Díporto (est.1911)

"Time Travel Taverna. In business since 1887, Diporto – a defiantly traditional spot in downtown Athens – has no sign and no menu. The staff doesn’t speak a word of English, and you might have to share a table with eccentric old men who look like they stepped out of a folk ballad. You will probably have to mime your order or draw it on the paper tablecloth. But if you ever wondered what it would be like to eat in a working-class Greek taverna circa 1950, read on. Diporto is located smack in the middle of what is – at least by day – one of the Athens’ most fascinating areas, home to a variety of specialized marketplaces. Varvakeios, one of the few of its kind in Europe, is the city’s largest fish and meat market, in operation since 1886. Around this enormous, chaotic market, where vendors try to outdo each other in shouting, lies Athens’ traditional center of trade, with streets devoted to specific merchandise: hardware stores and bric-a-brac on Athinas Street; spices, cheeses, kitchen equipment and plants on Evripidou and Sofokleous; doorknobs on Vissis (yes, there is a street dedicated solely to doorknobs). The basement-level taverna – whose name means “having two doors,” for the very simple reason that there are two doors leading inside – is easy to miss, given the lack of a sign and "

"Try to experience a Koutoukia, which is an underground taverna. One of the few existing katoukias in Athens is called Diporto. It can be found in a basement on Sokratous Street. This place has all the quirks that make these casual eateries what they are: wine barrels lining the walls, no frills (as one Tripadvisor reviewer puts it, ” Shut up and eat whatever the grumpy waiter takes to the table”) and comforting Greek fair like fava beans and anchovies."

"It is a basement tavern in business since 1887 located at Athens's main meat and fish market. A change in ownership happened in 1950 but according to the regulars, the place hasn't changed a lot. The dishes are prepared with seasonal and fresh ingredients from the market, with the menu changing on a daily basis depending on the availability of fresh produce."