Enjoying yourself Central Greece
Timetable Central Greece
Lunch is around 2pm, and dinner is rarely before 9 or 10pm. But it is not uncommon for an establishment to also serve coffee and snacks from 9am. In the summer, restaurant owners and taverns and ouzeries in the most touristy areas know that they must ensure the season, so they are open every day from morning to evening, in continuous service. Service hours last on average 15 hours, sometimes more, and they often close with the last customer...
In Athens, some of the more upscale restaurants are only open for dinner in the evening, or have the luxury of closing one or two days a week.
Unlike the islands, most of the restaurants in mainland Greece (except for some coastal areas) remain open all year round to satisfy their local clientele.
Budget & Tips Central Greece
While restaurants(estiatório) are slightly more expensive than taverns or ouzeries, eating out is still very affordable in mainland Greece. Unless you go to a trendy or very chic restaurant in Athens, you will have to pay around 15 euros per person for a full meal with a carafe of local wine or raki/zo. There is one exception: fresh fish, sold by the kilo, is always expensive. To avoid unpleasant surprises at the time of the bill, go and choose your fish in the kitchen and ask for the price before ordering it, because the bill goes up quickly. In the taverns, the dessert (slices of watermelon, plate of halva, cake...) is often offered. In spite of the crisis, Greeks still do not depart from this pleasant tradition. But this is not a must: in the most touristic places, like Olympia, you can always wait!
What costs extra Central Greece
Some taverns and restaurants charge an additional fee of about 1€ for bread and cutlery, which is not always offered. Water in a carafe is free, but in some of the more upscale restaurants, you will often be served a bottle of mineral water as standard. This is not a big charge, but it is better to know this before you dispute the bill! Finally, when paying, always bring cash, as credit cards are not accepted everywhere. And leave a tip of about 10%.
The local way Central Greece
The service can be very long: there's no need to get upset, but plan ahead and don't wait until you're starving to sit down, especially with children. Also note: dishes arrive as they are prepared, so don't expect to eat an appetizer first and then a main course. The dishes that arrive are shared, and guests often pick from the same dish. Another sign of hospitality: a small dessert or a glass of liquor is often offered at the end of the meal. But in Greece, you will never be pressured to leave the table or recommend that you do so once your meal is over. Unless you ask for the bill, you will be left to enjoy your meal without necessarily clearing the table. And if there are a lot of leftovers on the table and you are renting, don't hesitate to ask for a "paqueto" (a "doggy bag") to extend the experience at home..
To be avoided Central Greece
Greek cuisine is generous and should be shared. In taverns, avoid ordering one dish per person, as in the French. And if you go to a restaurant with Greeks, pay the bill or have the meal offered to you, but avoid counting what each person has eaten to pay only your share. This is not a common practice, if not downright rude. Also, if you are celebrating your birthday at a restaurant during your stay, it is your responsibility to invite, not the other way around.
Kids Central Greece
Children are kings in Greece. The advantage is that they are welcome everywhere and well received. Here we do not separate generations, we do not try to silence noisy children or force them to sit still. Children are invited to the adults' table and lead their train (often with a mobile phone), without trying to contain themselves and without the adults containing them. This makes for a cheerful - sometimes noisy! - hubbub. And in the evenings, when dinner drags on, they can play in the streets until well after midnight, while the parents quietly finish their ouzo
Smokers Central Greece
The law against smoking in public spaces has been in place since 2008, but has never been enforced. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the new conservative Prime Minister elected in July 2019, has promised that the law will now be enforced. Since his election, fines have been put in place to charge both establishments and customers who would not respect the law. It remains to be seen whether this will finally materialize in practice..
Tourist traps Central Greece
Let's just say that, like everywhere else, it's rarely in establishments with a reeler at the entrance that we eat best..
Take a break Central Greece
Timetable Central Greece
They are rarely posted (or reliable), but it is not uncommon for an establishment to open for breakfast and close late at night... In tourist areas, bar and cafe owners have to cover the summer season to survive all year round: they are open every day, from morning to night, and the hours depend on the number of visitors. Some night bars only open from 6-7pm and stay open until the early hours of the morning. Some traditional kafeneio open early in the morning and again around 6pm but close a few hours after lunch. But most of the time, these places are open continuously: in summer, the waiters just wait for the last customer to leave before closing.
This flexibility can be extended out of season, especially on weekends, in the establishments that remain open. In Greece, you will never be pressured to leave an establishment or recommended to leave once you have finished your drink. Unless you ask for the bill, you will be left to enjoy it without necessarily clearing the table. However, it is important to keep your wits about you: if you see that you are the last ones and that the waiters are exhausted, it may be time to leave!
Budget & Tips Central Greece
Drinking coffee is an institution in Greece: you can stay for hours with a freddo or a frappé for a few euros, without having to renew your order. Be careful though: the coffees are not cheap. At 4 € for a frappé, sometimes it is understandable that some customers linger..
Age restrictions Central Greece
As far as the law is concerned, there is no legal age to consume alcohol in private in Greece. To drink and consume alcohol in a café or public place, you have to be 18 years old, but this law is not very much followed and nobody will ask for an ID card to a young person who orders a glass of alcohol.
What's very local Central Greece
The traditional café, the kafeneio, is often the heart of local life in the islands. More exactly, it is often the heart of public life and therefore of male life... Indeed, the women still live largely within the home while the men meet at the café to twiddle their thumbs and remake the world, well encamped in their armchairs... The kafeneio opens early in the morning, one comes to take his first coffee to see the village which wakes up slowly. Sometimes it stays open for lunch, but usually it closes between noon and 5pm, for the siesta. It reopens at 6pm for a last coffee or a game of tavli at the end of the day. Later, it becomes a ouzerie, where people drink ouzo, beer and raki while sharing small dishes, mezzedes, with a background of rebetiko, the popular Greek music par excellence
Kids Central Greece
Children are accepted everywhere, accompanied by their parents. As in restaurants, they are welcome. Children are kings in Greece and their noise level is very well tolerated!
Smokers Central Greece
The good weather and the terraces limit the problem in summer. However, it must be conceded that the law against smoking in public spaces has been in place since 2008, but has never really been enforced. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the new conservative Prime Minister elected in July 2019, has promised that the law will now be enforced. Since his election, fines have been put in place to charge both establishments and customers who would not comply with the law. It remains to be seen whether this will finally materialize in practice..
Tourist traps Central Greece
Nothing to report except to avoid establishments that need beaters. This is often a bad omen!
