Butter shortbread biscuits and Easter egg on the table
"If the house doesn't smell like koulourakia, you don't understand Easter," the old housewives used to say.
Koulourakia, by tradition, must be fluffy and crunchy, fresh and fragrant, exactly as the bakeries and pastry shops we trust make it. So, if we don't have time to learn the process or have little experience with confectionery, in every neighbourhood of Athens, you can find incredibly delicious koulourakia.
Darema
This fourth-generation bakery has distinguished itself with a wide variety of pastries, all handmade with the purest ingredients.
In the same philosophy as his paschalina (Smyrnian pastries), the koulourakia are fragrant and delicious.
You can also find them in selected places throughout Athens.
Souniou 2, Markopoulo Attica, tel.: 22990 25 744
Rizos Vassilios and Thomas
This is a neighbourhood bakery in Ano Ampelokipi. In addition to daily bread, they prepare a wide range of koulourakia all year round.
The two brothers have put a special emphasis on the handmade koulourakia they bake every day. Upon entering the shop, one sees large sheets around them with many savoury, sweet, and fasting options.
They add three more types of koulourakia at Easter: round, braid, and round with sugar coating. Personally, I prefer braids.
Artopoieio Kalantzis
The Artopoieio Kalantzis on the pedestrian street of Mitropolis in Maroussi has a history that exceeds 100 years and infinite hours of operation and sells one of the most nostalgic varieties of koulourakia.
There is not one type, but a whole showcase full of koulourakia of all kinds, traditional braids or slightly teased with chocolate, nuts or candies, with butter or vegan.
35 Mitropoleos, Maroussi, tel.: 210 8050 220
The sweet shop
Crunchy koulourakia full of the aroma and taste of real butter are similar to those we ate as children at the hands of our mother and grandmother.
Their koulourakia are made daily with the best ingredients, baked, and sold out within a few hours.
21 Vas. Sofias, Marousi, tel.: 210 6123 888
Rita's cookies
Rita Amiralian makes various cookies and biscuits all year round, which are fantastic. However, Rita's shop smells of butter since it does not stop baking fluffy, crispy, musky koulourakia that melt in the mouth.
It's worth going across Athens to try them.
40 Domokou Street, Palaia Kokkinia, tel.: 210 4912 323
Afoi Asimakopouloi
The historical pastry shop of Athens, located in the exact same spot since 1915, is characterised by its quality raw materials (such as milk from trusted Mediterranean producers and goat and sheep butter).
The koulourakia that we find there these days are of three types: the classic Smyrna koulourakia, the braid-shaped milk ones (with vanilla) and the round "Pastafrola", which are very special since they have the dough of the popular dessert.
82 Harilaou Trikoupi Street, Athens, tel. 210 3610092
Bread BC
A new-generation bakery has opened in recent years in Chalandri and is constantly evolving with new products and carefully selected ingredients. It is worth trying its traditional koulourakia with fresh butter and Easter aromas.
Here, you will also find handmade chocolate eggs in three special flavours.
This year, the artisanal bakery will also offer an Easter Bag with all seasonal products: koulourakia, tsoureki, a chocolate egg, and a candle (in different colours).
St. Paraskevi 59, Chalandri, tel. 210 6851 961
Stani
This timeless, famous pastry shop is further down from Omonia Square. Most people know it for its old-fashioned pastes and fantastic creams—ah, that rice pudding!
But at this little sweet spot, they also make amazing Easter koulourakia slathered in butter (they use their own, which you can also buy).
Don't discount them because they dip wonderfully in milk and accompany coffee fantastically.
10 Marikas Kotopoulis, Omonia, tel. 210 5233 637
Stavropoulos
At this Constantinople-style bakery, you won't know what to choose first; the only thing sure is that you will come out loaded with bags.
Among the many delicious things they make, they prepare koulourakia with cow butter from Naxos, which is overflowing with vanilla aroma for these festive days.
Also, put the tsoureki, which is incredibly fluffy and has a Constantinople recipe, in your takeaway bag.
4 Gambeta Street, Athens, tel. 210 3847 035
The article first appeared in Travel. Translated by Paul Antonopoulos.
READ MORE: Top 10 Tsourekia In Athens.
