Dear Culinary Backstreets,
My family is traveling to Athens in October. Some of our friends have told us that Athens is not very child-friendly and that the only places that cater to children are international fast food chains. Is this true? Are there any other options for those of us who do not want to eat American-style fast food?

There’s some truth to what you’ve heard; Athens is not exactly child-friendly. It’s near impossible to navigate this city with a stroller due to the cracked, non-existent pavements, there aren’t many green spaces and there are also not many restaurants that are used to accommodating children – Greeks take their children out to casual dining places but rarely to more formal ones. Smoke-free restaurants with high chairs and changing tables are the exception, not the rule.

That said, Greeks still consider family the highest priority and dote on their children, so other people’s children are usually welcomed with open arms. In traditional tavernas, where most Greeks spend their Sunday lunches, you’ll find enormous, multigenerational families, the youngest among them running around, playing hide-and-seek and creating an innocuous bit of havoc.

Cozy, laid-back Il Postino, one of Athens’ best-known Italian restaurants, has for many years anchored a pedestrian-only street in Kolonaki. Antonio Tuttera, the owner, started out with a small underground space, which has grown over the years. The bustling open kitchen, big pasta jars and postcard-decked wall make the space homey and inviting. Il Postino does not allow smoking and has high chairs and baby changing facilities, but most importantly, it is full of children. The prices are average – Kolonaki is, after all, an expensive neighborhood. Every meal begins with a tray full of starters. While there’s something to please eaters of every age, I especially like the goat’s milk cheese covered in a garlicky parsley pesto. The restaurant is known for its pasta, particularly the carbonara and the linguine with crayfish and fresh tomato.

Many CB favorites are also child-friendly. The Acropolis Museum has a play area. The wine bar By the Glass, which serves a small yet delicious selection of canapés and entrees, has some of the best baby changing facilities I have ever seen. And of course there are the old summer standbys, the traditional family tavernas. They might not be suitable for babies or small children, but for the three-and-up set a place like Themis in Drosia, with a spacious garden to explore, can nourish the body and the spirit. – Despina Trivolis

Read our related advice columns on kid-friendly dining in Barcelona and Istanbul.

Published on August 28, 2013

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