The Varvakios is the central food market of Athens, an iron-and-glass hall built in 1886 in the spirit of Les Halles in Paris, and still the city's main commercial market for meat and fish. The fish hall, in particular, is a spectacle — long counters piled with octopus, swordfish, mullet, prawns, and crates of live crabs.
Surrounding the central building, an outdoor market of fruit, vegetable, spice, and herb stalls fills the adjacent streets, especially Athinas to the east. A handful of long-running working-class taverns inside the market complex serve cheap, excellent food — patsa (tripe soup) and grilled fish straight from the morning's catch. Closes mid-afternoon.