The fish tavern Vasilis, in the Keratsini fish market, is one of my favorite places to relax, drink ouzo and eat Greek Meze.
I watch the traffic in the small harbor with the boats coming and going with their hoarse voices, stirring the calm waters of the harbor, and I reminisce.
Here, in the shadow of the old flour mills of Agios Georgios, is Vasilis’ fish tavern.
What a tavern, a canteen with an extension of awnings.
Here, the pans and grills transform the fresh seafood of the fish market into simple masterpieces, with the lordly octopus dominating!!!
The story
In general, I like the sea.
Calm down with ships, boats, trawlers, barges, fishing boats, caiques…
Going crazy for simple, everyday hangouts.
I love the people of the sea because they have a different peace, a different calm, a different culture within them, they have sea stories to tell you full of adventure and beauty.
So here at the fish market in Keratsini you will meet people of the sea, day laborers, captains, engineers, but also ordinary people who know by taste, by the simplicity and tranquility that the sea leaves in your soul.
Here, seafood, as in the Agora ouzo restaurant in Nea Ionia, has absolute dominance.
Grilled octopus is the king of the grill, followed closely by the princess koutsomouritsa.
You will hardly find anything similar in beauty and taste…
Shrimp, sardines, anchovies, and squid are the followers of the royal procession that land on your table with countless soldiers of well-fried fresh potatoes.
There was even gouna fish, like the one I ate as a child in Naoussa, Paros, made of mackerel, grilled over charcoal!
All caught early in the morning here next to the central fish market in Keratsini.
This is where the fresh heart of seafood beats.
And when you ask the waiter if the sardines are fresh, he answers you bluntly…
The freshest ones… are immediately released into the sea!
At Vassilis fish tavern
So here we don’t need to rush to eat and leave…
Let’s order quickly…
But where are the first ones, they were late…
Forget all that, leave it behind, calm down, you came to have fun, to communicate like in the old days.
You can talk, analyze the political situation, gossip about the neighbor.
Maybe flirt a little, remember stories from the past.
Analyze whether the ice in the ouzo goes in at the beginning before the ouzo or after.
Decide whether tsipouro is better with anise or not, na na na … you have so much to say!
All the goodies here are made on the spot. They take their time — they want, when they finally reach your table, to be worthy of your expectations.
So, be patient. A little stroll out by the grill will fill your nostrils with the scent of the sea.
The hanging octopus tentacles will tangle in your hair, the smoky aromas will cling to your clothes — but you must resist the usual complaint:
“Oh no, we’ll smell like smoke!”
Step up to the grill, grab the long tongs, and turn a tentacle yourself.
Mark it as your own, and wait for it to cook — to soften and glisten — so you can savor it to the fullest.
When should you come
The best time to enjoy Vasilis’s fish taverna at the fish market is just after midday.
Τhat moment when all the anxious, hurried diners have eaten and are slowly drifting away.
That’s the perfect hour, the one that, after a few glasses of tsipouro, brings you to the most beautiful moment of the day.
The time when everything calms — the barges and launches finish their work, the ship hands head off for rest,
and the sun paints its incredible colors across the world.
For me, that’s the ultimate magic — hidden in simple, everyday things,
tucked quietly behind “AIGIS,” the great barge moored at the fish market.
Clink your glass with a weathered sailor who’s come in for one last tsipouro before heading home.
Listen to a sea story or two — he’ll have plenty — and raise your glass: to life, to the sea, to us.
Fish tavern Vassilis
Fish Market Keratsini
Tel. 210 43 27 213
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.
