Chara means 'joy' in Greek, and this nostalgically-styled gem has no shortage of it. Open since 1969 on Patission Street—a prime location at the time—it specialises in syrup-soaked pastries and voluptuous ice-creams. Once the beloved haunt of politicians and celebrities, Chara has featured in several Greek films. The story begins with Aristea, a Greek from Istanbul, who worked in a pastry shop there. She fled to Athens in the early 1920s, along with many other refugees, with no possessions apart from her treasured recipes, hidden in her shoes. It never crossed Aristea’s mind to turn her pastry-making talent into a business, until her son, Nikos Papoutsis, did so himself. Now run by Aristea’s grandson, Stavros, the decor and desserts have barely changed over the decades. Find a table on the pavement and order an extra-large ice-cream sundae, or one of the six varieties of ekmek (a deeply decadent bread pudding layered with custard, clotted buffalo cream and ground nuts). 

Since 1928, Aristokratikon chocolates and truffles have won devoted fans, including Maria Callas, Jackie Onassis, and Grace Kelly. The recipes are a closely guarded secret, but are based on top-quality ingredients from all over Greece: pistachios from Aegina, prunes from Skopelos, chestnuts from Pelion, sour cherries from Tripoli. Aristokratikon is also known for excellent loukoumia (Turkish delight) sugar-glazed chestnuts, and voutimata (dainty little cookies for dunking in coffee).

Stani (which means ‘barnyard’) is the last surviving milk bar in Athens—a city once full of places where you could buy fresh milk, thick yoghurt, and dairy-based desserts. Nikolas and Zoe Karagiorgos originally opened their dairy in Piraeus in 1931. Forced to close when the port was bombed during World War II, they relocated to the current premises near Omonia Square in 1949. Now run by their grandson, Thanasis Karagiorgos, and his uncle, this old-school dairy is always full of office workers and old timers, who get through over 300 yoghurts a day. Made with fresh sheep’s milk, delivered daily from a family-owned farm, the yoghurt is topped with walnuts and a generous drizzle of honey from the Peloponnese. Other delights include anthogalo (fior di latte), excellent kaimaki (sheep’s milk ice-cream flavoured with mastiha, a resinous spice from Chios, and mahlepi  (an aromatic spice made from the ground kernels of wild cherries), and rizogalo (rice pudding). The loukoumades, baby doughnuts drenched in honey, are legendary too. 

Vassilios Varsos was just 16 years old, and a recent migrant from a village in central Greece, when he opened a dairy in downtown Athens in 1892. By 1922, this canny entrepreneur had moved the business to Kifissia, a leafy suburb that was once a summer destination for the upper-classes. There, the Varsos dynasty’s cake emporium-cum-dairy-cum-café thrives to this day. The place still oozes old-world charm, with its marble-top tables, high ceilings and mosaic floors. Do try the velvety whipped cream, feather-light meringues, and “stuffed croissants”, chewy brioches filled with chocolate and walnuts. Best enjoyed with an ice-cold glass of their home-made vyssinada (sour cherry cordial).