Tinos island chic in winter? Yes, but in this remote corner of Athens

What happens on the Greek islands no longer stays on the Greek islands

Around this time of year, if you come to Athens in winter, you may arrive to find a paradox: bright, sunny days that tease the possibility of trips to the islands, against the reality that the daylight hours are too few and the temperatures too cool to make it worthwhile to venture afield to the likes of Mykonos, Sifnos, Tinos (but places like Evia and Hydra are other stories.)

The good thing is that some of the gastronomic glam associated with islands like Tinos can be found in Athens — if you know where to look, that is.

We were on our way to some hipster bar in Neos Kosmos when we stumbled upon Strouga Local Gastronomy. Floor-to-ceiling windows let in a flood of bright winter light and the interior walls were reminiscent of the famous dovecotes found in the Cycladic islands, particularly on Tinos, a known foodie haven. We were charmed by the sight of a big artificial lemon tree near the island resort-esque bar and pops of color in the form of fake sheep, for Strouga, wouldn’t you know, is the Greek word for sheepfold. There are shepherd’s crooks playfully placed table-side, in long clear glass containers.

No cluttered touristy taverna this. Strouga is like that upscale open-air Greek island taverna you dream about, only with a roof because, well, this is Athens.

The menu offers traditional Greek rustic fare with some contemporary twists; for example, an appetizer of grilled meatballs in pita comes not as a sandwich but deconstructed with a quartet of delicately spiced meatballs placed atop a bed of soft pita, with ripe tomato slices and fresh tzatziki yogurt sauce with the twist of dried onion and chili flakes, as seen here:

The salads are excellent, too..large, and with local island ingredients like Tinos caperberries. And we like capers! Here’s a copy of the menu, in English:

Here’s another view of Strouga, looking out toward busy Ilia Ilou Street. See the little lamb? Somewhere there’s one in day-glo green, too:

And there’s that urban lemon tree…

While the restaurant opens for lunch (starting at 1PM — this is Greece, after all), we understand that the place really gets “cooking” at dinner time. In fact, their special 100€ New Year’s Eve dinner is one of the hottest tickets in town.