Ariston is a large Greek place that has been in Frankfurt for 6 years. It was a combination of large tables for community seating or large parties as well as smaller ones. At lunch a large lunch menu was offered in addition to the full evening menu. There was a 3 course lunch option but we chose to order from the dinner menu. The walls are full of decorations as well as windows to the street on 2 sides (the building is on a corner). Service was extremely friendly and helpful. It’s not a fancy place – it feels like you’re in someone’s home – it’s that welcoming. If you need a break from German food I highly recommend it.
Bread came first and it was a soft variety with a slight crisp crust, sprinkled with herbs (dill, oregano and others) and dotted with olive oil and served alongside a tomato, cucumber and feta relish, olives in oil and hummis. All were quite tasty and fun to snack on.
We had Souvlaki which came with a salad and rosemary potatoes. The salad was large and full of crisp varieties of lettuce, cucumber and lots of dill. It came with a nice dressing but it was a bit light for my tastes and so we added some balsamic and honey as well as olive oil that were both brought to the table with the salad. That turned it into something delicious and fun to eat.
Souvlaki was made of pork pieces that were grilled with onion and zucchini slices on a spit, with red pepper sauce, served with rosemary potatoes and Mediterranean vegetables. The ingredients were removed from the skewer for serving and the meat was still nicely pink. It was moist and full of flavor as were all the other ingredients. The red bell pepper sauce was delicious and the potatoes outstanding. It was all loaded with flavor and textures.
For dessert we had the Lukumades which are fried dumplings with honey and cinnamon. They were a real treat and served along side some fruit and ice cream. The dumplings were covered with powdered sugar and walnuts and set on a honey sauce. A chocolate decoration was in the ice cream but you didn’t need it the donuts were great with the honey and sugar. A great ending to a wonderful meal.
