Ergon Bakehouse – Athens
I caught sight of another table’s order arriving and immediately thought, I’ve chosen the wrong thing
The lines outside are always snaking behind at Ergon Bakery. Every time I’ve walked past, it never changes—people eager to grab their daily bread, pastries, or whatever tickles their fancy that day. They’ve created a boutique hotel, a culinary concept built around this bakery, where the smell of freshly baked loaves comes first and everything else follows. If I were to start talking about hotels as well, I’d be here all day, never taking a break from the screen (I have to draw the line somewhere). But having stayed here, I can at least give you a glimpse into what to expect—starting with breakfast the morning after.
I put one foot in front of the other as I sluggishly made my way downstairs to meet my friend and break the fast. “What’s wrong?” she said. “You look like you had a big night last night!” “Far from it—the hotel decided not to tell us there would be construction from 7:30am this morning, on a Saturday! Honestly, I’m so tired—I didn’t sleep. And what’s worse, I saw some earplugs on the bedside table and didn’t think anything of it. Now it makes perfect sense. Surely they knew about this already…” “Oh god, what a way to ruin your stay. They should have informed you.” “If they had, they knew it would drive away business. Anyway, don’t expect me to smile—let’s just order something.” Yep, I was officially in a bad mood.
I have to admit, the bread and everything served was good—but I was too fragile to really enjoy it. The sourdough had the perfect prove, crust, and crumb, and even holding it in your hands you could feel the hours of work behind it. The orange juice was fresh, smooth, and sweet, with no bits (no problem with that in Greece), and the Greek mountain tea stood out a mile. But the bun wasn’t the best I’ve ever had. I caught sight of another table’s order arriving and immediately thought, I’ve chosen the wrong thing—why didn’t I order that? Oh, I know why—it’s because I’m completely comatose. My body is here, but my mind is not, and I wasn’t really present for what should have been a morning of culinary discovery.
So thank you, Ergon, for the not-so-perfect stay. Next time, they should do better—not making a habit of destroying everybody’s sleep. If in doubt, you can always message them before planning your visit to check the situation, but who knows if you’ll get the truth? In the end, I did file a complaint and they handled it, but if I had known in advance, we could have avoided this and visited at another time, when the works had settled. By the way—construction work on a Saturday? Welcome to Greece.
La Reine Gourmande is a professionally trained chef, former dancer, and lifelong food obsessive with a deep passion for haute cuisine and global gastronomy. She has dined her way through the world’s top restaurants while honing her culinary skills at L’École Ferrandi in Paris and the Ashburton Cookery School in the UK. Blending her love for food and fashion, she offers a unique perspective on what to eat — and what to wear — on your next culinary adventure.
