"A Syntagma meze house off Mitropoleos, packed with locals since 2007 — arrive early and go with friends or a first date."
The keftedakia (small meatballs) land first, then a Tzitzikas salad and a wedge of fried cheese under honey and sesame. Athens has hundreds of mezedopoleia, but this one, a block off Syntagma on Mitropoleos, has been full of locals at lunch since 2007. The name means 'the cicada and the ant', after Aesop; the menu is modern Greek small plates meant for sharing, ordered in waves until the table is covered.
There is no star chef here, and that suits the place: this is a mezedopoleio (a meze house), and the kitchen's job is to send out a long run of well-made small plates. The keftedakia, the kayianas (eggs scrambled with tomato and sausage), and the kokoras (rooster) slow-cooked with hilopites pasta are the dishes regulars order without looking. Most mezedes land between €7 and €13, so a full table for two rarely passes €25 a head before wine. The address is Mitropoleos 12-14, a short walk from Syntagma Square, and the room has been a neighbourhood fixture since 2007, now with sibling branches across the city.
The room is small, tight and loud at lunch: marble tables and wooden chairs spilling toward the pavement, a crowd that is mostly Greek rather than touristic. Service is quick and unfussy. Tables are close enough that you will hear your neighbours, and they will hear you. It is the kind of place that runs on energy rather than hush, and is best taken in that spirit.
Take a first date here because sharing meze keeps the conversation moving and the bill stays low enough that nobody is counting. The central Syntagma location is easy to find, the plates arrive fast, and the busy room does the social work for you. It works just as well for a casual group lunch. For more options, see our first date guide and the wider Athens dining guide.
Not for a quiet, formal dinner or a private conversation: the tables are tight, the lunch room is loud, and the menu is built for sharing rather than a hushed two-top. Choose somewhere calmer if you need to talk business.
Yes, for what it is: a reliable, well-priced meze house full of locals a block from Syntagma. The small plates are consistent, the room is lively, and most mezedes cost between €7 and €13. It is not fine dining; it is an everyday Athenian table that happens to sit in the centre, which is exactly its appeal.
Order in waves and share. The keftedakia (meatballs), the kayianas (eggs with tomato and sausage), the fried cheese with honey and sesame, and the kokoras with hilopites are the dishes regulars rely on. Add a Greek salad and a carafe of house wine. Most plates are €7 to €13, so over-ordering is cheap and encouraged.
The original is at Mitropoleos 12-14, about a block and a half from Syntagma Square in central Athens. It is an easy walk from the metro and from most central hotels. The group has since opened sibling branches elsewhere in the city, but the Mitropoleos room is the long-running one.
For lunch it is largely walk-in, though it fills with locals and can be busy. For dinner, especially at weekends, it is worth calling ahead or booking online because the room is small. Arrive early if you have not reserved, and expect tight tables either way.
Yes. Sharing meze is a natural icebreaker, the bill stays modest, and the central location is easy. The one caveat is noise: the room is busy, so it is better for an easy, talkative first date than a quiet, intimate one. See our first date restaurants for calmer alternatives.
Tzitzikas kai Mermigas takes walk-ins at lunch; for weekend dinners, book through the restaurant's website or by phone.
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Tzitzikas kai Mermigas is our easy, affordable Athens first-date pick — see the full global first-date list, ranked by occasion.
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