Today I will be telling you about the best street food of Athens! When one travels to a new city, they never want to spend too much time sitting and having lunch! There is so much to see, and time is precious! So, the best thing to do is to grab a quick lunch and continue visiting all the amazing landmarks the city has to offer!
In a bygone time, street food in Athens was all about Gyros and Souvlaki. However, in recent years street food has metamorphosed into something else entirely: affordable gourmet food. With this explosion in popularity has come a wave of new, delicious choices. Here are our favorite picks of amazing street food from around the Greek food capital…
Dirty Mani
It is not difficult to spot dirty Mani as it looks like a food truck and it has a yellow 72’ Mini Cooper parked in the front. It offers a really interesting twist to the usual souvlaki pita, who gets reinvented, with premium quality and ingredients from Mani Peninsula. The pork belly sous vide pita is a must, filled with ginger, cilantro, lettuce, fruits chutney, chilly oil and smoked eggplant.
Getting There: Dimitrakopoulou 5
Feyrouz
The family that runs this tiny place take pride in what they serve. There’s a great variety of interesting oriental tastes (wrapped portions, pies, salads, soups, etc), good quality of ingredients, very decent quantity and for usually less than 4€. My favorite is the kushbasi. This is French pork with spices, smoked eggplant, mozzarella and rosemary wrapped and baked in a dough that is out of this world
Getting There: Karori 23 & Aiolou
Leuteris o Politis
Established in 1951 by Stavros Savvoglou, a Greek from Constantinople, this souvlaki place quickly became famous and has been using the same recipe for three generations. They serve only one type of meat—beef—so you’re out of luck if you’re looking for chicken or pork. The souvlaki doesn’t contain potatoes or tzatziki sauce, only tomatoes, parsley, onion, and red pepper.
Getting There: Satovriandou 20 and Romvis 18
Babaganush
A recent food trend to hit Greece, falafels the chickpea dish most commonly consumed in a wrap, have stolen the heart of many vegetarian and non-vegetarians and they are a great alternative to the ubiquitous gyros. Babaganush, a cute, cozy and a stylish little space next to Varnava square in Pagrati, serves one of the best in town. Also, their house made lemonade with mint and ginger is not to be missed!
Getting There: Empedokleous 25
Granello
You’ll find plenty of pizza around the center of Athens, but one of the best is made at Granello, a little hidden gem — and it truly is hidden. Due to another group of shops along the roadside in front, you might miss it depending on your approach. Their pizzas are baked in a wood-fired oven, with a wonderful crust that’s both airy and fluffy, and ingredients that blend seamlessly, releasing all their aromas and flavors.
Hoocut
In Athens, and for that matter, throughout Greece souvlaki is a ubiquitous staple. It is bigger than the Beatles and has been for years. Although souvlaki is celebration of fresh vegetables, meats and will satisfy any appetite, it tends to be a bit “same ol, same ol”. Hoocut turns the page and starts a new chapter in the world of souvlaki! Quality is the name of the game here. Fresh ingredients, high quality meat and a hell of a good pitta.
Getting There: Square of Agia Eirini 9
Tuk Tuk Thai
The whole vibe of Tuk Tuk, with the extreme Asian decoration and the cooks preparing everything in front of you, is like a wormhole that leads to Asia, while being in the heart of Athens. Everything here is fresh and simply delicious. Don’t miss out on their incredible Toms (soups), stir fry’s, their legendary phat Thai, and my personal favorite, gai yang chicken!
Kostas
Famous for its juicy, handmade souvlaki this tiny place was established in 1950 from the grandparent of the current owner. Here they still use the authentic and Doric recipe with tomato, yogurt, onion and parsley with no tzatziki or fries. There moto is “no stress” so be prepared to wait…Also have in mind that usually by 3 pm they are already sold out!
Mikra Asia
This humble place serves, one of the best Kebaps in town. It is owned by a family of Kurds, who fled Turkey years ago for political reasons and it is clear, that extra care has been put into making everything you order. I especially like their signature Beyti kebab and I also love their Giaourtlou lamp kebap made with tomato sauce, yogurt sauce, and pita bread. Last but not least, when you arrive tell them that you want Künefe for dessert, as it takes time to be prepared. It is a crispy cheese-filled dessert with shredded Kadayif noodles made over an open charcoal fire and coated with sugar syrup.
Getting There: Plateia Messologiou 2-4
Lontza tis geitonias
Lontza tis Geitonias, It’s fast food reminiscent of another era, a restaurant that embodies the flavors and memories of our childhood.
They serve few dishes, prepared simply yet using high-quality ingredients sourced from various regions of Greece, alongside a pie featuring handmade puff pastry, and one or at most two daily specials. Our personal favorite is Balik Ekmek, Istanbul’s historic fish sandwich, with buttered bread, fresh sea bass fillet, lettuce, onion, parsley and tarragon mayonnaise.
Getting There: Xarilaou Trikoupi 76
Black Salami
No matter how early one arrives at the Black Salami Microbakery, there’s consistently a line. Sandwiches with quality cheeses and cured meats are constantly coming out of the open kitchen – such as the BLT with smoked pancetta from Serres, tomato, lime, mayonnaise and cheddar or the one with Tzoumaya sausage, coleslaw and mustard sauce. So, everyone comes out with bags full of bread, focaccia or delicious herb pies, while some succumb to the temptation to enjoy their brunch standing on the outside counter, chatting and watching the traffic.
Getting There: Zoodochou Pigis 71
Written by Dimitris Papageorgiou
