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Psyrri (Ψυρρή) is a neighborhood in Athens, Greece. It’s full of restaurants, bars, and tavernas, and is overall a great area to spend time.
History of Psyrri
Psyrri is one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, sitting just north of Monastiraki. In fact, Monastiraki was part of the neighborhood until Ermou Street opened in 1835.
During the Ottoman occupation and after the Greek Revolution, it was an aristocratic district with many wealthy residents. English poet Lord Byron (1788-1824) stayed in the house of English vice-consul Theodoros Makris. Greek archaeologist Kyriakos Pittakis (1798-1863), who excavated the Acropolis, and Greek poet Alexandros Papadiamantis (1851-1911) also lived there.
In the 1870s, Psyrri became one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Athens. This was due to the koutsavakides (κουτσαβάκηδες), a gang of thugs who would rob and murder local merchants and residents. Their reign of terror ended in 1893, when police chief Dimitrios Bairaktaris (1832-1904) managed to arrest the entire gang within a month.
Psyrri continued to be plagued by crime and a bad reputation until the early 1990s, when gentrification creeped into the area. Today, it’s one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Athens and full of classic Athenian buildings. The northern section is still seedy and suffers from crime, but the rest of the neighborhood is flourishing.
Iroon Square
The biggest concentration of food and drink venues is around Iroon Square, which translates to Heroes Square. All the streets leading to it are named for heroes of the Greek Revolution. While I haven’t eaten or had drinks there, I have walked through several times and it has a wonderful atmosphere.
Immigrant Presence
The neighborhood has a large presence of Chinese, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi immigrants who operate all kinds of shops in the area. Most of these shops can be found in the northern section.
