When we are near the sea, we only want to eat fish.
When you are in the busy port of Pireaus, staying overnight to catch a ferry the next day, you want to eat good seafood.
Our most helpful and joyful hotel receptionist suggested we take a taxi to the Mikrolimano section of Pireaus. Good suggestion.
Although she had given us the name of the most famous restaurant in the area (Varoulko) we were looking for something a little more casual and down-to-earth. Using our built-in radar, we chose Ammos and it was an excellent choice. Like the other traditional fish taverns on that restaurant row, there is a main kitchen across the street and dining right on the port side. Small children wandered along looking for some money, but they were easily dismissed and seemed to be just testing to see if they could score some change.
The food was clean, with simple preparations, but executed with care. The grilled squid was sea monster size, but still tender and juicy. A ‘boiled’ salad had your full serving of vegetables for the day. And I don’t know if this is a regular ‘thing’ but at the end of the meal we were treated to a local firewater that was light, earthy, faintly vegetal that went amazingly well with the just fried donuts (loukoumades) smothered in molten chocolate. And mad hot fresh donuts should always be a ‘thing’ if you ask me.
Ammos
44, Akti Koumoundourou str
Zipcode : 185 33
City : Mikrolimano, Piraeus
Phone : +30 210 4224 633
The next day, after a few hours of wandering, it was certainly time to eat! And that’s when we wandered into “Shakespeare in Love”. I swear we didn’t wander in because it was the only restaurant name we could actually read. We did wander in because it was quite stylish and had a seat by the window.
Fresh, innovative takes on classic dishes. The fried calamari were huge, tender rings of fish wrapped in a light, fluffy chili infused crust, sitting on a watermelon/tomato salad. It was perfect. Highly recommend for atmosphere and friendly service.
Shakespeare in Love
Agiou Spiridonos 3, Pireas 185 35, Greece
Phone: +30 21 0413 1999
COFFEE!
Good coffee, fresh roasted, Illy, Italian style is abundant in Pireaus!! We cheered in the street! We actually did a coffee crawl sampling two different coffee bars along the main port, near gate 7. You’re on your own picking out a coffee bar because coffee is deeply personal. But, we give points for ceramic cups, flavor and general ambience. And the coffee bars here scored major points.
It’s all about the stuffed sardines & fried calamari.
Stuffed sardines: basically two, open, filleted anchovies or sardines with a savory bread crumb layer. The secret is the charred fish skin.
Fried calamari: Tempura type batter with abundant chili pepper. Served on top of a layer of diced watermelon & tomato salad with lots of mint. Note to self: cook more with mint.
Boiled salad: Boiled beets, potatoes, carrots etc etc served on a platter with some cucumber tzatski…or maybe some Spanish style aioli.
