The favourite hangout of the 90s clubber is back at a new venue, bringing a breath of fresh air and a new-age spark.
On the fifth floor of “13-17 Iera Odos ” street, this year’s much-awaited new arrival found a place to call home on a magical rooftop, with stunning views of the heart of the city. Inspired by Ancient Greece, the restaurant touches the Athenian sky, gazes at the Acropolis and promises a fabulous journey of fun and taste, daily from sundown to late at night.
The entrance on Voutadon Street opens to an imposing corridor that leads to the elevator, with deconstructed columns hanging from the ceiling, an ingenious pretaste to this atmospheric Restaurant & Cocktail Bar. Starring black granite, iron and mirrors, designers Notis Christodoulou and Eleni Akermanoglou blended luxury with simplicity, and minimalism with grandeur, creating a highly mystical atmosphere with intense fine art references. The restaurant, bar and decks have found their place in the luxurious black-and-gray box that overlooks the Acropolis and draws inspiration from classical antiquity. Meanwhile, the spectacularly sized white bust of Goddess Athena by sculptor Vasilis Sakis above the main bar is in direct visual contact with her temple, the Parthenon.
Behind the big comeback is DJ and businessman Vassilis Tsilichristos. In collaboration with Manolis Platis he adapted the iconic Athenian brand to today’s reality, giving it a strong taste character.
At the helm of the kitchen brigade stands Nikos Thomas, the talented chef patron of Simul restaurant in Kolonaki and a worthy spokesman for the Greek bistronomy scene. In collaboration with Kostas Terzoudis he has created a menu of modern Mediterranean cuisine based on exquisite first ingredients as well as sophisticated techniques that always find their way to the chef’s dishes. From beef tartar fillet embroidered with small breaded quail eggs, monkfish wrapped in a round red cabbage dolma, combined with eel, dill and celery pickle and pumpkin risotto with roasted hazelnuts, sage, coffee and graviera hard cheese from Naxos to fregola sarda with tender roasted crayfish and aromatic vanilla foam and rigatoni with veal tail, béchamel sauce and parmesan cheese, all dishes on the menu play on tastiness, fine presentation and excellent execution. Desserts like the rich pistachio financiers and the refreshing and richly fragrant mango “carpaccio”, which is delicately sliced and served with coconut and passion fruit ice cream, are a sweet cadenza to the night’s gustatory pleasures.
The cocktail list was curated by the team of Lost + Found from Nicosia, known for their international awards. The concept is “90s with a twist” with familiar 90s cocktail favourites changing form and flavour, following the trends and techniques of modern bartending while keeping their character intact.
The decks of Privilege welcome Greek DJs; on Mondays Kostas Zikos escorts us to a tasting experience, Tuesdays reveal their Rock side with Ioanna Souliotis, Wednesdays turn more Ethnic with Rania Kostakis, while on Thursdays Antonis Dimitriades and his Love Stories bring music back to Greek territory. Resident DJ Dgigli takes the decks on Fridays and Saturdays and, last but not least, Sunday’s Sunset Parties welcome our all-time-classic choice, Vassilis Tsilichristos, Valeron and other guest DJs.
