The Athens Market Hall (Greek: Dimotikí Agorá Athinón; colloquially also Varvakios Market) is the municipal market hall in the center of Athens, located at 42 Athena Street. Meat is sold in the surrounding aisles (the covered alleys of Armodiou, Aristogitonos, and Filopimenos), fish in the central hall, and nuts, dried fruit, and spices in the shops facing the facade. Opposite is the fruit and vegetable market. Spices, pulses, sausages, cheese, regional specialties, and household goods are also sold there and in the surrounding streets.
Of the three taverns that were once open around the clock in the market, only one is now open until the early evening. There are also smaller cafes and snack bars in the market, as well as several taverns at the entrance from Sofokleous Street. Similar to the former Parisian market halls (Les Halles), the market hall is also known as the “belly of Athens.”
Until the 1970s, the market hall was an important trading center for wholesale and retail food. This importance shifted to specialized wholesale markets (meat market, fruit and vegetable market, etc.) on the outskirts of the city center, and to supermarkets in the retail sector. Nevertheless, the market remains well attended, and the range or average prices are cited as indicators in the press. This is especially true in the run-up to the Easter and Christmas shopping season (prices for lamb, turkey, etc.). The “traditional” visit to the market hall remains a ritual in Athens’ local politics to this day. During the Greek junta (1967–1974), there were plans to replace the halls with a high-rise building.
The hall’s importance today is limited to supplying the central city of Athens, its restaurants, and its retail trade. Repeated attempts to transform the hall into a chic delicatessen mall or to outsource traditional trade failed due to resistance from the merchants.
