The iconic restaurant of the late 30s, Zonars, located in the center of Athens on the corner of Voukourestiou and Panepistimiou, has seen a restoration of its status, thanks to a revival project that took a couple of years to complete.
Originally established in 1938, the restaurant was the idea of a Greek chocolatier living in the USA, Karolos Zonaras.
Zonaras had the vision to dub the restaurant “the best restaurant in the best location in Athens,” and once upon a time, celebrities such as Sophia Loren, Melina Mercouri and Anthony Quinn dined there.
Zonars Today
Nowadays, the unique Athenian icon is back in business, thanks to Pireaus Bank who took out a long-term lease on the city-block-spanning building and incited a revival project headed by Chrysanthos and Spyros Panas.
“The Bank approached us, knowing that we shared the same vision of establishing City Link as Athens’ new city neighborhood and that we’d give our all in order to see the success of the project,” Chrysanthos said to Yatzer.
“But I told them that if they wanted us to work on the Stoa properties, Zonars would have to be a part of the deal.”
In the end, the revival project included City Bistro and Bar de Theatre inside Stoa Spyromiliou which runs through the heart of the building, as well as the redesigning of Zonars.
The menu is as historical as the building and restaurant. You can order dishes and desserts such as “Mrs. Erietta’s Favorite,” “Valentino’s Favorite,” and even “Queen Sofia’s Mints.”
“We added all these details in order to keep the history of the place alive!” Chrysanthos said.
On a note of particular interest, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens is even celebrating the iconic Zonars, and is currently offering a PhD Museum Studies course titled, Zonars: Then and Now.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
