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The many faces of Syntagma Square's Culinary Art Page 4

Some Major Changes to the square

The Hard Rock Cafe on Phillhellinon St across from the Russian Church

click to see largerHere is a new, but pricey restaurant entry to the Syntagma area and you will find it up Phillhellinon Street  across from the Russian Church. The Hard Rock cafe "done come".

Now I don't know about you, but, in my salad days, (in Greek that would be: sta nyiata mou)  and when I had a lot more hair, I have eaten in the original Hard Rock Cafe in London when it had low key decor but still played overly loud music.

Back then in 1970 it was a reasonably priced hamburger joint like a million others and before it became outrageously expensive and famous. It did not yet posses the regalia of various rock stars. Now it does! They have enough rock and roll regalia to open hundreds of identical stores and are coming to your town too maybe? I have not eaten in this new Athens location yet and until you treat me I have no plans to do so.

However, HRC Menu: the cheapest thing on here is 4.50 eu for alpha greek beerI like a hamburger as much as the next guy, and maybe more, but one look at the Hard Rock's menu and I decided that I didn't come to Greece to pay these kind of prices for US style food and frozen drinks.

They have NY Strip Steak for 18.50 eu and smoked salmon for 11.90. A frozen drink starts at 8.50. Right is the HRC menu which you can click to see larger ->

The HRC's cheapest beer was 4.50, and it was a Greek brand called Alpha which, although better than Mythos, is still not as good as an locally bottled, under licence (Dutch) Amstel which I can buy a large bottle of for 70 euro cents. You get the idea? Of course if I was on vacation, and with friends and the mood struck, Well Golleeee!!

Now If I really wanted to drink beer and (my favorite brand is McFarlands and costs an arm and a leg anyway, I would go to a Beer-AH-Ree-a (a place that specialized in imported Beers) like these:

  • Beer Academy, Stournari 29, Exarhia area/Tel: 210-381-6962
  • Bar of Chemicals, Hippocratous 150, Exarhia, /Tel: 210-646-8493(Wine Bar)
  • see more at Harry's Athens Restaurant Guide

You, dear readers, will have to decide for yourselves if you want to patronize the HRCafe.

Learn more about food in Constitution Square: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6