20 Must-Try Greek Dishes in Athens

• Street Food and Snacks
• Starters/Appetizers
• Main Courses
• Desserts
• Food Tours in Athens
• Cooking Classes in Athens

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• Melitzanosalata: I had never heard of this aubergine dish before and it quickly became one of my favourites. Melitzanosalata is a smoky, creamy aubergine dip served chilled, making it a refreshing choice on a hot day. Roasted aubergine is mashed and blended with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and parsley. It’s usually served with pita bread and is a great addition to a Greek meze platter.

• Fava: Despite the name, fava isn’t made from fava beans – it’s a velvety purée made from yellow split peas. Slow-cooked until silky smooth, fava is typically served with freshly-made bread, a drizzle of olive oil, chopped onions, and a squeeze of lemon.

• Horiatiki (Greek Salad): We’ve all heard of ‘Greek salad’ but I don’t believe you’ve ever had a true Greek salad until you have one here. One of my all-time favourite salads, it combines the bold flavours of ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, red onions, olives, and thick slabs of creamy feta cheese, all drizzled with olive oil.

• Dolmades: These are tender vine leaves wrapped around a filling of rice, lemon, dill and mint. The vine leaves are steamed and drizzled with lemony olive oil or a light egg-lemon sauce called avgolemono. They are a great starter, and I love the combination of tangy, herby and acidic.

• Souvlaki & Gyros: One of Greece’s most famous street foods, souvlaki consists of marinated meat, grilled on a skewer and served with pita bread and grilled vegetables. The meat of choice is usually lamb, chicken or pork. If you’re dining in the city centre, check out EATERY Bairaktaris Aiolou 29 which has a varied menu with lots of grilled meat options, including souvlaki and its close cousin gyros. Pronounced “yeer-os”, gyros is juicy meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, shaved off and stuffed into warm pita bread. It is often paired with crispy fries and tzatziki.

• Moussaka: Classic Greek comfort food! Moussaka is a rich, layered casserole, where thin slices of aubergine are softened to perfection, followed by a hearty filling of minced meat (usually beef or lamb) infused with aromatic herbs and spices. A thick layer of velvety béchamel sauce is poured on top and baked to a golden finish.

• Keftedes: I have yet to come across a plate of meatballs I didn’t want to devour, and Keftedes are no exception. They’re made with a blend of ground meat, fresh mint, fresh parsley, dried oregano, and breadcrumbs. Fried to a golden brown and served with a side of tzatziki, warm pita or rice, these juicy little bites are perfect for sharing…. or keeping all to yourself! No judgment from me!

• Pastitsio: Often described as Greek lasagna, pastitsio is a comforting, oven-baked dish with bucatini pasta as its base, layered with minced meat (typically beef or lamb) and béchamel sauce. What makes pastitsio quite unique is its blend of warm spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice are added to the ground meat and sprinkled on top of the béchamel sauce. I prefer more savoury pasta dishes, but it’s certainly an interesting flavour combo and worth trying while you’re in Athens.

• Seafood: I love seafood and was really impressed by the quality and freshness of the seafood in Athens. Grilled squid doused in lemon and fresh herbs, lightly fried prawns, squid and anchovies in a crispy batter, chargrilled prawns with a subtle sweetness, punchy but delicate marinated anchovies, and tender octopus grilled to perfection. Ristorante Atlantikos was my go-to seafood restaurant in Athens; I dined there twice and could have happily worked my way through their entire menu. For seafood with a view, head out of the city centre to the coastal town of Piraeus (easily reachable via Athens’ metro or tram). There you’ll find seaside tavernas serving locally-caught fish at extremely reasonable prices, accompanied by pretty sea views.

• Loukaniko: I was totally unfamiliar with this type of Greek sausage before visiting Athens and it was so delicious, I had to squeeze some into my backpack to bring back home! Loukaniko is a traditional Greek sausage with a really unique flavour. Infused with aromatic spices and zesty orange peel, it has a sweet-and-savoury taste that sets it apart from other sausages. It’s usually grilled or pan-fried and served as part of a meze platter, or enjoyed alongside crusty bread.

