Kafeneon won us over as soon as we walked in the door and were warmly welcomed by the friends and family outfit that run the place. Jula, the head cook will greet you herself in their intimate, rustic looking restaurant. She radiates that motherly vibe. This place comes recommended often by Greeks themselves, and there’s no doubt that at Kafeneon you’ll get a dose of the Greek kitchen, how yia-yia makes it. Actually, a lot of the dishes here are made from old recipes passed down from generation to generation, like the fresh octopus, marinated (in some special way they wouldn’t reveal) and laid on a bed of split pea puree – which may not sound like much, but it’s damn amazing. The tzatziki is garlicky and flavoursome, while the plate of deep fried sardines taste as fresh as you can get in this landlocked country. And there’s a reason for that – they are! Jula’s husband gets up early every morning to head to the fish markets and get the best there is. Be sure to eat the sardines whole, otherwise Jula will get upset – there’s plenty of good stuff in the bones of the fish too, hence why the Greeks eat them without any messing about. There is a substantial selection of Raki, Ouzo and Tsikouda and a stellar Greek-dominated wine list (try any of the wines out of Santorini – they’re delightful!).
Oh yeah, and we bet you you’ll end up having a conversation about their olive oil. They proud of it, and rightfully so. And the Greek music playing lightly in the background is a nice touch to bring the Greek isles even closer to this 16th district spot.
We love.. the staff here – they’re all very friendly!
We also recommend… trying the Gigantes, which are giant white beans typically found on any Greek dinner table
