Pizza Olympia ★ 3.9
Pizza Olympia has run family Greek and Italian on Spenard Road since 1984, with pizzas, calzones and Greek mains in a no-frills room that 8 Magazine readers.
Greek cuisine is the oldest continuously practiced cooking tradition in Europe. Olive oil has been pressed in Crete for 5,000 years; cheese-making (feta, manouri, kefalotyri) traces to Homeric times; the meze format (small plates over wine or ouzo) descends directly from the symposium of ancient Athens. Modern Greek food is built on a small list of perfect ingredients: olive oil, lemon, oregano, garlic, parsley, dill, feta cheese, lamb, fish, eggplant, tomato, yogurt, and honey. The flavors are bright, lemony, herb-led, and slightly austere; Greek cooking is not about complexity but about the quality of the olive oil and the freshness of the fish.
The cooking grammar is the Mediterranean trinity (olive oil, grain, wine) with sheep and goat dairy, lamb on the spit, grilled fish from the Aegean, and slow-baked dishes from the wood oven (gemista, moussaka, pastitsio). Phyllo-based pies (spanakopita, tiropita) are the everyday baked good. Yogurt (strained, thick, Greek yogurt) is eaten with honey at breakfast, used as a sauce (tzatziki) at lunch, and stirred into batters at dessert. The Greeks also eat the largest variety of greens (horta) in Europe: amaranth, purslane, dandelion, wild fennel, all simply boiled and dressed with olive oil and lemon.
At the table, Greek meals are slow, social, and centered on the meze table. Order 6-10 small plates for a group; eat with bread; drink ouzo, wine, or tsipouro; share everything. Lunch is the main meal in summer at 2-3pm; dinner in tourist season is at 9-11pm. The mezedopoleio (meze tavern) and the psarotaverna (fish tavern) are the everyday eating-out formats.
Regional variations
Athens and the mainland
Souvlaki, gyros, moussaka, pastitsio, the meze tavern tradition. The Athenian psarotaverna culture for fresh Aegean fish. Mainland cooking is heavier and meat-led.
Crete
The most distinctive regional tradition: dakos (rusks topped with tomato, feta, oregano, olive oil), gamopilafo (wedding rice), apaki (smoked pork), kaltsounia (cheese-stuffed pastries), the world's highest olive-oil consumption per capita. The Cretan diet is the original Mediterranean diet.
Northern Greece (Macedonia, Epirus, Thrace)
Phyllo-pie heartland: spanakopita, tiropita, kreatopita, hortopita. Strong Balkan and Ottoman influences. Florina red peppers, Naoussa wines, tsipouro (the northern marc spirit).
Cycladic islands
Tomato, caper, fava (yellow split pea puree, especially Santorini's PDO fava), white wine (Assyrtiko from Santorini), grilled fish, sun-dried octopus. Lighter and brighter than mainland.
Peloponnese
Lamb, olive oil from Kalamata, syrupy pastries (baklava, kataifi, galaktoboureko), Nemea wines (Agiorgitiko). The classical Greek mainland kitchen.
Defining greek dishes
- Moussaka
- Baked layered casserole of eggplant, ground lamb in tomato-and-cinnamon sauce, and bechamel topping. The Greek lasagna; baked in a wood oven.
- Souvlaki / Gyros
- Souvlaki is grilled meat on a skewer (pork, chicken, lamb). Gyros is meat shaved off a vertical rotisserie. Both are served wrapped in pita with tomato, onion, tzatziki, and fries.
- Spanakopita
- Phyllo pie with spinach, feta, dill, scallion, egg. Baked golden, cut into squares, served warm or at room temperature.
- Horiatiki (Greek salad)
- Tomato, cucumber, red onion, green pepper, olives, slab of feta on top, oregano, olive oil. No lettuce in the real version. The summer salad.
- Tzatziki
- Thick yogurt with grated cucumber, garlic, dill, mint, and olive oil. The universal meze and condiment.
- Saganaki
- Pan-fried cheese (kefalograviera or kasseri), served sizzling with lemon. The hot meze.
- Dolmades
- Vine leaves stuffed with rice, herbs, and sometimes ground meat. Eaten cold with lemon-and-olive-oil dressing.
- Pastitsio
- Baked pasta dish with bucatini, ground meat in tomato-and-cinnamon sauce, and bechamel topping. The Greek pasta-and-cheese.
- Baklava
- Layered phyllo pastry with chopped nuts (walnuts, pistachios), bound with honey-and-rose-water syrup. The pan-Levantine dessert that Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon all claim.
