Sholarhio restaurant / mezedopolio in Plaka

Scholarhio - 'Ouzeri o Kouklis' (also spelt Sholarhio, Sholarheio, etc.)

Address – Area: 14 Tripodon St. [Plaka neighborhood], Athens

Tel: 210-32.47.605

Date: 2011-05-22

Cuisine: Greek, traditional / mezedopolio

Overall Opinion: Neutral / positive

Methods of payment: cash, Visa, Mastercard

Working hours: 11:00am -2:00am

Website: http://www.scholarhio.gr/english/index.php

Accessibility: No. Four stairs up; narrow entrance; downward ladder to W.C.

Our order:

1 bekri meze (veal with red pepper and tomato sauce) 

1 horta (wild, bitter greens)

1 dolmadakia (vine leaves stuffed w/ minced meat and covered w/ avgolemono sauce) 

1 moussaka

1 feta cheese

1 330ml bottle of Alfa beer

1 bottle of water

bread for 2

Price: 29.50€. Prices are very reasonable / low.

Presentation / Ambience: I remember coming here with a group of boy-scouts many years ago, still a junior-high school student, in one of my first trips to Athens. It could be the first Athenian restaurant I ever walked in. It’s a Plaka tradition (their business card says that it’s been around since 1935), and even though Greek palates have evolved with time (thanks to globalization and… EU / borrowed money) it can still stand the test of time, if you factor the low prices into the equation. A wooden patio, holding about 10-15 tables, overlooks Tripodon St. which, being in Plaka, is mostly used by pedestrians. There are a few tables indoors and several more upstairs. The walls are covered with old Greek memorabilia (old singer portraits, black & white photos, drawings, etc.). The tables –kind of small– are wooden with marble top surface and the chairs are of the traditional, Greek coffee-house, wooden / wicker type. Not very comfy but they fit in with the whole atmosphere.

Frequented by both tourists (60% ?) and  -mostly student- Greeks (40% ?), drawn in by the low prices and the place’s informal atmosphere. Another advantage is that you will almost always find people sitting here, so if you like to dine at odd hours it won’t be just you and the staff.

Food / Drinks:

The waiter presents you a large platter of 18 medium-sized, traditional Greek dishes and you choose as many as you want. Prices range from 4 – 6 € per plate. The food is a good enough, affordable introduction into Greek cuisine as long as your expectations are not too high, especially if you consider that you’re inside the country’s primary tourist zone!

Wine: A very limited selection. From experience I knew that this isn’t one of those places I would spend money on bottled wine; better try your luck with the house wine if you insist.

Beers: Only small bottles of Alfa and Fix (Greek, mass-produced lagers).

Service: Very fast. The people who work here are used to dealing with crowds, non-stop, they know the menu in English and the restaurant’s operating method makes their work easier. They will make the occasional comment –between them– on this table or the other [isn’t it nice to have a Greek-speaking spy? ] but this doesn’t seem to affect the overall level of service.

Location / Getting there: In the heart of the Plaka district, equal distance from Monastiraki, Syntagma and Acropolis Metro stations. You pick a map and you walk, trying to find the corner of Tripodon St. and Epicharmou St. where you will see the patio of Scholarhio.

See map of Athens restaurants at the bottom of this page.

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