Café Leon Dore

Two drinks set the tone here: the Freddo Espresso and the Freddo Cappuccino, the whipped iced coffees that Athens drinks all summer, made to order at a counter that also sells olive oil and honey to take home. Café Leon Dore is Aimé Leon Dore's café format, a menu drawn from Greek coffee and pastry culture and run to the label's own stated principles of community, meticulous craft and a clear point of view.

Greek coffee culture inside a familiar menu

The café reads clearest through its drinks. Freddo Espresso and Freddo Cappuccino anchor the list, and Greek Coffee adds the traditional reference point behind them, brewed thick and served small. Around those sit the coffees any café would recognise: espresso, americano, macchiato, cortado, cappuccino, latte, mocha and drip. The effect is a Greek counter wrapped in a familiar structure, so a first-timer can order confidently and still end up somewhere specific. Tea carries the same idea, with Greek mountain tea leading and chamomile, orange passion, lemon ginger and chai beside it, hot or iced.

A bakery case and a pantry shelf

The food is bakery-led and kept short. Croissants run plain, almond, chocolate, Nutella and raspberry; kouign-amann brings the caramelised, laminated option; a chocolate chip cookie covers the simplest order. The one breakfast-leaning plate is yogurt, built to choice with honey, olive oil, sea salt, seasonal fruit, sour cherries, granola, fresh herbs or walnuts, which is the most Mediterranean thing on the menu and the least like a pastry, and the only order here that eats like a small meal. Retail runs along the same lines: coffee and tea to brew at home sit with olive oil, honey and house granola, so the café doubles as a small pantry.

Start with the Freddo Cappuccino

Order the Freddo Cappuccino first. Its cold foam cap is the clearest statement of what the counter is doing, and Freddo Espresso is the sharper version when milk is not wanted. Greek Coffee is the traditional order and Greek mountain tea the cleanest route away from espresso. Pair the freddo with a kouign-amann for the contrast of cold coffee against caramelised pastry, or take the yogurt bowl with honey and sour cherries if the visit is a breakfast. Leave with a bag of coffee or a bottle of olive oil and the concept is complete.