Mama Roux
Mama Roux is a restaurant located on a pedestrian street called Aiolou, very close to Monastiraki and Agia Eirini Square. It has a multi-ethnic cuisine which means you can enjoy a tasty burger, eggs Benedict, an Indian tandoori chicken or great Mexican quesadillas all at the same location.
Reason to go
Personally, it reminds me of affordable restaurants attracting young people in London, Copenhagen, or other places in Northern Europe. It is not a taverna where you order to share. Instead, you order a plate of your choice along with a beer or a glass of wine. The selection of food is quite international, so it also adds to the feeling of being at a place abroad. It was one of the first restaurants in Athens to introduce a Sunday brunch!
The owner is from the US and seems to be rather fond of New Orleans jazz and R&B. He sometimes organizes small events on the pedestrian street in front of the restaurant with live bands from these genres. For example, the GUMBO YA YAs was a band recently invited to play. The restaurant actually gets its name from this song.
Highs & Lows
Quality food, diverse choices, international cuisine.
It's located on a pedestrian street, Aiolou Street, where you can relax, watch the passersby in a location that is not that noisy.
Smoking is not allowed inside.
It is not expensive per se, but in my opinion some of the dishes they offer have marginally higher prices compared to Greek tavernas or other Greek restaurants. But then again, I would say that in Mama Roux there's a different ordering culture: instead of ordering many dishes to share (as you usually do in most Greek tavernas) you order a main course and a salad to share. In this case the cost per person would be very similar to that of a casual Greek restaurant.
Tip
Although you aren’t obliged to do so, you can book a table in advance. If you want to go for Sunday brunch (which starts at 12:30), then you kind of have to make a reservation to ensure you get a table.
Crowd and Style
Kind of hipster and stylish, usually young professionals in their 30s-40s. You may also encounter families with young children on a Sunday afternoon and foreigners living in Greece.
Distance
10 min walk from Syntagma.
Meta
Aiolou 48 Str.
+30 213 0048382
