to garlic bread with cream cheese and herbs, selfmade Russian salad, smoked mackerel with cabbage salad, baked beans (gigantes) and chickpeas, schnitzel, in addition to selfmade pastries similar to pastirma pie or cheese pie with honey. The meze is accompanied by wine from outstanding Greek wineries, beer from an Athenian microbrewery, and bottled ouzo and tsipouro.

For an much more conventional expertise, Myrtia (34 Kerkyras, Tel. (+30) 210.882.5440), a family-run eatery since 1972, serves a small every day collection of traditional home-cooked meals, together with meatballs, legumes, and boiled goat stew.

The encircling space

Lake (1 Aeginis & Kimolou, Tel. (+30) 210.881.8379), a comfy nook café a brief stroll from Kerkyras Avenue, is right for assembly up with buddies or working in your laptop computer. Managed by a Kypseli household, they serve Redd Espresso Roasters specialty espresso in addition to a small, veggie- and vegan-friendly breakfast menu. Chilly-pressed juices, natural wines, and craft beers from Greek microbreweries full the menu.

Caprus (49 Spetson, Tel. (+30) 211.408.9029) provides scrumptious sandwiches and wine for a soothing lunch break. Chef Michalis Vrachliotis provides a novel spin to traditional Greek classics like pastitsada (slow-cooked beef stew with spices). He additionally makes lamb burgers and pastrami sandwiches with beef brisket that has been marinated for eight days earlier than being sluggish roasted within the oven.

Florú (nook of Aeginis & Ydras, Tel. (+30) 210.881.3956) has a novel ambiance that modifications with every go to. Espresso and deliciously buttered toasties are served within the morning, adopted by vegan/vegetarian snacks similar to salted peanut butter log. However the evening belongs to their Palomas. The store additionally sells eco-friendly clothes from proprietor Konstantina Xafi’s assortment. There are DJ units on Fridays and Sundays, whereas gaming and stand-up nights are within the works for the approaching months.