Athens has been a dining destination since the 5th century B.C. More than a thousand years before Parisians coined the term “restaurant,” ancient Athenians boasted both public places to eat and a fledgling tourism industry. Archaeologists digging around in the Tholos, a rotund ruin in the heart of the Agora, have found animal bones and shattered cooking vessels—remnants of hearty meals taken by long-deceased public officials. Under Roman rule, thermopolia were casual eateries pouring wine and serving meals to the working class. After centuries of military occupations and economic hardship,…
