Little Kook is an enchanting cafe and tea house in the heart of downtown Athens, located right below the Acropolis Hill in the neighborhood of Psyri, but Little Kook is anything but your typical cafe. It is more like a fairy-tale wonderland because, depending on the holiday or season, the cafe and its surroundings transition like a Broadway theatre’s set, transporting its visitors to magical worlds! Such worlds include Alice in Wonderland, Mary Poppins, Christmas wonderland, and Snow White’s kingdom.
Little Kook is ideal for escaping the real world while enjoying your coffee, tea, and delicious snacks in the company of enchanted characters. This autumn, those characters are more on the scary side, since Little Kook has transformed into a spooky, haunted Halloween Mansion!
An enchanted Halloween world right in the center of Downtown Athens…
As we strolled down Pittaki street, juxtaposed with its old-world architecture and modern boutiques, suddenly an impressive array of dark spooky umbrellas and ghosts unexpectedly surprised us hovering high above the trail, casting their eerie shadows.
A huge sign high above welcomed us to “Little Kook”. The alley is decorated with huge pumpkins, beautiful autumn foliage and all sorts of other magical characters! It soon became clear that were now on the brink of entering another world, one reminiscent of a Harry Potter scene or a post-card from turn-of-the-century London.
Enjoy a cup of coffee in the company of friendly ghosts
The cobble-stone streets surrounding Little Kook are lined with various vintage vendors such as ice cream and candy stands, inviting you to satiate your sweet tooth. One of the rare experiences of being in Athens in the fall-winter season is that you can still enjoy sitting outdoors, and in Halloween Little Kook, you can enjoy the delicacies sitting outside surrounded by ghosts! Don’t worry, they are all super friendly (they’re Mediterranean ghosts).
But there was no time for candy… we were too eager to explore what lay ahead! We passed through the giant hollow pumpkin and entered the Victorian mansion. The creativity and passion that has gone into decorating every inch of the haunted manor is impressive, all three floors of it! Chandeliers, antique objects, unusual books, sculls, vintage hanging pictures, porcelain figurines, ghosts of all sorts, witches, jack-o’-lanterns, vampires, haunted cats, garboils, mummies and characters from scary movies all living harmoniously here, in the Little Kook Masion.
Count Dracula’s den
At first, a gothic legend, Count Dracula greeted us along with his flying vampire lady friends and witches. Some of his gargoyle companions were keeping guard amongst a patch of huge lit-up enchanted pumpkins!
The main tea room is very impressive. With different characters and themes lingering around each table, you can take your pick, depending on what mood you’re in. How about some tea by the side of a tall, handsome Knight in shining armor? Or maybe you feel like sitting on Hades’ throne, hanging out with his pet cat while sipping a glass of warm, red, spiced wine!
Caught in a spider’s web
We sat in a secluded table, right by the ominous fireplace. Just be wary. There will be many skeletons looking down on you there, as well as a huge spider that has spun her huge web, trapping different creatures and portraits of past owners in it. While enjoying our tea in the heart of the spider’s den, we explored a Book of Spells, illuminated by the surrounding lit-up pumpkins.
A Victorian coco-cake specially made for vegan witches
The menu is vast, with many yummy plant-based options. Apart from the variety of teas and coffees, there are various delicious cocktail specialties, desserts, and lots of snacks to choose from.
Ioanna, the manager of Little Kook greeted us with her warm, beautiful smile and asked us what we would like to try. “Do you have anything vegan?” I warily asked (because of the condescending looks I usually get). But unlike the dead looks from the skeletons above me, Ioanna’s eyes sparkled joyfully, “Oh, absolutely” she said… “I’ll be right back!”. She walked in a few minutes later with the delicious goodies… a homemade, bloody red sour cherry lemonade served in a skull-shaped mason jar, with a little skeleton impaled by a straw!!! Wow… but the best was yet to come. She also brought a chocolate multi-layered, glazed, vegan, gluten-free Victorian coco cake. “This is specially made for all our vegan witches” she said and she wasn’t lying… the cake was to die for (no pun intended) and these vegan witches were absolutely enchanted by the deep, velvety taste of its magical layers.
What will Little Kook transform to next?
The Halloween theme will be up until the middle of November, and after that, Little Kook will be transformed into a magical fairy-tale Christmas wonderland!
If you ever find yourself in Downtown Athens and need a relaxing break from all the museum visits and ancient sight-seeing, visit the magical world of Little Kook, right below the Acropolis Hill! Any time of the year. I promise that you will be enchanted!
Credits:
Written by Anna Myrha
Dresses by Fashion Galaxy Greece
Photos by Katia Kolovea of Archifos
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