Greek restaurant family-run by Maria: Restaurant Karamanlidika (15. July 2016)

The Karamanlidika has been recommended to me by the Fresh Hotel I had spent the night at and it was a great recommendation. It is within walking distance and honestly speaking you would never go there unless you know where exactly the restaurant is located as the area is a bit sketchy.

However, once you arrive there you can see that the place is absolutely full and throughout the 90 minutes I spent there, each table was re-occupied within minutes after the guests have left. And I do understand why – the place is full of ‘love’. I was welcomed very warmly and brought to my table and before I was served the menu, I got a little bit of something to eat – “pastrami with Greek cheese” – as a small greeting from the kitchen. And Maria, who seems to be the owner of the place, is so caring and fluent in Greek, English, and Spanish!

I decided to give a couple of things a try – and went for the “Karamanlidika pastirma little pies” (EUR 5.50) which looked really like spring rolls but did not taste a single bit like spring rolls. The stuffing is actually a nice combination of vegetables and meat. Quite intense in taste but I personally liked it a lot! And in combination with the Greek yogurt (at first I thought it was mayo and was grossed off) it is a perfectly balanced dish.

As a second thing to try, I went for “Mommy’s hand-made stuffed vine leaves” (EUR 5.50) which were absolutely rich and – again – served with Greek yogurt.

When I ordered the “Sea Pastirma from Komotini” (EUR 5.50) Maria warned me that it was just salted cod fish and asked me if I like it. Well, I did but also I must admit when you are eating alone, then it is quite a lot of salted fish so I was not able to finish it. However, generally tasty but a whole piece is too much for one person.

As a little dessert – on the house – I was served “Greek yogurt with carrots” and while it did sound a bit confusing at first (given it was a dessert), it was actually great as it was relatively light and very delicious at the same time.

Before 2016, I never thought I would ever say I like Greek wines. I mean, in the first place I never really got across any Greek wines. But this year I must admit that what you get is actually quite nice! I went for the “Angelos Noulas, Dry, Korinthos (agiorgitiko), 0,15L” (EUR 4.00) which was expensive compared to the food but still absolutely fine. And Maria gave me a second glass again on the house.

While I was a bit skeptical at first when entering the place as it does not look like a fancy restaurant (given it is #4 on TripAdvisor for Athens), I was completely sucked up in the atmosphere, friendliness, and tasty dishes after 90 minutes. When you are in Athens, you should definitely give the Restaurant Karamanlidika a try! Great place with lovely service and good dishes!

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Karamanlidika

Sokratous 1

10552 Athens (GR)

Tel.: +30 21 03 25 41 84

Homepage: http://karamanlidika.gr

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.