Restaurant
Delta
Two-Michelin-star restaurant on the fifth floor of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, serving a single creative tasting menu built on its own garden produce.
Kostas
A tiny family souvlaki shop on Agias Irinis Square, founded in 1946, serving hand-threaded pork skewers and beef patties with its own tomato sauce.
At a glance
- Type
- Souvlaki
- Area
- Agia Irini, Athens, Greece
- Price
- $ · Budget
Good to know
- Takeaway
- Family-run since 1946
Why we recommend it
Kostas is a small institution in central Athens: an 18-square-metre souvlaki shop on Agias Irinis Square that has been feeding office workers, shoppers and students since 1946. The business was started by the grandfather of the current owner, who came to Athens from Constantinople and began with a street cart. Today it is run by Tasos, the third generation, while his father Kostas, who gave the shop its name, still comes in most mornings.
The menu is deliberately short. There are only two meats: pork skewers cut from the leg and threaded by hand each morning, and beef patties. The meat is not marinated, and each pitta is wrapped with tomato sliced to order, onion, parsley and the shop's red tomato sauce, which is gently spicy with a hint of sweetness. Only Tasos and his father know the recipe. When the shop began it sold lamb skewers only, but the current pairing has been the standard for decades.
This is a stand-and-eat or takeaway operation rather than a restaurant, so do not expect table service. Queues are common at lunchtime, and they move quickly. Kostas suits budget travellers, anyone wanting a fast, authentic lunch between sights, and souvlaki enthusiasts who want to taste a version that has barely changed in generations. The appeal is simplicity.
The shop opens in the morning, around 10:00, and closes in the late afternoon, around 18:00, according to an interview with the family published in To Vima, so this is a lunch spot, not a late-night one. Opening days are not clearly published, so check locally if you are planning a weekend visit. Bring cash in case, and be ready to order quickly when you reach the counter.
Agias Irinis Square takes its name from the Church of Agia Irini, once the first metropolitan cathedral of Athens. The square is lined with cafés and is a short walk from both Monastiraki and Syntagma metro stations, just off Aiolou Street. Eat your souvlaki on a bench, then walk to the central market, the Monastiraki flea market or the shops of Ermou Street, all within a few minutes.
Kostas FAQs
When was Kostas founded?
In 1946, by the grandfather of the current owner.
What does Kostas serve?
Pork skewers and beef patties in pitta with tomato, onion, parsley and a house tomato sauce.
Is there seating?
It is a tiny shop, mainly for takeaway or eating standing nearby.
When is it open?
From around 10:00 to around 18:00, so it is a lunchtime stop; check days locally.
Is there a queue?
Often at lunchtime, but it moves quickly.
Where is it?
On Agias Irinis Square, near the Church of Agia Irini, between Monastiraki and Syntagma.
Who runs it now?
Tasos, the third generation of the family, with his father Kostas.