A Dairy Heaven in Kolonaki

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For 80 years, Kostarelos has been perfecting its dairy skills to promote Greek yoghurts – from its famed strained yoghurt to yoghurts from goat and sheep milk to lesser-known Greek cheese varieties. This excellent family-run store is set to become a real-life catalogue of deli wonders, including a gourmand’s choice of healthy yoghurts that can be paired with nourishing, delectable toppings – from Greek spoon sweets, nuts and muesli to dried figs and honey – the options are limitless.

Why Go Here

For a perfect starting point for your gourmet adventure in Athens and an authentic Greek breakfast, packed with the goodness of Greek dairy. Stay on for a light lunch with great sandwiches and fresh salads or glass of wine and converse with a staff that likes to share their knowledge of Greek cheese and charcuterie. Try the latest addition to the Kostarelos cheese platter – sahani – the perfect texture and understated flavour for a saganaki.

What to Order

Cheese, and plenty of it. There’s an entire lifetime’s worth of hard, soft, mild, stinky, streaky, creamy, aged, young, and old blocks and wheels on display at any time; ask the cheesemongers for a recommendation based on your preferences.

Sit and take a breather from your shopping exertions and refuel with one of Kostarelos’ elevated sandwich options. We highly recommend their new range: brioche with soft feta spread, tomatos and bacon with mayonnaise truffle or the graviera cheese and smoked pork with béchamel sauce and honey mustard.

Also, here is an exceptional case when the dessert might actually be lighter and healthier than your meal. Kostarelos’ strained yoghurts paired with nuts and fruity toppings is the perfect happy ending to your meal.

What More?

Kostarelos’ uber-deli in Kolonaki is a terrific place to source memorable, one-of-a-kind gifts, sure to please the fussiest folk back home. The cheese experts, can help with everything from providing advice on preparing the perfect cheese platter to wine and cheese pairings and and in creating a deliciously distinctive and customized gift hamper.

You’ll be boosting your cheese IQ too by encountering little-known varieties such as apsaki, melipasto and pinakotyri, which corner a sizeable chunk of shelf- space at Kostarelos. It’s here you’ll also discover that feta, the one Greek cheese you thought you did know, comes in every texture imaginable – as a spread, mild and semi-hard when matured for 4 months, and hard with an intense, sharp aftertaste when matured for 12 months.

Make this temple for those with a love of all things cheese.

What You Need to Know

The deli remains open:
Monday – Friday | 08:00 – 21:00, Saturdays | 08:00 – 20:00 Sundays | 10:00 – 18:00

You can snack at Kostarelos:
Monday – Saturday | 08:00 – 22:00 Sundays | 10:00 – 18:00

Don’t underestimate the amount of stuff you’ll be tempted to buy!