Askimopapo (The Ugly Duckling)

How could Frank Bruni, the New York Times’ former restaurant critic, miss the ugly duckling, which is what Askimopapo translates to, when he wrote a recent roundup of traditional Athenian tavernas? Indeed, Askimopapo is one of this city’s oldest holes in the wall, located in one of its oldest neighborhoods, together with a handful of other traditional tavernas and a slew of newer, sleaker places. It’s so old it’s a kind of temple to Athens of another era.

Askimopapo wreaks of history. The taverna was opened by the current owner’s father and was actually the original family home. The walls are covered with old Greek objects, from musical instruments to 50-year-old black and white photos. Braids of garlic hang from the rafters. Smells of traditional food waft from the kitchen.

The taverna interpretation of “tradition” unfortunately means almost nothing but meat, which always struck me as odd, given Greece’s wealth of main course vegetable dishes. On weekends, the specialty of the house is chick pea soup. We visited midweek, when the menu is scaled back to include about five or six main course meat dishes (mainly stews), a few salads, a phyllo pie or two, usually with cheese, and boiled greens.

We sampled a cheese and pasturma pie, called pita kaisarias, which glistened with butter and resonated with the spicy flavors of the cured beef (pasturma). A beef stew in paper was homey and comforting. The salad, a large, overflowing platter of grated carrot, cabbage, lettuces, arugula and more, was just right. Dessert was the taverna classic halva, the lagniappe almost all old-school holes in the wall like this treat their customers to when the meal is over.

Wines are bulk and served in quarter and half liter carafes.

Ionon 61 Petralona

Tel. 210 346 3282

Note: The taverna is about a 12 minute cab ride from central Athens.