We recently took the walking Flavors of Athens tour. Our guide was Yannis, an architectural, history, religious, chef. What a four-hour tour - it ended too soon.

Yannis took us to his favorite local stops:
• First dried nuts and fruits, candies
• Second, a street stand for Koulouri, sort of a Greek bagel. Apparently, Greeks have coffee at home and stop for these on the way to work.
• Third, his grandmother’s bribe to sit quietly in church. Lukumades is a sort of donut hole served with honey and cinnamon or stuffed with creams
• Fourth, Greek coffee and fruit on a spoon, if no sweet is served at your “friend’s home then they don’t really like you. Guess we passed the test.
• Fifth, Athens meat market, on to the fish market and then then vegetable and fruit market
• Sixth, a sit down for dried meats, cheese, fruit from the market and ouzo
• Finally, chicken shawarma.

All the while we walked, he gave us the history of the various areas, the cultural backdrop to Greek cuisine and his personal insights. Yannis made this a fun, foodie, memorable tour.

Loved our walking tour of Athens. Chef George guided us through a series of authentic Greek restaurants and markets. He was knowledgeable and so personable.