- Fava santorinis
- Yellow split pea puree (not the bean), topped with caper berries, red onion, olive oil. Santorini PDO product.
- Kleftiko
- Lamb slow-baked in parchment paper with lemon, oregano, and potatoes. Originally cooked by klephtes (bandits) in sealed earth pits to hide the smoke.
How to order
Order meze: 5-8 small plates for a table of two, 10-12 for four. Tzatziki, spanakopita, dolmades, saganaki, fava, taramasalata, grilled octopus, and a Greek salad form the standard meze table. Then a main: souvlaki, grilled lamb chops, or whole grilled fish (priced per kilo at the fish tavern, chosen on ice before cooking). Bread arrives automatically and is charged per cover (1-2 euros). At a psarotaverna, ask which fish is fresh that day; the menu rarely matters because the daily catch dictates the order.
The rookie mistakes: ordering moussaka at a beach taverna in August (the wood oven is off and the moussaka is reheated from morning), asking for souvlaki with lettuce (lettuce is not a Greek souvlaki ingredient), expecting fast service (Greek meals are long), and trying to eat fish on a Monday in a small island village (the boats don't go out on Sunday, so Monday's fish is yesterday's).
What to drink with it
Greek wine is the underrated category in European wine. Assyrtiko (Santorini white) is the flagship: crisp, mineral, salty, pairs with everything seafood. Agiorgitiko (Nemea red) and Xinomavro (Naoussa red) are the major reds. Retsina (pine-resin-flavored white) has shed its tourist-trap image and the modern artisan versions are excellent with strong meze. Ouzo (anise spirit) is the apero, served with water and ice; tsipouro is the northern marc spirit; Metaxa is the Greek brandy. Greek coffee (briki-brewed, served with grounds) at the end of the meal.
Where to eat it
Athens for the meze taverna tradition (Karamanlidika, To Petrino, Diporto), souvlaki (Kostas, O Thanasis), and the modern Greek fine-dining scene (CTC, Soil, Hytra); Thessaloniki for the northern phyllo-pie tradition and the Sephardic-Jewish-Ottoman fusion; Crete for the deepest regional cooking and the world's best olive oil; Santorini and Naxos for the Cycladic kitchen; Nafplio and the Peloponnese for the classical mainland. Outside Greece: Astoria, Queens (the historic Greek-American neighborhood), Melbourne (one of the largest Greek populations outside Greece), and London (Andros, OPSO, Mazi) all keep the tradition alive.
A short history
Greek cooking is 4,000 years continuous. Olive cultivation in Crete dates to the Bronze Age; cheese-making is mentioned in the Iliad; the meze and the symposium are ancient Athenian inventions. Modern Greek cuisine carries Ottoman influences from the 400 years (1453-1832) of Turkish rule (baklava, dolmades, moussaka are shared with the broader Ottoman pantry) and Italian influences from the Venetian centuries (Crete, Cyprus, the Ionian islands). The 19th-century chef Nikolaos Tselementes codified the modern Greek restaurant repertoire.
Frequently asked
What's the difference between souvlaki and gyros?
Souvlaki is meat grilled on a skewer (the word means little skewer). Gyros is meat shaved off a vertical rotisserie. Both are served wrapped in pita with tomato, onion, tzatziki, and fries; the cooking method is the difference.
Do Greeks really eat moussaka?
Yes, but as a Sunday lunch or a special-occasion dish, not as a tourist-trap restaurant default. A proper moussaka is wood-oven-baked, eaten warm, and takes 90 minutes to make. The kitchen-sink moussaka in beach restaurants is often reheated.
Is Greek salad eaten with lettuce?
No. Horiatiki (the village salad) has no lettuce. The ingredients are tomato, cucumber, red onion, green pepper, olives, feta, oregano, olive oil. Salads with lettuce exist but are not the classical Greek salad.
Greek by city
Greek in Anchorage
Greek in Athens
Diporto ★ 4.8
Diporto on Sokratous and Theatrou has poured Attic retsina from barrels since 1887, a basement koutouki in Athens with no sign and a handful.
Signature: Revithia, Sardines, Greek salad
Order: Revithia chickpea stew, sardines and a small glass of retsina from the barrel.
Tip: Lunch only from late morning until the pans empty, often by 17:00; no menu, no English spoken.
Diporto ★ 4.8
Diporto is basement koutouki on a market-square corner with no sign, no menu, no english; the door is two trap-style entrances at street level.
Why locals love it: Basement koutouki on a market-square corner with no sign, no menu, no English; the door is two trap-style entrances at street level.
