Mavros Gatos — Restaurant in Athens

Μαύρος Γάτος (Black Cat) came highly recommended by two professionals I trust: Sakis, the Chef at Zohos, and Vagelis of Lost Roots wine bar. When these highly-rated creators point you somewhere, you go! Dig?

The moment you walk in, the space hits different: a gleaming vitrine of fine meats, walls adorned with traditional murals and artisan crafts. Old-world elegance meets timeless sophistication.

Their veal liver is a masterpiece of simplicity: wrapped in silky lamb suet, kissed with garlic olive oil and rock salt. Cut into it and the perfectly pink center releases juices that mingle with the golden oil - creating pure magic on your plate.

The busy atmosphere only adds to the experience. The staff nail that perfect Greek hospitality - attentive but natural, making sure you're having a great time in a way that feels completely unscripted.

Amaaazziing place. But it's not for the weak 🙄

P.S.: Make that reservation, especially for...

It's a racist restaurant. We visited there because it received a good rating. We ordered lamb chops and alcohol, as well as pasta and svlaki to feel Athens. We didn't give the sauce to our table, so we ordered it separately, but the old waiter didn't understand, "Chazuki? Chaazuki?" We showed the picture of the food and ordered the sauce, but he saw the picture and said there wasn't any. After some time, we checked that the white table behind us had the sauce, so we asked another waiter for it. The other waiter brought the sauce right away. We felt bad, but when we were about to pay, we made a complaint and confirmed that the extra €5 was added. We complained about the miscalculation and talked about being discriminated against, but we received a reply, "You provided the sauce after all! What's wrong!" In the end, the old man refused to admit wrongdoing until the end, and looked at us with unpleasant eyes, and did not apologize. It...

A typical greek taverna popular with the neighbourhood residents. We enjoyed much of the food here. Our greek salad was as good as anywhere else, with particularly tasty feta. The delicious fried eggplant in a light batter reminded me of the better sort of homemade onion ring we get at home. My veal steak souvlaki was tender, juicey, and perfectly cooked. Unfortunately, we can't say the same about my wife's lamb chops. She's been on the search for good lamb in Greece and has little luck. Her chops came out fatty, lots of gristle with too little meat to pry off the bone. I wish we had sent it back because a neighboring diner's chops came out looking juicy and succulent. Luck of the draw, I suppose. My wife now leaves Greece thinking that greek lamb is terrible compared to back home. I know that can't be true, but currently, the evidence is on her side! Prices are quite good here... if you're lucky in...