Kalokerinos — Restaurant in Athens

I was hesitant to go... my wife and I tried two other places that looked better in Plaka but both were closed so we took a shot in the dark and walked into Kalokairino's. It was a wild time. I laughed, I cried, I had a really good time. We were met by very friendly staff who let us in without a reservation. We were ushered into the dining hall and sat down at a long banquet table. The food was pricy and not very good... easily the least impressive meal I ate in Greece... but the show was spectacular. We were surrounded by bus loads of rowdy American tourists who added to the ambiance by bringing some red neck excitement to the otherwise calm and simple folk music and dancing. As the show picked up, the dancers shepherded a big group of heavy set Americans on stage. The assault of my visual senses crescendoed until a particularly heavy set corn-fed American did a wine-fueled back flop on stage. Next the performers brought out a disk and small cup of wine to preform a mesmerizing intricate dance spinning the wine in the disk. I thought there was a trick to it, but the young performer flicked the cup out of the disk at full speed, sending wine all over the front row and nearly killing a tourist in the back as the glass shattered against the wall. Absolutely brilliant. An older performer than repeated the same dance, this time with no spills. This was followed by a somewhat out of place risqué belly dancer bringing in just the right amount of cleavage and hip gyrations to make the show a bit more PG-13 without going overboard. Some more corn-fed Americans displaying the obesity and lack of rhythm typical of the mid west and south and a fun plate smashing routine added to the experience to make the night an absolute success. I had a blast. So much so, I didn't mind that the waitor brought out and charged me for a dessert I did not order nor enjoy - I respect the hustle. If you are looking for a crowded room of increasingly drunk tourists and talented friendly dancers who are all hell bent on having a good time, look no further. Definitely a memory making establishment full of people who love...

The experience depends very much on the type of package you buy / which platform you buy it from. We had an unpleasant time and poor food.

We had to be there at 8 pm - to find an almost empty restaurant. At about 8:15 they started with boring Greek background music. Eventually some dances started (not very impressive). At 10 pm they put on disco music from the eighties. By that time we were so desperate that we left. Other groups arrived when the atmosphere was a bit better.

Also our food was different than that of other groups. Less variety of appetizers, different main menu. We were served chicken kebab. The others different meats and seafood. Furthermore the chicken was dry and the vegetables had a strange texture (probably leftovers, overcooked in the microwave). However, reading other reviews, this seems to be a common problem with the chicken.

Adicional, the waiters were not very friendly, the chairs uncomfortably small and people packed in.

Totally overpriced, I would...

Not 100% traditional .I took my partner for his 60th for a traditional dinner dance after experiencing one in Spain. This was ok, but after a few Greek songs, the singer belted out an Abba song, Greace Lightening, and I will survive . Yes, you can tap along as I'm an Aussie and listen to this, but it wasn't what I wanted on this night. Im not sure how traditional a belly dancer is either? I wanted traditional I was so excited about booking in to walking out with disappointment rather than on a high. DO NOT book through a tour company overpriced book directly save some $$ only criteria is spend 25 euro per person and show is included. Easy to get to via public transport. Ordered grilled fish, definitely not grilled but battered. It also said it came with fish roe moose, which my partner was excited to try it didn't come with that. Service was great, and the atmosphere was ok but definitely a...