Ivi (Καφενείο Ήβης)

Ivi is a cozy ‘mezedopoleio’ (a restaurant that serves mezes/tapas) in Psiri/Monastiraki. You can enjoy small portions of food while drinking tsipouro, ouzo, raki, wine and other traditional spirits. The place is so tiny that you usually strike up a conversation with fellow diners.

Reason to Go

Ivi offers a small variety of delicious dishes and a surprisingly large selection of different ouzo brands. The latter is not a coincidence and it reaffirms that people primarily go there for drinking and something to snack on. The atmosphere is cozy; you can sit at the table and order food or drinks according to your appetite as time goes by. Ivi is rather small and it looks like a traditional Greek coffee place — kafenio — with big glass windows and a small, open kitchen.

You should definitely order the baked potato with yogurt and garlic! I usually add some salt and it is delicious! Other selections include octopus, omelet in Armenian style, and marinated anchovies (a very traditional Greek dish).

The place is so small that it inevitably brings people closer!