Margaro's History
Margaro and her husband Giannis were originated from Ano Mera in Mykonos and due to the poverty in the island when Margaro was young she worked as a maid in a house in Syros in which she also learned to cook. When she met her husband Giannis and had children they moved to Piraeus due to the increase in their needs. When they came to Piraeus, Giannis became a coal worker in the port of Piraeus and Margaro opened her first tavern in afendouli street in a basement across the former police station. The property which accommodates the restaurant today was bought by Margaro from a Santorinian who owned a grocery store/tavern when Piraeus was being bombed during the war. She opened the tavern again after the liberation of Greece from the German military occupation in 1944.
The menu then consisted of whitebait, bogue, anchovy, cod in the oven, horta, meatballs which was her specialty, sausages from Mykonos and finally kokinisto (veal in tomato Sause) accompanied by spaghetti or baked potatoes which was made every Sunday. Margaro passed away in 1974 and her son Lazaros and his wife Harikleia took over the tavern. Lazaros kept the same menu until 1978 and due to the constant increase in customers they decided to only serve fish, Greek salad and homemade retsina from their vines in Markopoulo. Today along with Lazaros his children and grandchildren are following the tradition of the restaurant.
Margaro pictured in her tavern
The facade of the restaurant
Margaro pictured in the middle and Lazaros in the right
Lazaros cooking