Greeks love delicatessens, whether in Greece or the diaspora, as they are a central hub to purchase everything we love about our cuisine.
However, delis in Athens have evolved to become a hub for purchasing international foodstuffs from small and specialised producers.
Sour trachana and mature Cretan graviera are sold alongside bleu de Queyras and Iberico de Bellota, camel pastirma and Armenian soujouk.
Here are ten high quality delis that sell an exciting range of excellent food products for festive feasts or everyday luxury for the palate, parties, dinners and special gifts to foodie friends
Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani
A stroll around the huge circular refrigerator at the centre of Fanis Theodoropoulos’ shop is like a complete gastronomic tour of the tastiest parts of Greece.
There are incredible cheeses that only a few insiders knew about before they hit the shelves, such as Armirotiri from Kasos, Kariki from Tinos, a blue cheese from the Tinos Dairy Cooperative made from cow’s milk and matured in a pumpkin, Kimolos Manoura matured in grape must, semi-soft oil cheese from Milos, Caskavali, a PDO semi-sweet cheese from Limnos, and more.
There’s an abundance of deli meats on offer, including Karamanlidika-style pastourmas and soutzoukia, pork knuckles, salamis and sausages.
Products range from pasta, sauces and spreads to ready-made pies, halva, wines, spoon sweets and jams. Wines – of course, wines – as well as spirits and beers complete the range.
Address: 1 Sokratous & Evripidou, Psyri, Phone: +30 210 3254184, Website
Miran
Since 1922, this famous delicatessen has been known for its variety of pastourmas (beef, sheep, buffalo, camel) and a range of other items such as spicy and plain soutzoukia and kavourmas.
In addition to its own meats, produced with a century of in-depth knowledge, it deals in air-dried salamis – spicy Hungarian, paprika, truffle, cheese, and beef tongue, pastrami and more, indeed there’s a wide variety of exquisite cheeses from every corner of Greece crowding the shelves: Cretan graviera, Xanthi kasseri, sheep’s and goat’s milk cheeses and dry cheeses from Samothrace, smoked cheese from Veria, Ios gruygraviera, semi-hard sochino, Astakos kefalotyri, Kefalonia kefalotyri, Mykonos goats’ cheeses and so on.
The cornucopia of mezes is rounded off with fantastic picked and preserved ‘alipasta’ seafood and fish.
Address: 45 Evripidou, Psyri, Phone: +30 210 4121766, Website
Ergon House
Not just a deli but also a beautiful boutique hotel, Ergon House is a contemporary foodie hub with an inviting ambience, plenty of natural light and clean, modern lines. Its centrepiece is the Agora, a lively market selling a vast range – more than 600 unique products.
Visitors can buy fresh farm-to table foods like premium meats, artisanal cheeses, and specialty organic produce made in Greece by Ergon (which also has its own orchard) and its collaborators.
The market also features a selection of fine olive oils, Greek wines, and traditional pastries and a dining hall.
Address: 23 Mitropoleos, Syntagma, Phone: +30 210 0109090, Website
Provence
The only shop in the country that sells selected and rare foreign cheeses (and very few Greek ones), run by Giorgos Kyriakopoulos, the owner and connoisseur of the subject. If you follow his advice, you’ll find a 14-month aged Gouda that’s not just a rubbery slice for pizza or toast, but a superb cheese.
Among the myriad codes, his fridges hold rare cheeses such as the unpasteurised Swiss Holzhofer, the rare blue cheese from Savoie Bleu De Termignon, Occelli with chestnut leaves from Piedmont, 11-year-old Reggiano Modenese cow’s milk Parmesan, raw 12-month-old English cheddar, soft, buttery Munster Montagne Claudepierre with its pungent smell and delicate taste from Alsace, handmade Camembert, perhaps even a Tinos Gruyere, and more.
The shop also stocks excellent charcuterie and foie gras, caviar, salmon and seafood, as well as more everyday quality foods such as Carnaroli rice and Italian pasta, Modena balsamic vinegar, spreads, chutneys and bakery products.
A range of international wines, including champagnes, sparkling wines and sweet dessert wines, as well as spirits and liqueurs, complete the picture of indulgence.
Address: 12 Theofanous, Ambelokipi, Phone: +30 210 8981435, Website
Batanian
The story began in 1922, when the Batanian family from Kayseri set up a small workshop on the terrace of their house in Kokkinia, Piraeus, and began making what they knew best: pastirma and the famous Armenian soujouk.
