What to Eat in Athens: Local Dishes, Where Locals Eat & the Best Food Tours
What to eat in Athens: souvlaki and gyros, a meze table of tzatziki, dolmades and saganaki, Greek salad with feta, moussaka, and sweets like loukoumades and baklava - the dishes to order, where locals eat, and what to drink.
The short version: in Athens, eat souvlaki and gyros wrapped in pita, a cheese or spinach pie for breakfast, loukoumades dripping with honey, a warm koulouri from a street cart, and a long table of meze with ouzo in the evening. For souvlaki go to Kostas off Syntagma or O Thanasis in Monastiraki; for a real lunch, eat meze at Karamanlidika near the Central Market or the day’s dishes at To Kati Allo near the Acropolis Museum. Drink Assyrtiko and Agiorgitiko with dinner and ouzo or tsipouro with meze. And if you only have a day or two, a guided food tour is the shortcut to the right counters and tavernas. Below: what to eat, exactly where to eat it, what to drink, and the food experiences worth booking.
Book an Athens food tour
Short on time? Let a local walk you to the right places.
Our top pick is the Street Food Tasting Tour: 3 hours, rated 4.9 from 4,129 reviews on GetYourGuide.
What to eat in Athens, and where to eat it
| Dish | What it is | Where to eat it in Athens |
|---|---|---|
| Souvlaki (kalamaki) | Small charcoal-grilled pork skewers, eaten plain or wrapped in pita with tomato, onion and yoghurt or tzatziki | Kostas; Kalamaki Bar |
| Gyros and kebab | Meat sliced from a vertical spit (gyros) or minced-meat kebab, rolled in pita with chips | O Thanasis; Bairaktaris; Lefteris O Politis |
| Fried small fish | Fried small fish, calamari or shrimp, served hot in a paper cone | Zisis |
| Loukoumades | Small fried dough balls soaked in honey syrup and dusted with cinnamon | Lukumades; Krinos |
| Moussaka | Baked layers of aubergine, spiced minced meat and béchamel | Filippou; Rozalia |
| Mageirefta | The day’s pot dishes: bean soup, chickpea stew, stuffed vegetables (gemista), lamb kleftiko | Klimataria; To Kati Allo; Filippou |
| Meze and ouzo | Small shared plates, from saganaki (fried cheese) to pastourma, with ouzo or tsipouro | Karamanlidika; Oineas |
| Charcoal grills | Lamb, pork and chicken skewers and chops grilled over charcoal, with pita and salad | Kalamaki Bar; Pharaoh |
Where to eat in Athens
The rule in Athens: walk one or two streets away from the Plaka souvenir lanes and the tables on Adrianou, and you are back among Athenians. The centre is compact, so you can eat souvlaki in Monastiraki at lunch, drink in Psyrri and have dinner in Pangrati or Exarchia, all on foot or one metro stop apart. Athenians eat late, and most tavernas only fill up well into the evening.
Plaka, Monastiraki and Syntagma
This is where most visitors sleep, and it has the best of the city’s fast food. Kostas, on Filellinon near Syntagma, has been grilling since 1950 and keeps it simple: pork skewers or a beef patty in pita with tomato, parsley, onion and strained yoghurt instead of tzatziki. It has no seating and closes when it sells out, so go at lunchtime. On Mitropoleos at the edge of Monastiraki Square, O Thanasis is the classic for kebab on pita with onion, tomato and paprika, and Bairaktaris next door serves pork gyros and kebab with chips. Off the square on Athinaidos, Zisis fries small fish, calamari or shrimp and serves them in a paper cone. For something different, Feyrouz bakes lahmacun (thin spiced-meat flatbread) and peinirli (a cheese-filled boat of bread) for around 15 euros a head. For a sit-down meal near Syntagma, Nolan holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand (Michelin listing) for its mix of Greek cooking and dishes from further afield, at a low price for the quality.
Psyrri and the Central Market
Psyrri, just north of Monastiraki, is the neighbourhood to eat in for lunch and to drink in at night. Karamanlidika started as a cured-meat deli and is now a meze restaurant: order the pastourma (spiced cured beef) sandwich, saganaki with pastourma, and the fried pans of soutzouki sausage; expect around 25 euros a head. Klimataria on Theatre Square, family-run since 1927, is good for gemista, lamb kleftiko and a grilled meat platter, often with live Greek music, at around 20 euros a head. On Aisopou, Oineas is a nostalgic taverna for grilled octopus, stuffed vine leaves and slow-cooked lamb with orzo. Near the Central Market, Diporto is a basement taverna with no sign and no menu, cooking a few dishes of the day such as chickpea soup and fried fish, with wine by the jug; bring cash. For a modern dinner, Linou Soumpasis & Co. is listed in the Michelin Guide (Michelin listing) for seasonal Greek cooking; it is priced above most of Athens.
Koukaki and Makrygianni
The quiet streets behind the Acropolis Museum are full of small hotels and apartments. Kalamaki Bar on Drakou has been grilling for about 15 years: pork, chicken thigh, beef, lamb and halloumi skewers, Greek wines and pavement tables. To Kati Allo, near the museum, has no menu: you eat the day’s home-cooked dishes for around 20 euros a head.
Kolonaki
The smart neighbourhood under Lycabettus Hill eats old-school. Filippou on Xenokratous, run by the same family at this address since 1923, cooks a daily menu of stews, ladera (vegetables cooked in olive oil), grills and fish on white tablecloths; it serves lunch and dinner on weekdays, lunch only on Saturday, and closes on Sunday.
