Home style, creative, classic and contemporary dishes are included in the delicious list of vegan dishes in Athens.
Options for dishes that focus on ingredients exclusively of plant origin are constantly multiplying, evolving and being renewed, worthily supporting the steady movement of veganism. Indeed, on the menus of more and more establishments we see worthy vegan recipes taking pride of place that have nothing to envy from the rest. In addition, well-known and award-winning chefs harness their ingenuity in proposals that weave fine dining plates without any animal products, while classic or neo-gastro tavernas become hits with slow-cooked favorites like gigantes and oven-baked okra.
There is no reason to hide it: such flavor compositions move everyone, vegan or not, and especially during Holy Week they become a gastronomic target. For these reasons we gathered from tavernas and star-studded restaurants in the city the best among them and raise the bar of Lenten pleasure, traditional or pioneering.
The pioneering vegan dishes of Athens
Spanakopita Dumpling at Yaboo
At Piraeus’ modern newcomer, the talented chef Georgianna Hiliadaki lends her creative touch and playfully reimagines classic recipes. One such case is the subversive take on spanakopita. Fresh greens are sautéed and embraced perfectly by the dumplings. This tweaked version is crisp and instantly etches itself into your taste memory.
Gemista Risotto at Aleria
Gikas Xenakis is undeniably a staunch guardian of modern Greek dishes. For years now, from the kitchen of the very stylish and atmospheric Aleria. He serves plates that set the standard for reinterpreting tradition, like the deconstructed pastitsio or the alternative giouvarlaki. With the same zeal for refined variations he has also composed a complete vegan menu. In it we singled out the fragrant risotto with clearly defined vegetables, tomato, zucchini and mint. Each spoonful bursts on the palate, leaving the homestyle flavor of the gemista we know.
Celeriac risotto at Suma
The culinary duo Dimitris Kostopoulos and Seirios Komicheilis very recently brought their successful flavor-craft to the heart of Athens on Kalamiotou’s pedestrian street. The new Suma, which means together, is their joint continuation downtown in relation to Mystikos Kipos in Chalandri, which already counts a decade. In the relaxing dining room and the open kitchen they craft food that praises seasonal ingredients.
Exceptionally tempting and earthy is the dish that marries potato, celeriac and mushrooms. The potato is cut into small cubes and set atop the celeriac, which resembles risotto in texture and appearance. Also on the plate are beetroot soil, trumpet mushrooms, thin slices of black truffle, sprouts and a perfect truffle cream. To grasp the harmony, textures and generosity you need to take a complete bite.
Gemista croquette at Ateno
Nikos Karathanos never stops surprising us at Ateno. Dishes like the horiatiki salad, the octopus with fava, the rooster with tagliatelle, the moussaka and the gemista, in their brilliantly contemporary approach, are already writing their own gastronomic history and make us return again and again to taste them.
Yet they are no longer the only ones, as an equally strong bar food list has been added. The bites and nibbles are on another level and come in vegan and non-vegan options. True to the non-animal section, the crisp croquette hides inside all the beloved and unsurpassed flavor of gemista. It is an irresistibly indulgent little ball with deep savoriness and a recognizable traditional origin.
Lemony beans at Meigma
Marina Chrona’s new venture in Kerameikos mostly mixes Greek ingredients and treats us to meze that blend cooking cultures from Kasos to Russia. Among the perfectly designed dishes for sharing, the generous lemony one beckons us by the nose with outstanding oven-baked beans and an original chickpea miso sauce.
Risotto at Makris
The Thiseio restaurant under the guidance of Petros Dimas managed, after fifteen months of operation, to earn its first Michelin star. The award-winning chef sources fresh produce from his own farm in Ancient Corinth and excels with dishes that absorb techniques, sculpt classic and international cuisines and deliver pure flavor. We can enjoy them through 3 different menus, Genesis, Utopia and Nature. The last is vegan and includes among other things the wondrous risotto, with seven-year-aged rice, Kozani saffron, lime and herbs.
Jerusalem artichoke at Soil
Tasos Mandis turned the neoclassical on Ferekydou into a cradle of sustainable gastronomy, as the menu is a model of the farm to table philosophy ( from the farm to the table). Every day the high-gastronomy dishes are stitched with herbs, vegetables, flowers and aromatics gathered from the private garden in Alepochori. With such love for nature-centric cooking, it is only natural that recipes which showcase it to the fullest take the lead.
In one such, the nutritious, full-bodied and earthy Jerusalem artichoke takes center stage. On the plate it is married with unconventional ingredients, seemingly unrelated at first glance, see black garlic, mandarin and chestnut, that not only come together, but deliver a balanced and very original result that tickles the palate with satisfaction.
Gigantes at Fita
Dimitris Dimitriadis has proven his inventiveness with dishes that upscale Greek cuisine. His recipes at Fita champion genuine deliciousness without frills, exude gustatory generosity and inspire sharing. A characteristic example is the slow-cooked gigantes from Feneos. The chef does not stop at their already rich character, but amplifies it with pleurotus mushrooms, carrots and plenty of basil.
Cabbage dolmades at Pharaoh
The restaurant that went viral at a speed worthy of study has at its culinary core traditional dishes that, however, are put in order in Manolis Papoutsakis’ distinctive way. One of them has figured among the best sellers from the start, none other than the meatless cabbage dolmades. The cabbage leaves first take their place at the bottom of the pot, are cooked, pass through the wood-fired oven and soar with the zesty avgolemono.
Celeriac at Tudor Hall
At the city’s most aristocratic restaurant, Tudor Hall at the King George, executive chef Asterios Koustoudis and chef de cuisine Nikos Livadias are perfectly in sync in an imaginative culinary rhythm and take us on a journey through high-level cosmopolitan flavors. One of their best gastronomic crescendos is the salt-baked celeriac with horseradish, apple confit, butter, miso and hazelnuts. As soon as you try it you will feel the symphony of aromas.
And the traditional vegan dishes
Here we list some of the most iconic dishes of our cuisine, namely the terrific tomato-stewed specialties and the mellow legumes, which yes are the best vegan dishes and we find them in historic restaurants.
For a big taste, at Stou Filippou we dive into dreamy lemony Halkidiki chickpeas, while at Dafni Aristea Vlachou wins the day with gigantes that keep company with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, turmeric and curry. On the other hand, in an ode to ladera, Oikonomou gives a recital with imam, Kitsoulas steals hearts with spicy fasolada and Olympion becomes a destination for okra.
Source: Reader.gr
