KALAMAKERI: THE ATHENS RESTAURANT FOR THOSE THAT WANT TO EAT LIKE A LOCAL
The Cost - $10 per person
The Atmosphere – With a few tables outside on a residential neighborhood street some tables inside, the restaurant doesn’t seat many. However, friendly service and a shabby chic (more on the shabby side) vibe really make Kalamakeri a charming neighborhood restaurant.
Athens may not be the prettiest city but it has a lot to offer in terms of history, sites and food. The best part about the food is that you can find amazing meals in small, casual restaurants and don’t need to patron their fine dining in order to have a great experience. I went out in search of some good Greek food and stumbled upon Kalamakeri, which had a 4.8 star rating on Google; I figured I’d give it a try.
The Order - Pita Bread, Eggplant Dip, Spicy Cheese Dip, Chicken Souvlaki (3 skewers), and the Portion Burger.
The Fantastic - The Portion Burger, a set of 3 nice sized burgers made in house and grilled to perfection, was absolutely delicious and was the best dish of the night. The meat was so flavorful and juicy, the buns toasted nicely and the fresh cut french fries very tasty; making this a perfect meal for one person or a great thing to share between 2 or 3 people. The Chicken Souvlaki was also incredible. Grilled and sold by the skewer, the meat was delicious, and that’s unfortunately not a common thing we say about chicken meat anymore. Squeeze some lemon juice on them and enjoy this wonderful traditional plate.
The Great - Both the eggplant and the spicy cheese dips were very good and also made fresh in the restaurant. The eggplant dip, Kalamakeri’s version of babaganoush, was nicely done. It combined the eggplant with sweet roasted red peppers which made it a bit sweeter than normal. The Spicy Feta Dip, a blend of feta and cream cheese with chiles and and red peppers, was very tasty though not spicy at all. And the pita bread that we ordered to eat with the dips was great, too. It had a great, unique flavor and color to it because of the restaurant’s use of cornmeal in preparing it.
The Verdict - I feel incredibly lucky to have made the decision to dine at Kalamakeri. Eat and drink like an in-the-know local at this budget friendly gem.