Modern Greek restaurants in Greece
In addition to Creative Greek cuisine restaurants, there has also been an explosion of Modern Greek restaurants in Greece. First of all, they are bistro-like restaurants, where young chefs create their own revolution by serving Greek food in a more recognizable form. There, moussaka is just moussaka, but the difference between these “bistros” and traditional Greek taverns is that in the former there is greater gastronomic sensitivity. Ingredients from the rich terroir of Greece are well sourced and there is precision in cooking. As for the wine, instead of the ubiquitous retsina of the past, superb barrique wines from Santorini, Nemea or Amynteo are served in proper glasses.
It is also worth mentioning that a great number of “neotaverns” have appeared in recent years, especially in Athens. These “modern Greek restaurants” not only try to recreate the atmosphere of the old taverns (whose number has alas been waning) in an "authentic manner" but also attempt to reproduce the flavour and the aroma of tavern food, ouzo and retsina included.
The most recent trend in modern Greek restaurants is their welcome discovery of local cuisine. People in the cities are going back to their roots by rediscovering the glorious gastronomy of Crete, Chios, Lemnos and the Peloponnese, a multifaceted cuisine that is based on local ingredients and a mix of recipes that reflects the turbulent history of Greece.
Whether it is in taverns, neotaverns or bistros, in local or “New Greek cuisine” restaurants, Greeks are becoming more conscious of their gastronomic heritage and this has created a food culture which the tourists may find more appealing than eating hummus in Plaka.
