What to eat in Athens

Athens food splits into two speeds: souvlaki or gyros in pitta for eating on the move, and a taverna with a row of smaller dishes for a table that gets shared. Between them sits the Varvakios market, where you see what is fresh that week, and freddo espresso, the cold coffee Athens invented by accident and kept as its own.

Souvlaki and gyros — fast, everywhere

Souvlaki is a few skewered pieces of meat, gyros is meat sliced off a vertical spit — both are usually eaten wrapped in pitta bread, with chips, onion, tomato and tzatziki inside, €3.80–5. It's a meal eaten walking, not sitting down, held in one hand.

2 daysWhere this meal fits into the day-by-day plan:Athens in 2 days →

A taverna — a table that gets shared

A taverna serves a main course with a side, €12–20, no drinks — moussaka (layers of aubergine, minced meat and béchamel), gemista (tomatoes and peppers stuffed with rice) and grilled meat are the most common. A Greek salad (tomato, cucumber, onion, olives, feta over the top) almost always arrives first and gets shared at the table, like most of the sides.

BudgetHow this meal fits into the daily budget:What Athens costs →

The Varvakios market

The city's central market, near Monastiraki — a fish and meat hall under one roof, with greengrocers around it. This is where the food that reaches a nearby taverna's table that evening is bought, not souvenirs. Open until the afternoon, longest on Saturdays, shut on Sundays; morning is the best time, while the stock is freshest and before the streets around it heat up.

Where to stayWhich area the market sits closest to:Where to stay in Athens →

Freddo — cold coffee, the Greek way

Freddo espresso and freddo cappuccino are espresso whipped with ice into foam, then topped with more ice — not iced coffee poured over cubes, but a separate method that started in Athens by accident, when a barista looked for a fast way to cool an espresso, and stayed the local standard, rarely seen outside Greece. It's ordered almost everywhere, all year, not just in summer.

Getting aroundHow the metro gets you to the market and the restaurant districts:Getting around Athens →

Mornings and quick bites

• Street food — souvlaki or gyros from a kiosk, €3.80–5, quick and no sitting down.
• Set menu — €6–10 for a workday lunch, common in the centre on weekdays.
• Taverna, main course — €12–20, no drinks, for sitting down with a menu.

When to goWhich month suits eating outside best:The best time to visit Athens →

MistakesThe bill, the tip and a couple more food traps:Mistakes everyone makes in Athens →

Hidden gemsFood near Kerameikos, the stadium and the other two off-list spots:Kerameikos, the stadium and Philopappos Hill: four places beyond the six main sights →

Day tripsWhat to eat on trips out of the city:Day trips from Athens →