The freshly pedestrianized alleys in the “Historic Triangle”—the traditional commercial heart of Athens, with whole streets once dedicated to textiles, door handles, or buttons—is the city’s new gastronomic destination. Countless street food joints have come and gone in the last few years; but none have the consistent quality and original flavor of Feyrouz. Run by a charming family with roots that stretch from Antioch to Istanbul, Lebanon, and Cyprus, Feyrouz is a culinary journey to the Near East. Pull up a stool or a find a spot at one of the sidewalk benches and tuck into cheesy pide, delicately spiced lahmacun, sourdough pies, and zingy vegetarian soups, none of which cost more than a few euros. The Bosphorus rice with curried chicken, chickpeas, and yogurt sells out almost as soon it emerges from the kitchen at 2 p.m. Their newer, smarter sister venue across the street specializes in Anatolian sweets. Try the künefe, a crispy kataifi nest filled with Cretan goat’s cheese and drizzled with heather honey syrup, or the buckwheat baklava with pistachios from Aegina. Enjoy with a glass of turmeric tea sprinkled with sumac or a Turkish coffee flavored with cardamom.
