Editor’s note: This is the first piece in a series in which we explore the hidden gems in some of Athens’ most touristy neighborhoods. The streets of Psyri, Plaka, Gazi and other popular areas are full of restaurant signs trying to lure diners in, but which of them are truly worth your time and money? Culinary Backstreets is on the case.

Editor’s note: We’re sorry to report that Saladin has closed. The mezedopoleio – a type of venue where mezes are passed around for all to eat – is traditionally associated with students more interested in getting drunk on cheap alcohol than savoring a nice meal. But tough times require hard drinking, which means that mezedopoleia have recently made a massive comeback in Athenian life. In the historic Keramikos area, Saladin is a venue that does double duty, fulfilling the traditional function of the mezedopoleio while taking the food component up several notches.

Mets is undeniably one of central Athens’ prettiest neighborhoods, a mostly residential area filled with a mix of neoclassical houses, Bauhaus architecture and 1960s-era buildings that is also home to the city’s historic First Cemetery. Legend has it that the neighborhood was named after a beer parlor that was in turn named after the city of Metz in northeastern France. On the periphery of Mets, hidden rather incongruously in the basement of an old building, To Koutouki tou Marathoniti is the kind of place you would never find if you didn’t know it existed.