Come on, come on—forget the swim! I’m taking you somewhere magical!!!
I’m taking you to have our Friday tsipouro at a one-of-a-kind old-time summer spot:
the old coffeehouse in Kochylos.
In this small village above Korthi, we’ll gaze from the café’s balcony at the endless blue of the Aegean.
Our eyes will travel as far as Ikaria, while Mr. Giorgos and Charoula treat us to just the right little dishes to go with our midday tsipouro.
It was late October, and the long weekend on Andros was a dream.
As if it were still summer—25 degrees and a sea so calm you could drink it with a spoon!
It didn’t take much convincing; I followed my friend right away.
Though on the way back, I did take that dive at Agios Petros—just for good measure!
The programme
We’ll make a stop first at the Castle of Faneromeni, just to work up an appetite…
All along the way, my eyes feasted—green on one side, blue on the other.
The whole route was breathtaking; you’d think you weren’t on a Cycladic island at all, but somewhere in Pelion.
Saturated with nature’s beauty, we finally reached the Castle of Faneromeni.
It’s a place that calls for a bit of walking, with an incredible view and the promise of a great time—
but my goal, my mind, was already set on the coffeehouse.
At the village
It was midday and the walk had opened up my lungs, while my appetite was sending urgent text messages to my brain…
So we descended from the castle and headed straight for Kochilo.
You park at the beginning of the village and walk down the narrow street to the center.
First, you find the central church of Agios Georgios, and right across from it is the old café.
Everything is deserted and closed, with hardly anyone around. It’s winter.
The cafe is closed, of course, with only two cats lying on the chairs, basking in the winter sun.
“What do we do now?” I whispered disappointedly.
I realized we would have to make do with the view of the Aegean Sea and the green mountain for our salad, ha ha ha.
My close friend, who knew the area well, walked to the door, took out her phone, and gave us the coordinates.
She called out to us triumphantly.
Come sit down, they’re coming up!
The coffeehouse
We left the enchanting view from the terrace of Agios Georgios and crossed the unique little bridge that connects the café to the road.
We waited eagerly, and within a few minutes, the couple, George and Haroula, came up smiling.
They welcomed us as they climbed the small staircase from their house down to the café, which was open just for us.
We sat for a while and talked with them about the difficult summer that had passed amid Covid.
About the difficult life in the village, the loneliness of winter, the madness of summer.
We philosophized about life for a while, and suddenly the gas stoves caught fire…
He opened the fridge, and out came all the goodies —
veal liver straight from the Tupperware, fried anchovies in vinegar, chickpea fritters, tomatoes, and tzatziki to whet the appetite (not that we needed much after all that walking).
The potatoes were quickly chopped for the classic fourtalia, the tsipouro was poured, and the company came alive!
We sat in the gentle winter sunshine, on the café’s veranda,
with Korthi and the Aegean spread out at our feet.
Our gaze unrestrained, our spirits soaring.
We enjoyed, with very little, a glass of tsipouro and the appetizers that Mr. George prepared on the stove.
A tomato cut into quarters with coarse salt, a few marinated anchovies in vinegar with plenty of capers.
Until Mrs. Haroula arrived proudly from below the house, carrying a basket in her hand!
The end result
Ultimately, you don’t need much to be happy…
We had placed our fortunes in good hands…
We are lucky patrons of Mr. George and Haroula, the hosts of the wonderful classic old coffee shop in Kochilo.
One of the few remaining in all of Greece.
We are at the ultimate “taste local” destination!!!
The old café in Kochilo.
We are in the paradise of classic Greek hospitality…
Café in Kochilo, Andros
George and Haroula Psychaki
Text and photos by Giorgio Grigor
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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.
