Greece: Manas Kouzina Kouzina

Manas still wasn't open for lunch even after our lukumades detour, so we ended up stubbornly sitting in the square across the way until it finally was:


The interior was cheerful and homey:


But what we cared most about was the food counter:


There was a very vague English menu that referred to meat and vegetables, but kept it very open so that dishes could change daily.  We ultimately placed our trust in the young man behind the counter and asked him what was good.

With our selection made, we headed upstairs to wait for our meal.  We weren't given a number or anything like that, so I have no idea how they knew which table to bring what to, but they got it right.

There was the complimentary bread:


Still reminiscing about the prawn risotto we had in Nafplio the day before, we asked for the seafood with rice (7.50€):


It was quite fishy and a tad too salty, but the bread helped.

Nothing could salvage the chickpeas though (6€):


The staff person recommended it, but he never warned us that it would taste like salty BO.  I tried to explain to my sister how the flavor reminded me of someone who hadn't bathed in a month.  While she laughed and called me a drama llama, she could sort of see what I was getting at.  Yeah...wasn't a fan.

I was, however, a huge fan of the dolmades (4.80€):


Despite basically being rice rolled in grape leaves, they were surprisingly light.  I probably could have demolished two plates by myself.

My sister could never get sick of moussaka (7.50€):


We probably should have stopped there, but of course we didn't and added on a plate of pork and potatoes (7.50€):


It wasn't our favorite meal in Greece, but it wasn't the worst either.  Personally, I think I would've enjoyed it more if we hadn't ordered the chickpeas. 

We trusted you, sir!  You led us astray!

I would still recommend Manas as a good place to stop in the Plaka area for lunch.  There's a variety of dishes to choose from and everything is affordable.  Even if you go every day, the selection will be different.  You'll definitely get a taste of Greece beyond gyros and spanakopita.


Manas Kouzina Kouzina
Aiolou 27, Athina 105 51, Greece
+30 21 0325 2335
http://en.manaskouzinakouzina.gr/

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