Kaireion: the new gastro-café in Athens that flirts with tradition

Just one week into operation, the new gastro café Kaireion, run by Yannis Georgiadis, George Kostoglou, and Chrysa Skourli, has opened in the centre of Athens. Chef Giorgos Nousias curated the menu, which evokes the essence of good Thessaloniki inspired cuisine. The restaurant is located inside the "Kairi Stoa", featuring four tables indoors, along with ten other larger ones beneath the tall, glass-covered ceiling of the stoa. The space showcases strong influences from traditional Greek, framed by a contemporary aesthetic. The walls are decorated with natural materials such as wood and stone in earthy tones, creating a welcoming gastro-café ambiance.

This new spot in Athens combines tradition with modern gastronomic culture, offering an experience that honours Greek heritage while presenting it with a contemporary twist. The wine list features around 30 labels exclusively from the Greek vineyard,s including house selections, spirits, ouzo, and beers. At the large bar, stools have been set up, and a display case showcases various cheeses, allowing visitors to choose their desired quantity, weight it on a retro scale, and enjoy it with wine. The menu includes 16 dishes and two desserts, all designed to be shared among guests, portioned slightly larger than appetisers but smaller than individual servings.

Now, onto the flavours: the slow-ripened sourdough loaf, with its chewy crumb and thin, crispy crust, is served hot and is accompanied by bitter olive oil. The dolmadakia are the perfect pairing for ouzo, finished with a creamy lime-flavoured aioli sauce. The homemade French fries are crispy and pair beautifully with the cheese sauce, which has just the right intensity of green pepper, made with soft feta cheese. 

The lively spaghetti with shellfish broth, arugula , and and plenty of garlic is delightful—a dish I eagerly anticipate enjoying again. Also very tasty is the chevap, a Balkan and Caucasian variant of kebab that contains more lamb shoulder and beef brisket rather than typical amount of lamb fat, giving it a texture reminiscent of a burger. For those looking for intense flavours, the sheep sausage, rich in pastrami notes, makes for an ideal snack. 

However, the orange pie could use more care, as it had several layers of pastry for volume; unfortunately, the final result is that it wasn`t properly soaked in syrup. Additionally, the accompanying coffee and cardamom ice cream fell short in delivering the intended cardamom flavour.

Info: Stoa Kairi, 6 Kairi, Athens, tel: 2103315871, open:Tuesday-Saturday 5:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m., Sunday 1:00 p.m.-9:00 a.m.Monday closed.Prices: €20-35 per person with wine.