The shop is small but miraculous, fragrant and full of goodies from other eras.
A la Grec
Kostis Kostakis, the tall Cretan with the dazzling smile and eagle eyes.
The master of pita bread, a craftsman in his field, guardian of tradition. And next to him, his companion Yannis, the psychologist from Andros, who has brought order to Kostis’s masterful flavors.
A homely environment with old chests of drawers, sideboards with semedakia, and screens with crystal glasses. It’s like being in your grandmother’s living room.
Handmade pies take pride of place and cookies fill the large glass jars.
Due to the season, there are kourabiedes, melomakarona, and tsoureki.
Dipples and xerotigana fill the clay bowls, all handmade with pure ingredients and genuine, unadulterated Cretan honey.
The goodies
From dawn, Kostis kneads dough, rolls it out, and fills it with the freshest ingredients from the market.
Most of the goodies come from the village.
At eight o’clock, the display case is full of pies. The aromas flood the neighborhood, inviting passersby and neighbors to enjoy the best breakfast.
Chania-style boureki, Kimolos-style ladeneia, gyozleme with minced meat, Cretan pita with xynomizithra cheese.
Even kourou oie with anthotyro cheese, incredible zucchini pie, and anything else you can imagine. With ingredients from all corners of Greece.
You sit at one of the few tables outside the shop and enjoy your gyozleme with Cretan raki.
Or you enjoy a sugar-free kourabie with Greek coffee in a briki.
You leave with a bunch of goodies and, of course, Kostis’ book “Pites from Hand” with traditional recipes from all over Greece.
A la Grek
65 Ag. Paraskevi, Halandri
Tel. 211 0122071
Text and photos by GiorgioGrigor
At #TasteLocalGreece, we taste and promote all our favorite hangouts.
The local products we discover, the places we visit, and those that fit our philosophy.
The taverns we discover in our culinary quests. Our articles have no commercial benefit. Often, the restaurants we visit are unaware that we will be mentioning them.
They are all our personal experiences, and we share them with you. We strive to highlight forgotten flavors, authenticity, and simplicity that have been lost from our lives.
We strive to highlight forgotten flavors, authenticity, and simplicity that have been lost from our lives.
The information we provide is based on the period when we visited the place.
