Epirus Tavern, Traditional Deliciousness in the Athens Meat Market

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Restaurants state their intention in different ways. Some places rely on names and logos to do the initial work, while others still let the menu do the talking. Some restaurants even have a documented manifesto, a thing best left to freedom fighters in my opinion. Epirus makes its case by location alone. Nestled in the Athens main meat market, and unreachable without physically passing a number of bloody cuts of beef, chicken and goat, Epirus excels at those slow cooked, tender and wobbly cuts that the true meat lover seeks out with an almost medicinal zeal. As with many of the traditional places, I was first introduced by a long-time Athenian resident who advised me on what to order and I’m not conscious of having seen a physical menu on any of my many trips back. The key order for me, and for many of the older Greeks who frequent the place, is patsas. This is the kind of poor country dish that uses time and expertise to convert the bits of the beasts that went to the city into something warming, nourishing and, to my palette, utterly delicious. Patsas was also reputed to be the thing that overnight revelers would breakfast on in order to mitigate the worst of their hangover. I’ve yet to try this but have spotted some fellow dinners who I think were putting the village knowledge to the test. Not really the kind of thing you can ask though. You can either order tripe only, or tripe and leg, mixed patsas, which is my usual order. This is accompanied by garlicy vinegar and, a rarity on Greek tables, a small bowl of dried and crushed chili flakes. You can almost feel the collagen doing you good as you eat it. There is a range of other traditional, hearty dishes to be eaten. Some cooked in wide trays and others bubbling away in marvelously tempting cauldrons. Goat in lemon sauce, stuffed chicken fillets and kokoretsi are all there should patsas not be your thing. And challenging the meaty manifesto implied by its location is a good range of vegetable dishes and salads to pair with the heartier dishes or to eat alone. For me, beer or ouzo is the preferred drink.