A large round table, beneath the iconic glass dome of the Arsakeio Stoa, dominates the center of the historic building and encapsulates the philosophy of the entire project. Surrounding it, trees and gathering spaces form a new “urban plaza” within the building, designed to bring people, flavors, and experiences together.
It is not merely a dining space, but a gathering place where the Mediterranean culture of shared dining becomes an everyday experience. It is precisely from this point that the new era of the Arsakeio Arcade begins; it was officially unveiled yesterday and will open its doors to the public in July, aiming to become a new landmark for Athens, both for its residents and its visitors.
The historic Arsakeio Building is beginning a new chapter in its long history, following its extensive restoration and repurposing, with the goal of becoming a contemporary destination that combines gastronomy, culture, creativity, shopping, and education, bringing back to the forefront an iconic space of everyday life in Athens.
The project was unveiled in the Megaro’s atrium, marking the culmination of an effort that began as an idea more than a decade ago and took official shape in 2019, when the contract was signed between the Philekpaideutiki Society and Legendary Food.
The company undertook a 35-year project to renovate and develop approximately 13,000 of the Arsakeio Building’s total 25,000 square meters, with the aim of breathing new life into it while preserving its historical and architectural character.
According to the data presented, the total investment amounts to approximately 40 million euros. Of this amount, 22 million euros were invested by Legendary Food, and an additional 18 million euros by the tenants who will operate in the Arcade.
Alpha Bank supported the financing of the redevelopment project, while Crediabank undertook the financing of the initiative to showcase and promote small and medium-sized Greek producers in the center of Athens.
The initial goal is for the space to welcome 8,000 to 10,000 visitors daily. This is an area where thousands of people work daily within a radius of a few hundred meters, creating the ideal conditions for the development of a new landmark in the capital’s commercial and cultural center.
Legendary Food’s shareholders include Contner Holdings Ltd, owned by the Oikonomou shipping family; businessman Evangelos Kontzias; Peter Oikonomidis, and Panos Triantafyllopoulos, all of whom provided financial backing for the project.
The keynote speaker at the presentation was the CEO of Legendary Food, Panos Triantafyllopoulos, who has been on site every day for the past few years, coordinating the project’s progress and tackling a series of technical, construction, and bureaucratic challenges.
As he aptly noted, the investment serves as a “shot in the arm” for the area, describing the positive impact it aims to create in the historic center of Athens. As he noted, the vision for the Stoa’s revival was not conceived in an office, but through travels across the Greek provinces and encounters with people in the production sector.
The goal was to create a destination that would highlight Greek production as an integral part of our cultural heritage.
The restoration was carried out with respect for the history of the Megaro, whose construction began in 1846 based on designs by architect Lysander Kaftantzoglou. To reinforce the building’s structural integrity, more than 300,000 liters of cement grout were required, while all modern infrastructure was integrated without altering the character of the historic complex.
The new Stoa does not aspire to be just another shopping destination; rather, it creates a comprehensive ecosystem organized around five key pillars: Gastronomy, the Market, Creativity, Culture, and Education, which together comprise nine distinct experiences within the Arsakeio Building.
Specifically, visitors will encounter the Free University of the Philological Society, the Karolos Koun Art Theater, the European Parliament’s Europa Experience with free admission, retail shops, a space dedicated to Greek food products, ten different culinary experiences, food education activities, five spaces dedicated to Greek artists, as well as a rich program of cultural events that will make use of the atrium and the rest of the Megaro’s common areas.
At the heart of the Stoa lies the open-plan dining area, which extends beneath the glass dome—the complex’s architectural centerpiece. There, a large circular communal table takes center stage, around which the dining areas are arranged.
Visitors will be able to choose food from different stations, sit together regardless of their choices, and share the same experience. As noted during the presentation, the basic idea is not merely to create yet another dining space, but to revive Mediterranean culture, where people who may not know one another share the same table, meet, converse, and form new social connections.
As Panos Triantafyllopoulos has pointed out, the Mediterranean diet is not just about the products and ingredients, but above all about the way people sit at the same table, share dishes, and interact.
This experience will be supported by a special digital app, through which visitors will be able to order from different dining venues, creating a single shopping cart with items from different stores and completing their purchase with a single payment.
They will then be notified when their orders are ready for pickup, and there will also be a dedicated delivery point for orders destined for locations outside the Stoa.
In the Market’s main hall, a new-generation grocery store will operate, offering more than 4,000 product SKUs from over 300 small producers from every corner of Greece, and there will also be an open kitchen where raw ingredients will be transformed daily into pies, sandwiches, and other products.
At the same time, spaces dedicated to Greek creativity, cultural activities, and education are being created, while the historic Karolos Koun Art Theater remains an integral part of the Megaro. The atrium and rooftop terrace are slated to host concerts, theater performances, film screenings, and other events, while the Europa Experience is expected to become yet another major attraction for residents and visitors alike.
The Arsakeio Arcade aims to reconnect Stadiou, Panepistimiou, Pesmazoglou, and Arsakei Streets, transforming a historic passageway in Athens into a vibrant space for everyday life. A space where Greek production, gastronomy, culture, creativity, and education coexist under one roof, creating a new urban landmark that seeks to bring the very concept of Mediterranean culture back to the forefront. The coming together, collaboration, and coexistence of people, with culture at the center.
with information from APE