Karamanlidika tou Fani restaurant sits at the corner where Evripidou Street meets Socratous, just off the Varvakios central market. The daily queues of Athenians waiting outside tell you something the tourists rushing to the Acropolis don't know: this delicatessen is where locals come for pastourma, the Greek version of cured meat that makes pastrami look understated.

Inside, you'll find shelves stacked with feta and yellow cheeses, house-made sausages, and the kind of provisions that have fed Athens for generations. The place works as both a shop and a restaurant, with outdoor seating that fills up quickly. It's tucked into the market district where spice shops line Evripidou and vendors have been selling olives and mountain tea for over a century.

VoiceMap's walking tours through Athens' central market neighbourhood use Karamanlidika to illustrate the city's working food culture, connecting the delicatessen's traditional products to the wider network of spice traders, olive merchants, and market stalls that keep old Athens alive.