The Old Tavern Of Psaras

 

Location: Athens, Greece
Address: Erotokritou 16, Plaka
Date: February 2023
Website: psaras-taverna.gr

    The Plaka is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Athens, Greece.  It spreads out below the Acropolis from the North-East side like a maze.  We are sure that even right now, many a tourist is lost and trying to find their way through the Plaka.  If you are trying to drive a rental car and check into your hotel the streets of the Plaka can be quite frustrating.  The streets are narrow and winding and many are pedestrian only. If you are ready to take an evening stroll looking for great food and some souvenirs then the Plaka can be full of surprises.

      Around any corner could be a church or a monument. The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates above, dates from 334 BC and sits in a little square.

   In Plaka some streets are bustling and some appear deserted.  There is always the chance that coming around the corner is a bike, a taxi or a crowd of people.  We worked our way through the streets in order to find a special place for dinner.

  From the Acropolis you can look down on the red rooftops of the oldest buildings in Plaka.  Off in the distance is the highest point in Athens, Lycabettus Hill.  Near the front of the photo is Psaras Taverna which is the oldest continually operating tavern in all of Athens.

   Just in case you couldn't locate the restaurant in the previous photo, here is a close up view.  Now you should be able to find it. Using an aerial view is much easier than finding the restaurant back down on the ground.

    Psaras means fisherman in Greek so the name of the restaurant in English is the Old Fisherman's Tavern.  The restaurant has been operating since 1898.

 

     The restaurant has taken over several buildings and all of the stairs in the area.

 

     We were seated outside in a corner next to a heat lamp to keep us warm.  It was rather cool in Athens that week and it did actually snow only two days later. We appreciated being tucked in to enjoy our meal and the atmosphere.  We had a mushroom soup and a chicken gyro dinner.

  

   As we were finishing up our coffee we heard a woman speaking to the matre d'.  "Reservation for a rather large goup of kidney doctors please".  We took care of our bill and readied ourselves for the streets of Plaka.  Sure enough a line of people appeared from one of the walkways and snaked past us and up to an upper terrace seating area.  We didn't stay to count, but 165 sounds about right.

 

    As we made our way back through the streets of the Plaka we looked up at the Acropolis.  We would be back again in the Plaka the next day and end up dining at Diogenis (on the right in the photo above).  The Plaka is a great place to spend a day getting lost and seeing what you can find.

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Map of Our World
Psaras Taverna , Diogenis
Choragic Monument Of Lysicrates

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Post # 320