Trips and Tips: Diporto - an underground old fashioned tavern in the centre of the city

This is a rustic tavern I like to visit in Athens as it is plain, the food is simple and actually you are being served whatever is on the day’s menu – that is, without being asked! This is not a fancy place; there are no tablecloths and formalities. Nevertheless, you might come across VIPs here; politicians, entrepreneurs, artists.

The owner is a rough person, nevertheless kind, whom doesn’t speak much. He owes this place since 1957. But this restaurant exists since 1875! And in those old days, as the food was very little and the people were poor, the supplies came from the grocery store located above the tavern in a rather strange way: the old restaurant owner would open a little whole on his ceiling and like a mouse he’d steal few supplies from the above grocery store!

Of course the years passed by, the food supply entered normality and the ceiling was substituted by cement. Nevertheless, the building itself hasn’t changed. It is located in the area of the Central Market of Athens in Str. Sokratous 9. Diporto means two doors, i.e. it has two entrances.

The restaurant apart from the simple food has its own white wine stored in barrels inside the tavern. The freezing of the wine is improvised:

Food: Stews of the day, plain fish, plain meat, Greek salad, legumes, and bread:

Oh, and sometimes you will find an accordionist with a heart-breaking voice!

Enjoy!