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Eighteen years later in 1918, he built the
Ganossis taverna and offered hotel rooms above,
the first one in the area offering hospitality to
merchants, travelers and visitors. The taverna
soon became the focal point of the "Limani" (port)
and it was much more than a taverna. It was a
meeting point, an informative spot for visitors, a
resting point, and a place to rest and have a
coffee.
His liking for good food, wine and company,
boasted many unforgettable nights at the taverna,
often hosting famous Greek musicians of that time.
The "Mezedes" were all cooked using his own
recipes and the wine was also homemade which was
imported from Crete. In fact, his wine was such
good quality, that he was presented with a gold
award. Homemade beer came next, which was at that
time, only for the elite.
In 1949, his son Tassos took over the business
with his wife Zoe. Zoe was the daughter of
Cristina Mertiris who was known in the village as
an excellent cook. She had inherited all of her
mother's kitchen skills and this proved invaluable
to the future of the taverna.
As time passed and tourism started to flourish,
the first Athenian tourists started flowing to
Ermioni and visiting the taverna. They always went
away happy on their journey home. When the
well-established and influential families of
Ermioni wanted to entertain their guests, they all
came to dine at the taverna enjoying a wide
variety of delicious cuisine such as fish soup,
lobster, dolmades, octopus stifado, pies, mousaka
and walnut cake, all carefully prepared. Towards
the end of the seventies, the taverna was passed
on to Georgios Ganossis, the eldest son of Tassos
and Zoe. Tourism was rapidly growing at that time
and the taverna soon became well-known all over
Greece as well as internationally.
In 1981, the old taverna closed and was completely
modernized into the Ganossis Restaurant we know
today and is the oldest working taverna in Greece,
as well as one of the best! |