Best taste of Greece

Published on Tuesday 5 February 2008 19:11

1 GREEK FILM FESTIVAL, Filmhouse, Lothian Road, Edinburgh, 0131-228 2268 www.filmhousecinema.com/

THE Filmhouse's short season of Greek films is already proving a smash hit, with early screenings selling out. Act fast to secure tickets for one of the remaining movies: Sugartown: The Bridegrooms, tonight at 6:30pm; The Zero Years, tomorrow at 5:50pm; and the classic Never on a Sunday, starring Melina Mercouri, at 6:15pm on Friday.

2 KONAKI GREEK TAVERNA, 920 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, 0141-342 4010 www.konakitaverna.co.uk/

LIVELY restaurant serving cheap and cheerful taverna-style dishes in the heart of Glasgow. Sadly, since the demise of Santorini in Broughton Street, there is currently no Greek restaurant in Edinburgh but, every Friday night at Empires Turkish caf in St Mary's St, you can tuck into tasty Mediterranean mezes while being entertained by a couple of talented Greek musicians.

3 THE GREEK GOLDEN KEBAB, 34 Sinclair Drive, Glasgow, 0141-649 7581

MOST proud Greeks will tell you their nation invented the kebab long before the Turks stole the idea. Visit this Greek-Cypriot joint in Glasgow's Southside to sample some delicious Souvlaki and bring those summer holiday memories flooding back.

4 JOHN MURRAY ARCHIVE, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, 0131-623 3878 www.nls.uk/jma/index.html

THE archive of the famous London publishing house has letters and other writings by Lord Byron, the Romantic poet who became a Hellenic folk hero when he fought – and died – for Greek independence from their Ottoman occupiers. There is an audio-visual exhibition open seven days a week, entry free.

5 CELTIC PARK, Parkhead, Glasgow, www.celticfc.net

WHAT'S Greek about Celtic FC, I hear you ask? Until recently, very little. Then Gordon Strachan signed Greek internationalist Georgios Samaras on loan from Manchester City, the striker scoring on his debut in a 5-1 cup win over Kilmarnock. A bit tenuous, but in the year Greece defend their title as European champions it's nice to see a Greek player lighting up the SPL.