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All Greece Athens Ariston
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Ariston

The Lobotesis family has been baking some of the best savory pies in Athens since 1910.

Athens, Greece

Added By
Diana Hubbell
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These flaky, savory pies are baked fresh daily.   Diana Hubbell for Gastro Obscura
These flaky, savory pies are baked fresh daily.   Diana Hubbell for Gastro Obscura
This family-run bakery has been in business since 1910.   Diana Hubbell for Gastro Obscura
The pies here were once a favored breakfast of local politicians.   Diana Hubbell for Gastro Obscura
Although it’s more famous for its pies, Ariston also offers sweets.   Diana Hubbell for Gastro Obscura
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About

Savory pies, or pita, have been part of the Greek diet since the days of Plato and Aristotle. The ancients liked to start their day with a tart enveloped in a sturdy crust made with wine. Over the generations, Greece’s pies evolved into their flaky, present-day incarnation. 

While mass-produced spanakopita abounds both in Greece and abroad, Athenians are blessed with access to bakers who still hand-roll out their dough daily. None do so better than Ariston—its name translates as “the best,” after all. Back when the old Parliament building was down the block, the bakery was packed with politicians grabbing a warm pie for breakfast or lunch.

Since 1910, the Lobotesis family has been whipping up superlative kourou pies. These half-moons pastries boast a tender crust enriched with butter and yogurt. If you’re looking for classic slabs of spanokopita and other pies, the bakery has more than a dozen in its display case every day. Everything is excellent, but if you manage to arrive before the tyropita (cheese pie) is sold-out, consider yourself lucky. At just over €2, it makes for a deliciously satisfying start to the day. 

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Sweet And Savory Pie Bakery

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There’s no seating here, so take your pie to nearby Monastriki Square to people-watch while munching.

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Diana Hubbell

Published

June 28, 2024

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Ariston
Voulis 10
Athens, 105 62
Greece
37.976743, 23.73263
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