Eating at a sidewalk taverna was out of the question but luckily, after leaving the Archaeological Museum, I spotted Ellas across the square. There was nobody at the outdoor tables, but the crowd of people inside the restaurant looked like they were enjoying themselves in spite of the gloomy weather.

Ellas is quite a large restaurant with lots of windows that look onto Syntagma Square. The interior is very unpretentious and rather rustic with wood and plaster walls and lots of little knick knacks throughout. It’s a family run place and near the entrance, an older man sat and folded napkins while a couple of teenage girls stood near the door to the kitchen, waiting for instructions. My waiter said it was the oldest restaurant in Nafplio and had been in his family for close to 100 years.

The menu was just as unpretentious and basic as the decor. It featured all the old favorites -- moussaka, kalamari, spanakopita, Greek salad, chicken, etc. A couple at the table next to mine ordered steamed prawns and their "plate" was more like a platter, heaped with prawns. At another table, a group of people shared a whole smorgasbord of food - salad, cheese and spinach pie, pork or lamb chops, and more. The food kept flowing, along with carafes of wine and the hum of conversation and friendly laughter certainly kept the dreary weather at bay.

I was looking for hearty food to take away the chill from outside and Ellas had just what I needed. I started with fassolada, thick bean soup with chopped carrots, celery and onions. Next came one of my favorite Greek dishes -- baked yemista. Two fat tomatoes were filled to bursting with rice, parsley and oregano and served with french fries. The portion was larger than I expected and there was absolutely no room to even consider dessert or anything else. Not only was the food good but the price was extremely reasonable -- approx. 10 euro including a glass of their decent house red wine.

Syntagma Square is lined with attractive and historical buildings and on a sunny day, Ellas would be even more enjoyable when you could sit outside and take in all the activity around the square.