We are talking about the new temple of meat on Ventiri Street, in the neighbourhood that, despite the rise of The Ilisian complex, many of us still instinctively call “Hilton”.
The name “Agrios” refers to Giannis Koustenis, butcher and grill master, a distinctive character from Dimitsana.
Those who used to visit the taverna To Gidi in Metamorfosi will remember him slicing cuts of meat or tending the grills, always listening to music, seemingly detached from the rest of the dining room thanks to his over-ear headphones.
It is this self-contained style, much loved by his fans, combined with his rugged features, that clearly earned him the nickname “Agrios,” meaning “wild” or “savage.” Remove the r from the word, however, and with his long beard, he could just as easily pass for a saint. Hence the playful wordplay that appears on the waiters’ T-shirts: “Even a saint wants his chop”, “Even a saint wants Ventiri”, “Wild, yes, but not dirty”, “I won’t play the saint”, “Ah, I have sinned”, and more.
Observing the décor, I felt it consciously evokes the old-school meat tavern. The vast glass frontage stretching across the upper half of the façade, the heavy iron door, and the signage bearing the image of Agrios alongside a butcher’s cleaver all unmistakably point to the craft of the butcher.Entering the space, just before reaching the main dining room, the first thing that caught my eye was the brightly lit “butcher’s counter”, staged almost like a theatre set. Refrigeration units framed the scene, and at the centre stood Giannis Koustenis in action, slicing and grilling. The vast dining hall, a step or two lower, is arranged with tables suited to medium and larger groups, laid with crisp white tablecloths. In that configuration, they reminded me of a communal dining room, the kind one might find in a traditional dinner hall or even aboard a ship. Looking up, I noticed a mezzanine running along the perimeter of the room, also set with tables and softened by trailing greenery along its railings. At the back of the ground floor sits a bar and a DJ console, where someone plays Greek hits from before 2000, completing the atmosphere of an old-school popular taverna.
You may have noticed that I avoided describing Agrios as a “chophouse-taverna”. I did so because it is not connected to an adjoining butcher’s shop where one can actually purchase meat. The traditional chasapotaverna, which emerged in the years following the Second World War, differed from an ordinary taverna in that it operated alongside a functioning butcher’s shop, typically sharing a large hall that connected the two spaces. Customers would first select their cuts from the butcher, then move next door to have them cooked in the taverna.
Today, only a handful of these establishments survive in Attica and Boeotia, scattered across villages, particularly on the slopes of Mount Parnitha, in Thrakomakedones, or further west in Fyli, the Dervenochoria, Mandra and Vilia.
What we have here, then, is a successful reinterpretation rather than the real thing: good, flavourful food served in a setting that seeks to revive both the familial warmth and the lively, at times raucous atmosphere of the old chophouse-taverna.
And now, quite literally, it is time to turn to the grill. Among the starters, the standouts for me were the crisp fried courgettes, the meatballs, the fried eggs with corned beef, a flavoursome beef carpaccio, and, above all, the pan-fried calf’s liver, cut into bite-sized pieces. The menu also lists a house-made sausage, which I did not try. More generally, the must-orders here, beyond the eggs with corned beef and the meatballs, are the kidneys and the breaded lamb’s brains. The only dish I took issue with was the meat pie, largely because I had not expected it to be essentially a minced-beef pie. Even so, I felt the filling could have been more indulgent and more assertively seasoned, with greater depth and intensity to make it truly memorable.
The lamb burger that followed arrived exactly as I had hoped, and perhaps even better: expressive, generous and beautifully juicy. I would go so far as to say it has all the makings of a cult favourite among devoted meat lovers. What impressed me most, however, were the expertly grilled mutton chops, aromatic and full of flavour, yet retaining all their juices. Beyond the usual chophouse staples, lamb, mutton, beef and pork chops, the menu also features a number of premium imported cuts, catering to those seeking something more elevated.
All of the above can be accompanied by cocktails. Personally, however, I would argue that meat calls for wine, and here you are in safe hands. The thoughtfully assembled list, curated by Ilias Anapliotis, focuses primarily on the Greek vineyard, while also featuring a selection of labels from across Europe.
Info: Ventiri 5, Hilton, AthensTel: +30 697 5964098
Open Tue. - Sat. 4:00 pm - 1:00 am and Sundays 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm
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