Experience Athens' culinary heart as the sun sets, exploring Plaka's hidden gems and savoring traditional Greek flavors on this evening food tour.
Plaka At Twilight: Another Side of Athens’s Culinary Heart
Summary Description
Highlights
- Explore Plaka's charming streets at twilight
- Sample traditional Greek yogurt drizzled with honey
- Taste exquisite pastries from local bakeries
- Enjoy wine from small Greek producers
- Savor regional dishes in a historic setting
Description
As the sun sets behind the Acropolis, Athens' Plaka neighborhood transforms into a culinary haven. Join our Plaka Twilight Culinary Tour to explore charming streets, savor traditional Greek dishes, and discover local specialties. Starting at bustling Syntagma Square, we'll navigate scenic paths through Anafiotika, sampling thick yogurt drizzled with honey, exquisite pastries, and artisanal olive oils. As night falls, we'll savor wines from small Greek producers at a cozy wine bar and enjoy a delicious meal featuring regional classics in a historic setting. Conclude the evening with unique gelato flavors made from locally sourced ingredients. This tour offers an authentic taste of Athens' rich culinary heritage, perfect for food enthusiasts seeking a memorable experience.
There’s something different about Athens as day turns into night. As the sun begins to set behind the Acropolis, the city exhales. Locals fill the streets, the clink of glasses echoes from crowded courtyards, and the scent of grilled meats and summer herbs floats through the warm night air. This is when Athens truly shines, when its spirit spills out of kitchens and kafeneia, and the pace of the day gives way to the pleasure of the table. And there is perhaps no better neighborhood to fall in love with Athens at twilight than the historic Plaka neighborhood.
Wandering through this historic neighborhood at day’s end is like stepping into another world. The setting sun reflects off island-white houses tucked into the hillside of the Acropolis, there are bougainvillea-draped staircases lit by lanterns, and impromptu live music carried on the breeze. It's a slice of the Aegean in the heart of the capital. As we make our way through the area on this afternoon-into-evening tour, we’ll spend the twilight hours exactly as the locals would. That means indulging in the dishes an Athenian would order when they linger at the table: sharp cheeses, flaky pies, bold wines, and dishes passed down through generations. It means visiting historic bakeries, pioneering wine bars, classic cafes serving exquisite home cooking and more.
We’ll begin our tour in bustling Syntagma Square, a market area since Roman times, where we’ll get our first taste of Athens coming alive as the workday comes to an end. Following the slopes of the Acropolis, we will visit the scenic neighborhood of Anafiotika – a jumble of whitewashed homes built in the 19th century by refugees from the Greek islands – taking in the stunning view of the city. After working our way through the Plaka’s charming side streets, we’ll stop by a beloved dairy shop for a taste of their thick yogurt drizzled with honey. We’ll then pop into one of Athens’s best bakeries to sample their superb pastries and then visit a deli specializing in artisanal products from across Greece for an olive oil tasting. As evening falls, we’ll join the locals at a neighborhood wine bar – one which has been instrumental in sparking interest in Greece’s lesser-known grape varieties and winemaking regions – for a tasting featuring bottles from small Greek producers. On a quiet pedestrian street, we’ll also sit down at a small restaurant housed inside a 400-year-old building for a meal starring expertly made Greek regional classics, including grilled Mastello cheese from Chios, stuffed grape leaves and a Cretan tomato and bread salad.
We’ll finish our tour on a sweet note, at a gelateria that has helped spark a local craze for gelato made with Greek ingredients. Here we’ll try scoops creatively flavored with everything from mastiha, an aromatic resin from Chios, to figs from Kalamata and sweet wine from Samos. Our tour may be over, but, as you will notice all around you, for Athenians the night is just getting started.
Included / Excluded
- Guided tour through Plaka and Anafiotika neighborhoods
- Tastings of traditional Greek dishes and local specialties
- Wine tasting featuring small Greek producers
- Transportation to and from the meeting point
Start / End Locations
Start Location: Syntagma Square, Athens, Greece
End Location: Monastiraki Square, Apollonos, Athens, Greece
Important Information
Know Before You Book
- The tour is conducted in English; proficiency is recommended.
- Some stops may not be suitable for individuals with mobility impairments due to stairs and uneven terrain.
- The tour operates rain or shine; dress appropriately for the weather conditions.
- Wear comfortable walking shoes for the cobblestone streets.
- Bring a light jacket or sweater as evenings can be cool.
- Ensure you have a valid ID if you plan to participate in wine tasting.