Exarchia
The student and bohemian quarter has the cheapest good tavernas in the centre. Rozalia is a busy, casual taverna for grilled meats, meze, moussaka and house wine at very affordable prices. For a bigger night, Pharaoh on Solomou holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand (Michelin listing) and cooks everything over wood or charcoal, giving traditional Greek dishes a modern twist; it opens in the evening, from lunchtime at weekends, and closes on Sunday.
Pangrati and Mets
East of the Panathenaic Stadium, Pangrati is a residential neighbourhood where Athenians go out to eat. Akra holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand (Michelin listing): you sit at the counter while the chef cooks at the wood-fired grill, and there is a bakery at the front. For the special night, Spondi holds one Michelin star (Michelin listing) for contemporary French cooking in vaulted rooms and on two terraces.
Quick picks
- Classic taverna dinner: Klimataria in Psyrri or Rozalia in Exarchia.
- Cheap and fast: souvlaki at Kostas, kebab at O Thanasis, lahmacun at Feyrouz.
- Special night: Spondi in Pangrati, or Linou Soumpasis & Co. in Psyrri.
- Best for the signature dish: Kostas for souvlaki, Karamanlidika for meze, Krinos for loukoumades.
Names link to Google Maps for directions. We checked these places in October 2026. Opening days change, especially out of season, so check before you go.
The markets
The Varvakios Central Market on Athinas Street is the city’s belly: a covered hall of butchers and fishmongers in the old market quarter. Go in the morning, when the stalls are full. Karamanlidika on Evripidou is a few minutes’ walk away. Up the road, just off Omonia Square, Lefteris O Politis has served a minimalist beef bifteki pita since 1951, a few euros for a quick lunch.
What to drink in Athens
Greek wine is the surprise of an Athens trip. The white to order is Assyrtiko, the mineral, high-acid grape of Santorini; the red is Agiorgitiko, the soft, dark-fruited grape of Nemea in the Peloponnese. Many tavernas also pour retsina, white wine flavoured with pine resin, which is better than its reputation with fried fish and meze. With meze, Athenians drink ouzo, the aniseed spirit, or tsipouro, the grape spirit, with ice and water. For a glass of wine in the centre, Heteroclito on Fokionos is the wine bar locals recommend, with more than 200 Greek labels, many of them natural wines, and glasses that change every month. For local spirits, go to Brettos on Kydathinaion in Plaka, a bar and distillery with its own liqueurs, ouzo and tsipouro and tastings. To taste the wines where they are made, see our Athens wine tours.
Food experiences to book in Athens
Athens is a city of counters, basements and unmarked tavernas, which is exactly why a food tour pays off on a short visit: a local guide takes you through the Central Market, the souvlaki and pie shops and a meze taverna in a few hours, and explains what to order and when. A cooking class is the other good choice, especially if you want to take moussaka or spanakopita home with you. These are the best-rated options on GetYourGuide.
| Experience | Length | Rating (reviews) | Best for | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Street Food Tasting Tour | 3 hours | 4.9 (4,129) | A first visit | Check availability |
| Greek Foodie Small-Group Tour | 4 hours | 4.9 (3,612) | A longer tour | Check availability |
| Greek Food Discovery Walking Tour | 3.5 hours | 4.9 (700) | Small groups | Check availability |
| Half-Day Ultimate Food Walking Tour | 4 hours | 4.9 (642) | Replacing lunch | Check availability |
Our pick: the Street Food Tasting Tour, rated 4.9 (4,129) on GetYourGuide.
Ratings as shown on GetYourGuide in October 2026. Check the listing for live prices and availability.
Food day trips from Athens
The obvious food day out from Athens is wine country. The Nemea vineyards, home of Agiorgitiko, and the Attica vineyards east of the city are within a day’s round trip, usually with a tasting and lunch at the winery. See our Athens wine tours, and for how to fit a winery day into a short stay, our Athens food and wine itinerary.
Frequently asked questions
What is the one dish to eat in Athens?
Souvlaki, eaten standing up, is the Athenian street meal: pork skewers or gyros in pita. Kostas near Syntagma and O Thanasis in Monastiraki are the classics. For a sit-down meal, order meze to share at Karamanlidika.
Where do locals eat in Athens?
In Psyrri around the Central Market at lunchtime, and in Exarchia, Koukaki and Pangrati in the evening: Rozalia for an affordable taverna dinner, Kalamaki Bar for skewers, Akra for the grill counter. Plaka’s main lanes are mostly for visitors.
Where can I eat cheaply in Athens?
Souvlaki and kebab cost a few euros at Kostas, O Thanasis and Lefteris O Politis. Feyrouz is around 15 euros a head, and Klimataria and To Kati Allo come in at around 20 euros.
What should I eat for breakfast in Athens?
Do as Athenians do and eat on the move: a warm sesame koulouri from a street cart, or a cheese pie or bougatsa from a neighbourhood bakery. If you have a sweet tooth, Lukumades on Aiolou fries honey-soaked loukoumades, and Krinos has made them since 1923.
Do I need to book restaurants in Athens?
For the street-food counters, no: just queue. For the Bib Gourmand places such as Pharaoh, Akra and Nolan, and for Spondi, book ahead, especially at weekends.
What time do people eat in Athens?
Late. Lunch runs into the afternoon and dinner starts late in the evening. Old-school places like Filippou serve lunch and dinner with a break in between, and Kostas closes when it sells out, so go at lunchtime.
Is an Athens food tour worth it?
Yes, if you have one or two days: in a few hours you see the Central Market, taste souvlaki, pies, loukoumades and meze, and learn where to eat for the rest of your stay. Compare them above.
Plan your Athens food trip
Best food tours in Athens · Athens cooking classes · Athens wine tours · Athens food and wine itinerary, 3 days
