A Sculptor’s Guide to Athens

Academia of Athens.

“Academia of Athens (Akadimias Street 38) is a new hotel in the center of Athens. A bit expensive but really nice. It has a roof garden. It’s downtown within walking distance from the Acropolis and near all the big shopping centers, the parliament, and Syntagma Square (the most important square in Athens). Also, there’s Hotel Grande Bretagne (1 Vasileos Georgiou A), which is one of the best (and most posh) hotels in Athens — David Bowie stayed there while on tour. It’s one of the oldest, really big, really in the center of the city. It has a roof garden too; you can see the Parthenon from it. (You can see the Parthenon from most of the roofs in Athens. The architecture of the city is made for every street to look to the Acropolis.)”

Ama Lachei. Photo: Lefteris Efraimis

“There’s a neighborhood called Exarcheia that’s the more creative part of the city: bars, galleries, underground places. Young people go there. It has a lot of nightlife as well. There’s a bar called Santarosa (Asklipiou 69); you’ll find a lot of locals there. They have good Negronis and good wine. Ama Lachei (Kallidromiou 69) is a great restaurant there. It’s not too expensive. Sit outside in the garden. It’s a mezedopoleío, so there are a lot of small dishes. I like to order a Greek salad and chicken fillet saganaki with smoked cheese from Metsovo. We have a lot of cheese in traditional Greek food.”

Village café at night.

“In Athens, we drink all the time the same coffee, freddo, which is espresso or cappuccino with ice. In the summertime, everybody drinks freddo. We also drink frappe, but it’s not in fashion anymore. I wouldn’t recommend it. Only freddo now. There’s a coffee place called Village; it’s in a really small and cute square called the St. George Square in Kypseli. Many people hang out there in the summer. It’s a nice neighborhood with big trees and a lot of other cafeterias and restaurants nearby. Aerostato (Ptolemeon 4) in Pagrati is the same way, in a square with lots of trees. You can get a coffee and sit in the square or explore the neighborhood. In Athens, we sit a lot in squares. We have many, many squares. Greek people want to go somewhere they can people-watch.”

Varoulko Seaside.

“One of the best reasons to visit Athens is because of Greek food. A nice Greek restaurant that’s not too expensive is Seychelles (Keramikou 49). If you want to order like a local, you would order pappardelle with kavourmas, which is marinated meat from Komotini in northern Greece. You can find many dishes from many different places in Greece. For example, there is a cheese called manoura that’s from Sifnos. Sifnos is a Greek island that’s really nice. You should go when you come. We don’t only have Mykonos and Santorini; we have many, many islands. There is also a restaurant with fish called Varoulko Seaside (Akti Koumoundourou 52). It’s a bit expensive, but it’s the best. It’s Greek modern cuisine. You can see the boats outside from inside the restaurant. Every day there is a different fish in the restaurant.”

Fishmongers at Varvakios. Photo: Milos Bicanski/Getty Images

“You can find feta everywhere. Everywhere, literally. Most of the time it’s good quality. But there’s a place in Athens where locals go. Varvakios Central Market (Athinas 42) is a big market downtown with many different shops that sell cheese. They sell fish, meat, and cheese. It’s huge. If I wanted to make a picnic, I would go there and get feta, marinated meat like kavourmas, olives, and good bread. In the summertime, we eat a lot of melon. The great combination we do here is feta with melons. If I came to Athens for the first time, I would take home olive oil.”

Cantina Social.

“People go out for drinking or clubbing after midnight. If you to a club after two or three ’clock, it will be crowded, not before that. Some bars close at 4 a.m., others close at 9 or 10 in the morning. In Psiri, there’s a place called Cantina Social (Leokoriou 8). People are there until the sun comes out; it’s open until 10 a.m. They play electronic, experimental music. There’s a garden where people can sit down and drink, and there’s another area for dancing. There’s another bar that’s a great experience for visitors. It’s called Batman Bar (Theodoritou Vresthenis 40) and it’s a very Greek after-hours bar. You should go there around 4 a.m. You can hear only Greek music — it’s really emotional, always about love. It’s really small but very famous among locals. It was one of the oldest gay bars in Athens; the owner was one of the first bar owners to come out. There’s a long bar, rows and rows of vinyls on shelves against the wall, and an LGBTQ flag. You see everyone there. Latraac (Leonidou 63-65) in Metaxourgeio is also very popular with local artists. They have great electronic and experimental DJs who play there. Metaxourgeio is a very artsy neighborhood.”

The Archaic Acropolis Gallery at the Acropolis Museum. Photo: Socratis Mavrommatis

“You definitely must go to the National Archaeological Museum (Athina 106 82). I think it’s one of the best places to see ancient art. My favorite is the ceramics. There are about 16,000 sculptures in the collection, and some date back to 700 B.C. If you want to have a better look into ancient Greek history, go here. Also the Acropolis Museum (Dionysiou Areopagitou 15) — architecturally, you will pay attention when you see it. This year, the museum has its tenth anniversary. You will find caryatids there, the sculptures of female figures that are the pillars of buildings.”