Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani: A Proper Dinner in Athens

2017-06-03 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

After waiting a little while, I started spotting a few Koreans. I was awkwardly wondering, "Is it this person? Or that person?" when a guy walked up and asked,

"Are you the one from Eurang (a travel community)...?"

Meeting up with people from an online community was something I couldn't really understand back in Korea, but here in Europe, it's surprisingly easy and incredibly welcoming. It's amazing how much stress speaking Korean can relieve. Feeling a bit excited, we headed out for the main goal of our meetup: dinner.

We followed the lead of 'A', the only woman among the three of us and the only one who had actually looked up a restaurant. Walking past Omonia station as the sun gradually set, we arrived at "Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani." I had absolutely no idea how to pronounce it, so we just agreed to call it "the restaurant." Hey, as long as the food is good, that's all that matters.

It's a famous place where we were told the wait could be long, but we must have been lucky today because we got a table in about 10 minutes. The inside of the building felt like a stylish butcher shop, but they also set up tables on an empty lot next door, giving the single restaurant two completely different vibes. I don't know if it was out of necessity, but it seemed like a pretty great choice to me.

The menus came out, and the two guys just said, "Wow, everything looks delicious," leaving 'A' to order whatever she wanted. No matter which country I travel to, I prefer eating dinner with a group of 4 to 5 people so we can try a bit of everything from the local cuisine. It's like creating our own little buffet, and so far, I've always been satisfied with this approach. Eating a piece of bread alone in your room because you're on a budget or spending time as a couple is nice too, but for once, why not gather a group and order half the menu at a restaurant?

We toasted once the Ouzo arrived. And then everyone made the exact "why on earth would anyone drink this?" face I had been expecting. Ouzo is a traditional Greek liquor, a strong spirit over 40% ABV. The unique thing about it is that it's normally clear, but when you pour it over ice "on the rocks" style, it turns milky white. At first, everyone goes "Whoa~~" in amazement, but it doesn't taste very good. It literally tastes like swallowing natural rubber. They say it's the scent of a plant called "anise," but honestly, I only bought it for the spectacle; it's a flavor I would never normally drink. It's not too expensive, so it's worth ordering once—really, just exactly once.

This is a very famous restaurant ranked highly on TripAdvisor, so if you search through various blogs, you'll find plenty of food photos. If you show the waiter a picture of something that has good reviews and looks tasty, they'll happily bring it to you. (This blog recommends the fried potato dish.) The waiters here are busy so they don't come around often, but when they do, they are incredibly friendly. Considering the taste, the restaurant's atmosphere, and the staff's kindness, it's easy to see why it's so famous.

I came from the east, and the two in front of me arrived in Greece from the west. 'A' has to head back to Paris where she is an exchange student, and 'B' just got discharged from the military, is traveling around Europe, and will end his trip here in Greece. They both have different reasons for traveling, but they were super excited about how cheap the Greek food and wine were, and how amazing everything tasted.

We spent quite a long time eating, but since all three of us were nearing the end of our trips, we had pretty much seen all of Athens. However, the two in front of me mentioned they hadn't seen the Mediterranean Sea yet. What kind of nonsense is that? Coming to Southern Europe and not seeing the Mediterranean? The sea here is so beautiful!!

And just like that, our destination for tomorrow was naturally decided: Glyfada.