• Prawn Saganaki: Before visiting Athens, a friend recommended ‘prawn saganaki’ to me and I was a little…skeptical. Shellfish and cheese!? Wouldn’t the rich feta totally overwhelm the delicate prawns? I really wasn’t sure about that combo, but I am very open-minded so I gave it a try at Enastron. Cooked and served in a small frying pan, the feta melts down into the rich tomato base, creating a creamy, tangy sauce which engulfs the prawns. If you’re not a fan of feta cheese, you might find this dish to be overpowering but if you love feta, get stuck in! You can also find other fish served in this saganaki style, like cod, monkfish and mussels.

• Stifado: Sometimes you just want a hearty bowl of beef stew, and that’s where stifado comes in! It’s a perfect marriage between tender chunks of beef, onions, tomatoes, and red wine, slowly cooked together to create a comforting stew. You can often find stifado served alongside rice or mashed potatoes to soak up all that delicious sauce.

• Loukoumades: These heavenly little donuts are deep-fried, drizzled with honey, and often sprinkled with cinnamon or nuts. If you’ve got a sweet tooth like me, make a beeline for Lukumades to try their loukoumades swimming in pistachio praline and white chocolate sauce. They are just as tasty as they look!

• Baklava: No Athens food guide would be complete without baklava! This layered pastry is filled with nuts and drenched in honey syrup. There are different shapes, sizes and styles of baklava but they all melt in your mouth with every bite. You can find baklava across Athens in supermarkets and on dessert menus, but the best are freshly made at the local bakeries.

• Portokalopita: I am not a huge fan of orange-flavoured sweets and desserts, but this traditional orange cake is exceptional in every sense! It’s made with layers of shredded filo/phyllo pastry soaked in sweet orange syrup. The result is a soft, moist cake with a wonderfully syrup-y texture. I have tried A LOT of cake in my time, and totally get why Portokalopita is so popular in Greece.

Must-Try Food Tours in Athens

I really enjoyed my tour with Food Around Athens. It was a small group (myself, another tourist and the guide) and together we visited the Varvakios Central Municipal Market, as well as shops and food vendors close to the market. We sampled locally-produced olive oil, honey, herbs, olives, freshly-made Spanakopita, anchovies, calamari, Kolokithokeftedes, salami, cheese, Portokalopita cake and Greek coffee. The guide was really knowledgeable, friendly and funny and taught us a lot about Greek cuisine, culture, traditions, and history. If the Food Around Athens tour isn’t available when you’re in Athens, check out these well-rated tours:

Top Cooking Classes in Athens

If you’re a fan of cooking and eating Greek food, why not do a cooking class during your time in Athens? I’ve done cooking classes around the world and it is such a fun way to learn about the local cuisine and recreate some of your favourite dishes. Food Market Visit and Cooking Class with Wine starts with a visit to Varvakios Central Municipal Market to buy ingredients, then a cooking class alongside a local chef. Discover Greek Food with a Class & 3-Course Dinner teaches you how to make a full menu to impress your friends and family, whilst Greek Traditional Vegan Cooking Class with Meal shows fans of Greek cuisine how to make classic dishes vegan-friendly. 

I hope this blog post has given you a lot of ideas about what and where to eat in Athens. As a hardcore foodie, I don’t say this lightly – Athens is one of the best food destinations I have ever travelled to. The city introduced me to so many new dishes and flavour combinations and I can’t wait to return!

Now you’ve got a good idea of what to eat in Athens and where to find it, check out my other Athens posts; Ultimate 4-Day Athens Travel Guide for First-Time Visitors, Ultimate Athens Travel Guide for First-Time Visitors and Top Tips for Visiting Athens on a Budget. These blog posts contain everything you need to plan an amazing visit!

Ciao for now

Izzie, the Curious Sparrow