Update: This spot is sadly no longer open.
Named after a fragrant plant widely known as sweet clover, Melilotos got its start three years ago as a delivery service for the hungry Athens downtown crowd: people who didn’t want to eat junk food for lunch and instead wanted food that reminded them of their mothers’ home cooking. The place became so successful that the owners – Konstantinos Siopidis, who was previously a chef in some of Athens’ finest restaurants, and his enthusiastic wife, Despina Kouklinou – eventually had to move premises and open a proper restaurant.
Painted in hues of pistachio green, the new Melilotos is now located in the heart of Athens’ traditional shopping district on Kalamiotou Street, in a neighborhood that is well known for shops selling all sorts of wonderful fabrics and textiles by the meter.
The menu at Melilotos changes daily and ingredients are sourced from small, local producers. The result is a great variety of dishes that includes different types of homemade Greek pasta from Northern Greece, the Aegean islands and Crete; sausages from Florina in Northern Greece served with white beans; and even Greek twists on classics. For example, a recipe for slow-cooked salmon with a crust of celery, leek and wild herbs is enriched with a sauce flavored with mastic from the island of Chios.
Despite these complex gastronomic touches, however, Melilotos is not a restaurant for snobs but a place offering comfort food. The menu includes spaghetti Bolognese and a hearty chicken schnitzel fillet accompanied by thickly cut and expertly fried potato chips served with homemade mayonnaise for dipping. Τhere are two or three desserts offered every day; we recommend the chocolate pie, which has an absolutely delicious biscuit base.
A meal at Melilotos should not cost more than €12-15 per person depending on what you order; most main courses are around €7. Be aware of the rather eccentric opening and closing times.
Editor’s note: This review was originally published on July 24, 2012.
October 16, 2015 Mercado San Juan Arcos de Belén
Having been divvied up and overshadowed and even having come back from a nasty fire, the […] Posted in Mexico City
June 28, 2017 Sagaretxe
The ascendance of Spanish gastronomy has largely had a Basque signature, which, together […] Posted in Madrid
May 3, 2021 Wheel Hospitality
Bars, cafés, taverns and restaurants have historically functioned as meeting spots for […] Posted in Barcelona
Published on May 07, 2013
Related stories
October 16, 2015
Mexico CityHaving been divvied up and overshadowed and even having come back from a nasty fire, the Mercado San Juan Arcos de Belén, also known as San Juan Salto del Agua, has hung on tight as a staple market in Mexico City’s downtown. Born from the 1950s-era split-up of the original San Juan marketplace, which stood…
June 28, 2017
MadridThe ascendance of Spanish gastronomy has largely had a Basque signature, which, together with the Catalan scene, is seen as the vanguard in Spanish haute cuisine. But while Nouvelle Basque has gotten all the spotlight lately, the food culture of this northern region has always been outstanding, thanks to its abundant rains and a territory…
May 3, 2021
BarcelonaBars, cafés, taverns and restaurants have historically functioned as meeting spots for all kinds of urban communities, from intellectuals to politicians and artists –revolutions have even been planned around the table. Nowadays in Barcelona, another community, one that has flourished in numerous cities around the world, has started gathering in these types of venues: cyclists.…
