Filakia Petit Café d'Athènes, tasty and generous Greek street food

If Christophe sang that he was a big hit with the girls, it's safe to say that Filakia is a big hit with local gourmets, judging by the line of impatient diners that stretches out in front of this Greek cantine on rue Mandar every lunchtime. The little brother of Grand Café d'Athènes, the Greek bistro on rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, Filakia has been respected and appreciated since its opening for its generous cuisine, the starting point for a journey to the Cyclades.

Imagined in the spirit of authentic Greek taverns and cafés , Filakia features large wooden banquettes and light marble tables for a quick lunch or a comfortable dinner, as well as a small street-side terrace for sunny days. Here, people come at all hours of the day and all year round to treat themselves.

Using the finest French and Hellenic produce - farmhouse pork from Auvergne, beef from the Basque country, leg of lamb from Boucheries Nivernaises - Filakia unveils a well-stocked menu of Greek specialties, mainly geared towards finger-food street food .

On the menu are the essential mezzés, perfect for an aperitif with friends: generous halloumi fries (8€-14€) to be gobbled up by 5 or 10 according to your appetite, homemade tzatziki to die for (5€), kolokitho-keftedes (6€), zucchini fritters with feta, or spanakopita (6€), the famous spinach and feta puff pastry.

One of the stars of the menu is the pita, a typical Greek sandwich filled with fine meats marinated and then spit-roasted using traditional techniques: pork or free-range chicken gyros, leg of lamb kebab, minted beef meatballs, breaded cod fillet for those who prefer seafood. The hardest part is choosing!

All are priced at 10€ for a single sandwich, and 13€ for a sandwich with a side. For our part, we opted for the beef meatballs, very juicy, married with a spicy tomato sauce, grilled halloumi (we can't get enough of it!), raw red onions and herbs for freshness, and a ladle of tzatziki.

The other star of the menu is the merida, the pita's lesser-known but equally tasty little sister: a plate generously garnished with one of the aforementioned meats and accompanied by pita, tzatziki, salad, tomato and feta; a sort of inverted pita, in short!

Count on 15€ for the merida of your choice, with lightly spiced home fries or the lemon confit potatoes we personally loved. And for beverages, if you want to be serious, you can count on lemonade or homemade iced tea. If, on the other hand, you're in a naughty mood, Filakia has Greek beers with names evocative of vacations - Kirki, Pikri, Mythos - Greek wines,ouzo of course, and two cocktails made fromHellenic spirits .

• To be read
• New street food restaurants in Paris, our tips and good addresses
• Laurier at Galeries Lafayette: Greek culinary journey by Chef Mavrommatis
• etsi l'ouzeri, Greek street-food according to Mikaela Liaroutsos

We left Filakia 's with a full coconut and a smile on our faces!