New to Greek café culture? No problem. Here is your little guide to the coffees Greeks drink all day long, and the desserts they can't live without. All of them are waiting for you at Argo.
In Greece, coffee is not something you drink in a hurry. A coffee can last two hours, a good conversation and sometimes a whole afternoon. Meet the four classics.
Greece's summer hero, and honestly its all-year hero too. A fresh double espresso is shaken with ice until silky and slightly foamy, then poured over fresh ice. Strong, cold and smooth.
Take a freddo espresso and crown it with a thick, cold milk foam (the Greeks call it afrógala, "milk foam"). You sip the strong coffee through the soft, creamy cloud on top.
The oldest of them all. Very finely ground coffee is slowly heated with water (and sugar, if you like) in a small copper pot called a bríki. It is served unfiltered in a little cup, with a velvety foam on top called kaïmáki.
The legend. Instant coffee is shaken with a little water and sugar until it becomes a thick, fluffy foam, then topped up with cold water, ice and (if you want) milk. Light, foamy and very refreshing.
Every Greek coffee is ordered with one of these three magic words.
Golden filo pastry, warm syrup, orange, honey and nuts. These are the desserts every Greek grew up with, and the perfect partner for your coffee.
Baklava is the queen of Greek pastry: paper-thin layers of buttery filo, crushed nuts and a warm syrup that makes every bite shine. At Argo we gave the classic our own twist.
We roll the filo into crispy little nests (folies in Greek), finish them with rich chocolate and crown each one with walnuts on top. A little bit of orange, a touch of cinnamon and a hint of clove give it that warm, festive Greek flavour. Crunchy, sticky and chocolatey. You won't find this one anywhere else in town.
Its name says it all: gála means milk. A creamy semolina custard baked between golden, crunchy layers of filo, then soaked in a light lemon syrup. Soft in the middle, crispy on top.
Greek orange cake, but not like any cake you know. Instead of flour it is made with crispy shredded filo, mixed with yogurt and fresh oranges, baked and then drenched in a fragrant orange syrup. Juicy, zesty and impossible to stop eating.
The year the frappé was born, at the Thessaloniki International Fair.
How long a Greek can easily make one freddo last. Coffee in Greece is about company, not caffeine.
Greek coffee is always served with a glass of cold water, to refresh your mouth before you sip.
"Shall we go for coffee?" In Greece this really means: let's sit, talk and catch up.
Pull up a chair, order your first freddo like a true Greek and pick a sweet to go with it. We'll be happy to help you choose.
Herestraat 91, Groningen
Tuesday – Sunday, 10:00 – 18:30 · Closed on Mondays