Ραφίκι — Restaurant in Athens

The area may be degraded, yet often gems are found in the mud. At the outskirts of Athens centre, this place is way quieter and busy at the same time (you might need a booking).

I arrived relatively early (8ish) for dinner and had to wait for 2 more friends. There was only a table with 2 seats left and normally adding 1-2 more seats from a nearby table is never an issue. However, the waitress that day was moody and was insisting that she can't add an extra seat due to lack of permit. After arguing with her for a few minutes, she offered to move me indoors while waiting for the rest, which I declined. Eventually, she brought an extra chair herself. So much pointless fuss.

The first 2 plates were served fast, then it took more than 30' to bring the rest (4 in total).

-Pasta casarecce with mushroom ragù were nothing special, anything that's sold nowadays with artificial truffle oil is inexplicably more expensive. Kudos to chef for the pasta though, they weren't overcooked.

-The trout salad was exquisite, the black sesame really matched the fish.

-The smoked cod was equally good.

-The arancini with feta mousse and cherry tomatoes had a perfect crust and filling, even though the rice was overcooked.

I'd say it's slightly overpriced given...

Amazing food with generous portions! We absolutely loved this place. The dishes are not only full of flavor but also beautifully presented. It was hard to choose what to eat, so we ordered a variety of items to share. The Greek salad was perfectly balanced—fresh, tasty, and refreshing. The bread was excellent, and the beetroot hummus had a smooth texture and rich flavor. The carpaccio was good, although not our personal favorite.

The chicken fillet was cooked to perfection, and the sauce that came with it was delicious. We also tried the kebab—while the seasoning (likely cardamom) wasn't to our taste as Turks, the smoked yogurt and pita were fantastic and balanced the flavors nicely. A little more yogurt would have been even better.

The atmosphere was lively and a bit crowded. It was difficult to get a table outside, so we started our meal at the bar while waiting, then moved to an outdoor table later. Service was excellent—staff were friendly and helpful throughout. Also, they are dog-friendly, which is a big plus for us!

Highly recommended if you’re looking for tasty food, good service, and a...

This place is a must go to. Off the main tourist run and frequented by locals in the know you find amazing Greek food with an incredible urbane twist.

The lady serving and the owner were super friendly and approachable. The portions are huge! I came alone, which was a mistake and after a perfectly cold beer, which came with a little bowl of crisps, I plowed into a Smoked Salmon Tartare and a Greek salad. Side of bread. I was absolutely stuffed but I couldn’t stop myself from eating it. This is the place you should take a few friends so you can eat family style. I would have loved to try a few other dishes.

The Greek salad was sublime, it definitely wasn’t you common garden variety. A super soft cheese with a capsicum based dressing over big chunks of tomato, olives and other veggies. A lot of work went into this and I couldn’t get enough. The Tartare was cool and fresh, a generous smear of beetroot puree ran around the side cutting through the rich flavours and balancing it perfectly.

I will definitely be back but I’ll return...