En Hatipi: A traditional taverna in Sparta

The "En Hatipi" taverna in Sparta stays true to its roots and leaves its own mark.

With rustic decoration, a friendly atmosphere, and recipes with local and seasonal ingredients that exude the authenticity of Greek cuisine, En Hatipi has been serving traditional food since the 20th century.

Sparta is not a popular destination for culinary excursions, but it is an ideal stop for rest and food on the way to Mystras.

If the weather is nice, you can sit at the tables on the side, under the arbour. However, inside, it is more interesting to get smells from the kitchen, which is open.

At the adjacent tables, you will likely find a lonely local quenching his thirst with a cold beer, patrons enjoying their break with meze and ouzo, and families with children who are crazy about spaghetti with minced meat.

What to try for the first time

En Hatipi has a large menu with dishes for every oddity and preference. On the menu, you will find these flavours that characterise Messinia and Laconia.

So it is certain that you will enjoy the authentic Maniatiki salad, fried chicken with long hilopites, sausage with orange, smoked trout, and much more.

Among the appetisers, saganaki is available in at least four variations, as well as handmade tzatziki and tyrokafteri, cheese pies, and pumpkin keftedes.

You will find cooked meals that resemble the Greek Sunday lunch table: pork in lemon sauce, veal giouvetsi with homemade orzo, moussaka and pastitsio, meatballs with sauce and rice, and chickpeas with mushrooms.

If Stefanos is in a mood (he is always in a mood), he will offer you a chance to try one of his experimental dishes. You can choose some grilled meat if none of them appeal to you.

Before you leave, you'll be sweetened with homemade orange pie or yoghurt with spoon-sweets. Do not deny it because even in the desserts, the excellent raw materials and the love for cooking are visible from start to finish.

Info: 27 Chrysikou Panagiotis, Sparta. Tel: 2731026677

Yianna Balafouti is a columnist for Cantina. Translated by Paul Antonopoulos.

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