Off-Season Greece: Athens Comes Alive in Fall, According to Hotelier Agapi Sbokou

Where would we find you eating in autumn?

I love exploring new places, but I also love going to the same places again and again, because then you begin to know the people. There is a new generation of fantastic restaurants that embrace Greek cuisine, but I’d rather visit the ones that have been around for 20, 30, or even 50 years.

I go to Manári Taverna a lot, which is in the city center. It’s right by a Byzantine church, and it has very traditional cuisine with strong Cretan influence. There is Pharaoh, a very cool restaurant where everything is slow-cooked over a wood-fired grill. It has the best music and the coolest bar, so it’s really fun to visit. Plus, it belongs to a friend, so it’s always fun to see him and catch up. There’s a place called Dourambeis where I’ve been going with my dad since I was a kid. It’s very traditional, and it has the most delicious fish. In autumn, these places are perfect because they are traditional and laid-back, but have really good food. They all use excellent, seasonal ingredients.

Manári Taverna’s skioufichta—a thick, brothy pasta dish sprinkled with cheese—is perfect with a glass of red wine, Agapi says.

Speaking of seasonal ingredients, what is the most traditional dish that people should eat when they come in autumn?

That’s a good question. It’s hard to say, because the weather in Greece stays warm into autumn, so we tend to drag summer dishes into the year. For example, one very traditional dish we continue to eat in autumn is gemista. It’s often made with very ripe tomatoes—you empty them, and fill them with rice, mince meat, and other ingredients like herbs and nuts. You could replace tomatoes with zucchini, or eggplant, or peppers. It is very, very Greek and very traditional. And then, of course, in autumn, we eat a lot of pastries and pies. The most typical one is spanakopita, a cheese-and-spinach pie.