Cancellation
Cancellation Cutoff: 24 hours
Cancellation Notes: Up to 24 hours before the beginning of the activity: full refund Less than 24 hours before the beginning of the activity or no-show: no refund
Options and Pricing
| Food Tour - Athens Plaka Twilight Culinary Backstreets | RETAIL PRICE |
|---|---|
| Adult | $140.00 |
| Child (7 - 12 years) | $70.00 |
| Youth (0 - 6 years) | $25.00 |
Terms and Conditions
Liability Waiver
By completing the reservation you acknowledge the following:
If you have food allergies, you are ultimately responsible to ensure your own health and safety. If you share information about your allergies, we can provide you with some guidance about the food purveyors on your tour, but we are not responsible for any allergic reactions that you may have. We are not responsible for any damages or losses incurred as result of acts by entities beyond our control, including but not limited to restaurants, shops, market stalls, eateries and food carts. We are not responsible for acts beyond our control, including but not limited to acts of God, act of nature, acts of war, or other unrest caused by state or non-state actors. If you are disruptive, we have the right to ask you to leave the tour without refunding you or providing you with a credit for your tour. You are aware of and responsible for all damages or losses that may arise during the course of the tour resulting from:
Risks associated with food, water or other drinks, including alcoholic beverages; physical accidents during the tour or at any of the locations visited; transportation failures; forces of nature; criminal activity; damage, loss or misplaced property; or accident or illness without means of rapid evacuation or availability of medical supplies or services. You agree that any claims that may arise will first go to arbitration and only if not resolved in that manner shall be heard in court. In both cases, grievances shall be heard in the jurisdiction of Washington, DC. You further agree to be responsible for your own welfare and property and accept any and all risks of delay, unanticipated events, inconvenience, illness, injury, emotional trauma or death. You further acknowledge that participation in Culinary Backstreets tours is based upon execution of this Liability Waiver. By completing the reservation process you release and discharge forever Culinary Backstreets, its employees, owners, affiliates, officers, directors, successors, agents, and assigns, from and against any liability arising from participating in this tour. You further agree that this release shall be legally binding upon you personally, all members of your family, all minors traveling with you, your heirs, successors, assigns, and legal representatives, to the maximum extent of the law.
I am aware that while on or traveling to or from my activity with Culinary Backstreets, I might be exposed to COVID-19 from other people, animals or objects. I assume all risk of any such contacts, including sickness, incapacity or death and agree to hold harmless Culinary Backstreets from any such developments. In addition, I recognize that the World Health Organization, U.S. Department of State as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may have warnings concerning same and am choosing to travel and assume all risk myself.
Redemption Information
Tickets will be held at the box office
About operator:
We got our start in 2009, reporting from a borderless urban zone we like to think of as the “Culinary Backstreets” because we believed that there were countless stories of a city’s foodways that needed to be told. We wanted to focus on a more traditional side of urban culinary life – the workings of simple family-run restaurants, the masters passing their craft on to an apprentice, the banter of regulars gathered around an open table, the rhythm of a life committed to meatballs and nothing else. We were enthralled by all of the tiny epics we encountered while eating our way through the city and set out to share as many of them as we could. From the start, we vowed to go slow and collect these stories one-by-one, giving equal measure to the culinary side as the human element of the story. This way, we expected a deeper understanding of the city and its daily life to emerge with every bite. For us, it’s never just about the best meatball in town; it’s always about all of the meatballs.
We tell the stories of our subjects – unsung heroes who are sometimes forgotten or taken for granted at home – through weekly restaurant reviews published on CB, culinary walking tours, books, web design and smartphone applications. When we see the need, CB also acts as a fundraiser for causes connected to protecting and promoting traditional culinary culture.
By publishing the stories of our local heroes, visiting them on culinary tours, or directly fundraising for them when they are in need, we attempt to honor their work and their essential role in maintaining the fabric of the city. Our purpose is twofold. Yes, we want to get travelers to some good places to eat. But we also want to make sure that some of these spots and the artisans making food there find a new audience and get the recognition and support they deserve. They are holding back the tide of globalized sameness, which is not easy work – even if it’s done unknowingly. But we believe that every meal counts and, with the help of our audience, they will add up. We are committed to their perseverance and hope that our modest efforts encourage them to keep at it. Our work is also guided by a belief in: Honest Tourism: The places where we eat and craftsmen that we feature on our culinary tours are all selected with this purpose in mind. We’d never accept a free lunch or consider a discount for our tour groups, because that would contradict our central goal, to support them. Nor do our guides receive any commissions from shopkeepers. Honest Journalism: The same principal is applied to the publishing of stories. There are no sponsored posts or even advertising on CB. The writers and photographers are paid fairly for their work on stories that we all believe in.
