This quarter of Athens has a way of gracefully passing the times and years, maintaining, on one hand, its nostalgic aura and adding strong doses of fresh air and modern trends on the other. It has the honour and pleasure to host two famous restaurants, Spondi and Soil, both awarded with the world's greatest gastronomic distinction, the Michelin Stars. Apostolos Trastelis' Spondi has been at the top of the gastronomic news for many years. It is the restaurant that introduced fine dining to the Athenians and has been awarded for many consecutive years by the internationally acclaimed guide. Soil, with Tasos Mantis as its chef patron, opened about a year and a half ago and, thanks to its “poetic” approach of gastronomy, acquired almost immediately the coveted star plus a green star due to its zero-waste philosophy.
Apostolos Trastelis - Spondi
Random things. That happen out of nowhere, have not been planned and determine our course in life. It was in 1994 that I decided to open a beer house… Then we found this abandoned old building, a classic middle-class house with a garden and… the cube was thrown. Spondi finally opened in 1996 and, for better or worse, it did not become a beer house but a fine dining restaurant, unprecedented for the Athenians at that time. Spondi spreads across levels and has a very elegant garden. Apart from the initial extensive renovation, we now try to keep the character of the old house by mainly changing the decorative elements from time to time. I always like to take walks in my beloved Pagrati that nowadays are not as carefree as when I was a student, since I now have the eye of the entrepreneur and I focus on noticing new things.
Spondi, 5 Pyrronos Street, tel. 210 7564021
Tasos Mantis - Soil
Pagrati combines the “now and then” of Athens. The most important thing for me is that it remains a neighbourhood. The relationship we have with our neighbour is a proof to that. We share the same love for herbs and nature, and many times she knocks on our door with herbs and flowers from her garden. We have even made dessert from her roses.
When we saw the building, we immediately realized that it was what we wanted, the place where our dreams would take shape. Given that it is a historic building of 1925, we could not make many interventions. The architectural approach was very simple and clean both in the design and the use of the materials, while in the yard we kept all the trees that existed, mainly citrus trees, and we simply highlighted them with the appropriate lighting. We have also created small flower beds with herbs so that our guests can enjoy direct contact with the earth.
Soil, 5 Pherekydou Street, tel. 210 7513505
