An exotic little corner in Zografou

A great cafe to head for in Zografou is unarguably Philleas Fogg. As a place it seems to cater for all interests and weathers: it's great in the summer, absolutely awesome in the winter & I guess I'm not the only one who recognises that fact, since it's almost always full.

What makes this one of my favourite spots is it's unique atmosphere. Outside is a mixture of cushioned sofas, glass doors, bamboo chairs, intricate black metal tables and lush-leaved trees. The surrounding tall bushes give it a secluded feel, ideal for when you just need a nice cool getaway from the Athens summer heat. (Admittedly, it'd be even nicer if they had fans, but hey). The inside, in my opinion, however is even better, though designed more for winter use, since it gets rather stuffy in summer. The walls and floors are absolutely covered in all these weird and wonderful little exotic finds, from plush Indian cushions & red wooden rocking-horses, to wok-shaped bar lights, glittering chandeliers and portraits of dogs in tuxedoes(!). Even some of the furniture is antique in a way that makes you want to smack someone just for trying to sit there. As decor goes, it really does seem to take you round the world, as the name would imply.

Now, if you do decide to visit Phileas, definitely try some of their loose tea. Even if the choice is a little limited compared to other places I have in mind ("A Happy Playce") what flavours they do have are truly amazing. My personal favourites are -"Vissinokipos" (vee-ssee-NO-kee-poss), meaning "Cherry garden", ie green tea with black cherry and red cherry, and -"Rococo Tea", a mixture of green and black tea with rich undertones of caramel and pineapple. Also give the "Mayan Treasure" a try, it's a black tea with whole pieces of dark, unmelting chocolate. It might not be as awe-inspiring for tea-lovers as the former two, but it still has quite a stand-out-ish aroma.

As a place, they do offer other treats too, such as apple pie, icecream, a selection of sandwiches, but in truth, it's their tea, and sometimes coffee, that draws me there apart from the atmosphere.

Now, another very odd and interesting thing about this cafe (and I'm sorry to bring it up, but it definitely deserved to be mentioned) is... their bathrooms! For lack of a better word they are totally kaleidoscopic! The walls, floor and ceiling are covered in tiny square white, black, copper- and gold-coloured tiles, in overlapping patterns, so that just walking in makes you dizzy! I would have loooved to take some pics, but simply imagine someone walking in on me: "Oh...I was just...um...photographing...the loo?" Decidedly too weird to contemplate. What peeves me off though is that their gold-plated mirrors presume one is at least 5 foot 7 (1,70m) or something, as opposed to my 5 foot..um..close to nothing.

Anyway, if you're in the area, whatever age you are, you should definitely give this place a try. There aren't that many exotic spots in Zografou, but this is one of them.

In a nutshell:

• Do you get your money's worth?: Yep. Average prices for a coffee shop in Athens.
• Is it worth it?: As I said, it's definitely worth trying for anyone in the area. Especially at night. (They have twinkly lights too, yeay!)
• Will I go again?: Given I've just sung it's praise and it's relatively near me, yes, I in all probability will.

See Phileas Fogg on a larger map

Posted in: bar,Cafe,Phileas Fogg,Zografou