The cities we are drawn to all have a culinary tradition of untold richness as well as a certain tension, be it political instability, the tug between East and West, the clash between modern and ancient identities, migration, rapid gentrification, bankruptcy, or a post-colonial hangover. Our decision to get started in a city is always the result of a trip filled with many meals where we are given in intimate view of that tension, right there on the table. By getting lost in this warren of independent food purveyors struggling to preserve or adapt tradition in fast-paced urban life, we start to discover the deep complexity and true flavor of the city. At present, you’ll find our regular dispatches from Athens, Barcelona, Istanbul, Lisbon, Los Angeles, Marseille, Mexico City, Naples, Porto, Queens (NY), Shanghai, Tbilisi and Tokyo.
CB’s work was started in 2009 by Ansel Mullins and Yigal Schleifer as a humble food blog called Istanbul Eats. The following year we published a book of our reviews, now in its fifth edition. That year we also launched our first culinary walk in Istanbul, a route we are still using today. In 2012, we realized that what we built in Istanbul was needed in other cities we knew and loved. We started CB that year with Athens, Barcelona, Mexico City and Shanghai as pioneering members of our network. In 2013, we added Rio and also launched our iPhone application in Istanbul. In 2015, Tokyo and Tbilisi came into the fold. That year we published mini-guides to Barcelona and Athens and also launched an iPhone application in those cities. Our Eatinerary service, which provides travelers with tailor-made culinary travel itineraries, was also launched in 2015. In 2016, Lisbon – the latest city to kindle our curiosity – joined the CB network. In 2017 we added Naples and Queens, NY – two places with very compelling stories to tell – to our roster and also published full-size eating guides to Athens and Barcelona. In 2018, Porto joined the list of cities we cover.
By publishing the stories of our local heroes, visiting them on culinary tours, or directly fundraising for them when they are in need, we attempt to honor their work and their essential role in maintaining the fabric of the city. Our purpose is twofold. Yes, we want to get travelers to some good places to eat. But we also want to make sure that some of these spots and the artisans making food there find a new audience and get the recognition and support they deserve. They are holding back the tide of globalized sameness, which is not easy work – even if it’s done unknowingly. But we believe that every meal counts and, with the help of our audience, they will add up. We are committed to their perseverance and hope that our modest efforts encourage them to keep at it. Our work is also guided by a belief in: Honest Tourism: The places where we eat and craftsmen that we feature on our culinary tours are all selected with this purpose in mind. We’d never accept a free lunch or consider a discount for our tour groups, because that would contradict our central goal, to support them. Nor do our guides receive any commissions from shopkeepers. Honest Journalism: The same principal is applied to the publishing of stories. There are no sponsored posts or even advertising on CB. The writers and photographers are paid fairly for their work on stories that we all believe in.
The cities we are drawn to all have a culinary tradition of untold richness as well as a certain tension, be it political instability, the tug between East and West, the clash between modern and ancient identities, migration, rapid gentrification, bankruptcy, or a post-colonial hangover. Our decision to get started in a city is always the result of a trip filled with many meals where we are given in intimate view of that tension, right there on the table. By getting lost in this warren of independent food purveyors struggling to preserve or adapt tradition in fast-paced urban life, we start to discover the deep complexity and true flavor of the city. At present, you’ll find our regular dispatches from Athens, Barcelona, Istanbul, Lisbon, Los Angeles, Marseille, Mexico City, Naples, Porto, Queens (NY), Shanghai, Tbilisi and Tokyo.
CB’s work was started in 2009 by Ansel Mullins and Yigal Schleifer as a humble food blog called Istanbul Eats. The following year we published a book of our reviews, now in its fifth edition. That year we also launched our first culinary walk in Istanbul, a route we are still using today. In 2012, we realized that what we built in Istanbul was needed in other cities we knew and loved. We started CB that year with Athens, Barcelona, Mexico City and Shanghai as pioneering members of our network. In 2013, we added Rio and also launched our iPhone application in Istanbul. In 2015, Tokyo and Tbilisi came into the fold. That year we published mini-guides to Barcelona and Athens and also launched an iPhone application in those cities. Our Eatinerary service, which provides travelers with tailor-made culinary travel itineraries, was also launched in 2015. In 2016, Lisbon – the latest city to kindle our curiosity – joined the CB network. In 2017 we added Naples and Queens, NY – two places with very compelling stories to tell – to our roster and also published full-size eating guides to Athens and Barcelona. In 2018, Porto joined the list of cities we cover.
Basic Information
- Duration: 4.5 hours
- Trip difficulty: Easy
- Category: Food & Drink
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