Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani.
It’s a little hard to pronounce, I know. You’ll also find it hard to not come back the very next day and the next and the next to enjoy their unique mouthwatering dishes.
Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani is also known as Karamanlidika Delicatessen Restaurant, and it’s pretty hard to miss what with its adorned pastirma and sausages colourfully adorning the walls of its exterior and interior.
The young Fanis Theodoropoulos continues the family tradition with the renowned Paraskevas Sarimpogias, producer of the “karamanlidika” cold cuts, attempting to bring back the concept of the Byzantine “pastomageireio”, which is a combination of a delicatessen and a mezedopoleio (mezze restaurant).
You can order straight from the deli counter to go. Specialities of Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani include cured, seasoned and aged ham, sausages, pastirma, kavourma, and more. You can even buy some local grocery shop products such as handmade pasta, smoked salmon, capers, and aged cheese from all over Greece!
We visited and experienced a taste of Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani on our Athens Food Tour with Athens Walking Tours! We had no idea until after our visit to the restaurant that it was in fact the same place just a smaller shop version dedicated to selling just charcuterie items.
The restaurant’s menu is available in both English and Greek (like most restaurants in Athens) which is very convenient for us Anglophones!
T and I ordered a few items off the menu with the help of the lovely manager / chef Maria, who was so helpful and friendly – she made the experience all the more enjoyable!
We started with a 500ml bottle of beer to share. Fairly simple, right?
Cold cuts and aged cheese are offered by the restaurant while you patiently wait for your order to arrive.
It’s time for mezze!
We had Mommy’s hand-made stuffed vine leaves (5.50€) i.e. Dolmades. They were extremely delicious and full of flavour. I cannot recommend this mezze dish enough! It’s the only item on the menu I found a tad overpriced though it does come with fresh cool yogurt, perfect for dipping!
The Mixed Green Salad with Anevato Cheese and Spicy Salami (7.5€) was very delicious and the dressing was remarkably good. I would order this again.
The fried Isli Kefte Karamanlidika (5.50€) are basically made from a meat and bulgur patty that is formed into an odd egg-shaped capsule to hold a delicious flavourful meaty interior. In Lebanon, it’s known as “Kebbe”; also a popular mezze item.
Here’s a picture to help out your now very confused imagination:
Maria recommended the “Karamanlidika Pastirma little pies” (6€) served with yogurt were our favourite. Warm crispy dough encasing a juicy core of pastirma, cheese, peppers and spices. I’m so glad Maria suggested this item as we wouldn’t have ordered it otherwise. These aren’t really “pies”, but more like fried “rolls”.
Now for the “mains”
T ordered the Sujuk with Fried Eggs (5.50€), which was rather spicy. So if you’re into that, then yeah, it’s good – according to his judgement. I wouldn’t recommend mixing eggs with all this food (unless your digestion is a beast), because it’s rather heavy and your stomach won’t thank you for it. I’ll pass, thank you very much.
Kavourmas Beef with potatoes and mixed bellpeppers (6.50€) was one of my favourite dishes at Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani. A mouthwatering mixture of aromatic ingredients thrown into one cast iron pan – and we had to share this. Do you know how hard it was for me to share this deliciousness?
A generous plate of Pork and Beef Sausages (15€) was the grand finale to our lunch. Sausages paired with mustard, tzadtiki, and grilled crispy pita bread; these were awwwrrsome. This dish is a must try for sausage lovers (i.e. Not T). I would also recommend sharing this dish to be able to try the other exceptional dishes here!
We always save a special spot for dessert…
Dining guests are offered a complimentary dessert of yogurt topped with sweetened carrots and sugar syrup. It’s definitely not something you see every day and it tasted surprisingly good.
We also indulged in Mommy’s Arcadian Baklava (4€) for dessert. You can feel every layer of flaky pastry packed with flavour and buttery sweet goodness. It’s probably the best Baklava I’ve ever tasted – Lebanon included! T says I’ve sold out my country; well, its renowned baklavas anyway, but my taste buds never lie 😉 Let’s just keep this between you and me (and whoever else read this – Hi Mom!).
Final Verdict?
Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani definitely surpassed my expectations and was one of the best meals we had in Athens while on holiday in Greece this summer.
If you decide to visit, and I strongly urge you to do so, just order some mezze from their very reasonably priced menu with the help of one of the friendly staff – you can’t go wrong! I can personally recommend every item we ordered (except the eggs, you take that chance on your own).
Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani is truly a hidden gem in the bustling city of Athens, and I can’t wait for my next visit!
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Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani / Καραμανλίδικα του Φάνη / Karamanlidika of Fanis / Karamanlidika Delicatessen
Address: Sokratous 1, Athina 105 52, Greece
Contact: +30-21-0325-4184
For opening hours, check out the Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani website or Facebook page.
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