For a full year, Shane and I planned our gluten-free honeymoon to the Greek Islands. I adore travel, but for the past 20 years, the food piece has always been elusive. I've been fascinated by all the crazy experiences, gorgeous vistas, languages, local people, intriguing customs and new ways of thinking… but the ability to explore the food has always eluded me. My reactions to gluten are severe, and I react to extraordinarily small traces. So, I always did my travel without much food exploration, and wondered sometimes of the special things about food and travel I was missing out on. I think everyone with a severe allergy knows what it's like on trips, family gatherings and holidays. While they are wonderful, the food aspect is always a little stressful and a little sad. I felt somewhat like I was standing outside of everything looking in, knowing it could mean weeks of pain and scary neurological symptoms if I stepped inside and joined in with everyone in the feast. On our honeymoon, with my Nima beside me, I wondered if I was finally going to be able to fully jump into the food aspect of Greek culture. I left Vancouver hoping I would finally get to walk inside, eat ravenously and explore Greece with a calm mind, a settled stomach and a full heart. AthensWe arrived in Athens on the metro at 9:30 am after traveling almost 17 hours! We were lucky (or we were well-researched enough) to be staying for free on points right by the Acropolis and Syntagma Metro station. History, culture and a wide array of food choices kept us engaged the whole time we were there. Shane and I choose to experience mostly Greek food, but I found gluten free options that encompass a whole world of flavours. Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, Spanish, italian, Middle Eastern, and all of our recommendations below are all a short walk from the ancient area of Plaka and the Acropolis. All kinds of food adventures live here! Daphne’sLocation : Λυσικράτους 4, Αθήνα 105 58. A 3 minute walk north from the Acropoli metro station (Click the restaurant name to be taken to their website. Click the address to be taken to their google maps location.) Dish : Greek Salad with Feta, Capers and Olives On our first night, jet lagged and sleepy, we wandered into the Plaka. This area is the oldest neighbourhood in Athens and is filled with ancient ruins and winding cobblestone streets. Wandering its narrow alleys we found a softly-lit patio was under a trellis of grape vines, with a gentle saxophone and a scent of olives and grapes in the breeze! While it had the perfect atmosphere for our honeymoon, I had serious doubts about their ability to understand celiac and cross contamination. I showed them my Greek Celiac card and ordered a Greek Salad. I was surprised and elated when Nima came up smile. Athinaikon RestaurantLocation: Mitropoleos 34, Athina 105 63, Greece. Right by Syntagma square and Syntagma Metro station. Dish : Grouper on the Grill (I subbed the stir fried veggies for a Greek Salad. The veggies in Greece are too good!) From the beginning, Athinaikon restaurant was extremely accommodating to my email request for gluten free food. They were enthusiastic about preparing a safe meal for me and wrote that their potatoes have their own fryer and oil, that they have repeat celiac customers, and that they would be very thorough about cleaning any prep areas. The grouper was meaty and delicious and the vegetables were crisp and fresh. The coolest thing though, was when I stood up, I realized there was a clear panel in the floor. The ancient, 5000-year-old city ruins were sitting below our feet! I peered down through the window and wondered about the ancient people that used to wander the streets below. What an incredible way to finish our meal. New Taste RestaurantLocation: 105 57, Φιλελλήνων 16, Αθήνα 105 57. About a 3 minute walk South-West of the Syntagma Metro station. Dish: Beet and Pear Salad With Goat Cheese. We stayed at New Hotel and during a freak thunderstorm, we wandered upstairs to New Taste for some prosecco and food. The service was thoughtful and they understood cross contamination well. Plus, who wouldn’t love the rose-gold and natural touches of the table settings, accented with dark wood pieces and succulents? After the storm subsided, we wandered out top the patio, which features an amazing view of the Acropolis. If there wasn’t so much to explore in Athens I would have been sitting out there gazing at the vast city and Acropolis in the distance all day long. Blue Fish AthensLocation: XPGH+42 Athens, Athina, Greece. 3 minute walk east from the Monastiraki metro station or a 10 minute walk west from Syntagma Metro station Dish: Sea bream infused with a basil olive oil on cardamom carrot puree and avocado cream. This was one of my favourite meals of the entire trip. The patio featured strung lights along the trees of the narrow cobblestone sidewalk and the terrace was lit up just as much by the lights as it was by the history that surrounded us. The ruins and soft yellow glow of Hadrian’s library was right next to the restaurant! As for the service and meal, here we enjoyed the sassiest service of our trip. Our server was extremely witty and funny. The sea bream had a perfectly crispy skin and the sweetness of the carrot cardamom puree along with the creaminess of the avocado puree paired beautifully with the fish. I loved the addition of the infused basil oil on top! Athens honourable mention : Avocado in Plaka has a very large array of gluten free dishes and came highly recommended by many celiacs. I ended up stopping here a few times but because of timing, only had smoothies or juices so I did not use my Nima here. I heard so many great things though, and enjoyed gluten-free vibe of the place so much, that it seems a shame not to give them a mention here. Location: Nikis 30, Syntagma, 105 57 Athens, Greece. About a 4 minute walk West of Syntagma metro station.
Next is Hydra (part two). This was Shane's favourite place!
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AuthorI'm Richelle aka the Tiny Boss. I like to boss around travel and gluten :-) ArchivesCategories |