Now in the hands of the fourth generation, the workshop has grown into a factory. Their pastirma and Armenian soujouk are second to none, as are their kavourmas, head cheese, smoked tongue and Greek prosciutto.
They bring in many distinctive Greek and foreign cheeses, lots of starters like cheese stuffed peppers, ready-made dolmades and cabbage rolls, excellent Mount Athos eggplant salad and pickled cabbage (armia).
They also deal in frozen prawns, pastourma pies with pastirma and Mytilene kasseri. Now, for the holidays, they import pheasant and wild boar pate from Belgium and make handmade parmesan or feta mousse.
Address: 5 Platonos, Kallithea, Phone: +30 210 9562265, Website
Il Salumaio d’Atene
Now in its 25th year, this restaurant/delicatessen offers a curated selection of the finest and most authentic tastes. Here you’ll find Italy’s finest – fresh Parmigiano Reggiano, Gorgonzola, Mozzarella di Bufala, Prosciutto di Parma, Bresaola and the coveted Alba truffles. In addition to cheeses, the deli sells a wide range of other products: a variety of cheeses and charcuterie, exclusive Martelli spaghetti, homemade pesto sauce and a selection of truffle products. Seafood lovers can indulge in fish roe, oysters and scallops.
Address: 3 Panagitsas, Kifissia, Phone: +30 210 6233934, Website
Barolo
This Italian restaurant and international delicatessen’s offerings include a variety of cheeses and charcuteries, which can be enjoyed at tables indoors and outdoors, enhanced by the cosy ambience of awnings and heaters.
The curated wine list complements the flavours of aged 36-month parmesan, pecorino, Comté, Cretan goat graviera, Arseniko from Naxos, and an assortment of prosciutto, salamis, and chorizo. Guests have the luxury of taking home any unfinished delights.
This culinary haven welcomes patrons until late into the night, ensuring a memorable and tasteful experience.
Address: 1 Davaki, Psychiko, Phone: +30 210 6717600, Website
Degustation
Founded in 2007 by the cosmopolitan Ilias Apostolou, a veteran of the hospitality industry, the company exclusively imports high quality foods, delicacies and drinks from selected Greek and international producers.
The range of products is vast, with over 1,700 items mainly from Greece, France, Italy, Germany and the rest of the world. Legendary cheeses such as Stilton, Comté, Farmhouse Cheddar, Roquefort, deli meats – Jamon Serrano & Jamon Iberico, Bresaola di Punta, Truffle Mortadella from Bologna, Finocchiona, Spianata Calabria or Romana, etc.
The foie gras, caviar, avgotaraho, pies, crackers and chutneys have a special gastronomic presence in the shop.
Address: 5 Koumpari, Kolonaki, Phone: +30 210 3627744, Website
Troufa Local Deli
Cheeses, deli meats, pasta and an impressive collection of whole truffles and truffle products, which inspired its name.
World Cheese Award winning cheeses and wonderful Greek cheeses (many from Arcadia) share shelf space: Arcadian Sheep and Goat’s Gruyere with Four Peppers, Gruyere with Bukovo, Arcadia Smoked Gruyere, Sfakian Numbered Gruyere, aged Kasseri from Xanthi, Castelviel Roquefort, 18-month aged Comte, 18-month raw milk Cheddar, Pecorino with Truffle, Queso Curado with Truffle, 36-month aged Gouda, 12-month aged Manchego D.O.P., 12-month aged Cretan Gruyere and more.
The same variety extends to charcuterie, where camel pastirma sits alongside Renzini truffle salami. As for truffle products, you’ll find vinegar, oil, butter, mayonnaise, risotto rice (carnaroli), basil pesto, all with truffles, and whole truffles.
Address: 54 Achilleos, Paleo Faliro, Phone: +30 210 9885445, Website
Nora’s Deli
A remarkable place to shop at for both Greek and international cuisine lovers, selling a wide range of everyday staples such as olive oil, honey, pasta, rice, dairy products, spices, teas, sauces, chocolates and vegan food products, as well as organic and natural cosmetics and household products.
From abroad come Iberico de Bellota, foie gras, caviar, smoked salmon, fresh Normandy butter, goose fat and more. From Greece, there are goat trachanas from Andros, Mytilene oil cheese, pickled quail eggs from Grevena and avgotaraho from Messolonghi.
You’ll also find smoked and pickled fish, buffalo milk ariani, top quality wines and much more.
Address: 11 Anagnostopoulou, Kolonaki, Phone: +30 210 3389349, Website
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