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10 Voulis Street, Syntagma Square (closed Sunday)

ariston_pita_party.JPGariston_pita_party.JPG From Syntagma Square, face McDonald’s and walk one block down Ermou, Ermou is the center street just to the left of McDonald’s. At the first street, which is Voulis, turn right. Go 1.5 blocks down and you’ll find the bakery on your left hand side, just after one of Athens’ many lingerie shops … Of course, gorging on pitas doesn’t usually leave one feeling like they’d like to don a sexy nightgown, so I am often amused at the site of the Athenians window shopping there while they munch on these delectable treats! One of Carole’s top picks for the best tiropita (cheese pie) in Athens. (If you are staying in Pagrati there is this little place on the corner…. But that’s another story …) We used to say, when in Greece, one can never eat too many “pitas”  but Ariston definately wins hands down for offering the opportunity to actually to!  It seems they have almost every type of pita ever made, including the old standards, whatever happens to be fresh this season will somehow find its way into an Ariston pita. In addition to feta cheese and spinach, you will probably find leek and cheese, zucchini and cheese, eggplant and zucchini, sausage and peppers, kasseri cheese pie and even a version of Cephalonian meat pie, which includes some pasta or rice for a heartier pita. ariston_pita_party2wb.JPGAriston is a great place to visit with a group of people, grab a sampling of their various offerings, and head out to Syntagma Square to share your feast with a cup of coffee at one of the cafes. (You may get a funny look from the server, but so what? Leave them a nice tip and I am sure they won’t mind – just make sure you go to a café, and not a restaurant, to have your pita tasting party! In addition to the filo based pitas in the long cases on the left, Ariston also makes a wonderful traditional “korou” cheese pie, with homemade dough that is crispy on the outside and melt in your mouth soft on the inside. Have the traditional tiropita and you will never eat a pita made with commercial filo again! To order this, tell the cashier “tyropita” and they will know. Since they don’t have tables, you will want to get your pies “packeto” which means to go, unless you are only having one, in which case you can get it “sto heri” (in your hand).

By Athensguide

How does a little girl from Skokie, Illinois find herself in historical Athens, leading curious explorers through the winding streets of Plaka, down "pezodromos" to hidden ouzeries for tempting mezedhes and homemade barrel wine? The journey began more than twenty years ago, and regardless of whether the wanderlust comes from the spiritual and culture DNA flowing through my veins, or the alignment of the stars on that cold mid-December day this Sagitterian came into the world, I never seem to tire of exploring my adopted homeland of Greece. Here you'll join me as I explore Athens: be it the back streets of Psirri and Gazi, or through the National Gardens and Zappeio where a family of turtles makes their home, or down wide, treelined Imittou Street in Pagrati, which pulses with Athenian life 24 hours a day. And while Athens has stolen my heart, the rest of Greece vies for my curiousity and wanderlust. My two guys (that'd be the Greek God, Vasilis and our Greek dog, Scruffy) and I can often be found settling in for a long weekend in some charming mountain village, or a quaint fishing port on a nearby island, or learning how Greek vitners are producing wines that rival some of Napa Valley's finests productions, or celebrating a panayeri in Epirus or sharing in the festivities as a family of Cretan sheepherders come together to sheer their 1500 sheep in the spring ... And if you happen to find yourself heading to Athens, consider finding yourself a real home for your stay. Living amongst the locals, be it for 3 nights or 3 weeks, will offer you the chance to experience true Athens, beyond the Acropolis. Choose from one of our 5 beautiful penthouse and historical homes, and who knows, I may be leading you down that winding "pezodromo" to our favorite hidden ouzerie!