Tip: Lunch only from late morning until pans empty; descend the two doors and point at the trays.
Mavro Provato ★ 4.7
Mavro Provato in Pangrati Athens is the daily mezedopoleio favourite for small-plate Greek cooking, Greek wine by the glass and a sidewalk of regulars.
Signature: Saganaki, Smoked aubergine, Pork tenderloin with prunes
Order: The smoked aubergine, the saganaki and a half-litre carafe of house white.
Tip: Book three days ahead for dinner; lunch tables on the pavement are walk-up after 14:00.
Greek in Boston
Krasi ★ 4.5
Demetri Tsolakis's Krasi on Gloucester Street has poured the country's largest all-Greek wine list in Boston's Back Bay since 2020. Priced at $$$.
Signature: Spanakopita, Whole grilled fish
Order: The taramosalata with house pita and a glass of Assyrtiko.
Tip: Reservations open four weeks out on OpenTable. The bar serves the full menu for solo diners.
Krasi ★ 4.5
Demetri Tsolakis's Krasi on Gloucester Street has run a regional Greek tasting room in Boston's Back Bay since 2020. Country's largest all-Greek wine list.
Greek in Brisbane
Hellenika ★ 4.8
Hellenika sits poolside on the first floor of the Calile on James Street. Owner Simon Gloftis runs Brisbane's celebrated Greek room since 2018.
Signature: Whole grilled snapper, Lamb on the spit, Saganaki
Greca ★ 4.6
Greca is a 210-seat Greek taverna at Howard Smith Wharves under the Story Bridge in Brisbane. Jonathan Barthelmess of The Apollo (Sydney) runs the room.
Signature: Saganaki, Spit-roasted lamb, Whole grilled fish
Hellenika ★ 4.6
Hellenika perches poolside on the first floor of The Calile on James Street. Owner Simon Gloftis runs Brisbane's most-celebrated Greek room, opened 2018.
Greek in Buffalo
Sophia's Restaurant ★ 4.4
Sophia's on Military Road in North Buffalo is the Greek-American breakfast and brunch counter every local recommends, with massive omelets and weekend lines.
Signature: Greek omelet, Pancakes
Sophia's Restaurant ★ 4.4
Sophia's on Military Road in North Buffalo is the Greek-American breakfast and brunch counter every local recommends, with massive omelets and weekend lines.
Signature: Greek omelet, Pancakes
Sophia's Restaurant ★ 4.3
Sophia's Restaurant is a greek-american breakfast diner on military road locals defend privately, with massive omelets and weekend lines around the block.
Why locals love it: A Greek-American breakfast diner on Military Road locals defend privately, with massive omelets and weekend lines around the block.
Tip: Get the Greek omelet with feta and a side of home fries. Arrive before 09:00 on weekends or expect a wait.
Greek in Chicago
Greek Islands ★ 4.0
Greek Islands in Chicago is the Greektown standard on South Halsted since 1971, with the flaming saganaki tableside-presentation that the neighbourhood made.
Signature: Saganaki (flaming cheese), Lamb on the spit, Gyros
Order: Saganaki (Opa!), lamb on the spit, gyros plate to share.
Tip: Sunday lunch with the family is the room's natural use. Book a long table and a bottle of Boutari.
Greek in Cologne
Ferkulum ★ 4.7
Ferkulum on Zülpicher Strasse in Cologne's student quarter is open until 04:00 on Fridays and Saturdays; the benchmark late-night pork gyros pita.
Ferkulum ★ 4.6
Ferkulum on Zülpicher Strasse is the benchmark late-night pork gyros pita shop; open until 04:00 on weekend nights and under €8 per serving.
Ferkulum ★ 4.4
Ferkulum on Zülpicher Strasse in Cologne's Kwartier Latäng is the student quarter's most acclaimed pork gyros pita shop; open until 04:00 at weekends.
Greek in Dallas
John's Cafe ★ 4.1
A Lower Greenville breakfast institution since 1972, family-owned by the Spyropoulos family for more than fifty years. At 1733 Greenville Ave.
Order: Cinnamon French toast; pancakes; pastrami omelet; Greek-style gyro lunch plate
Tip: Cash-friendly, no-frills, and closed by 2pm daily, so go for breakfast or an early lunch.
Greek in Detroit
Pegasus Taverna ★ 4.0
Pegasus Taverna on Monroe Street has anchored Detroit's Greektown since 1981. The flaming saganaki and the Greektown casino crowd are the constants.
Signature: Saganaki (Opa!), Lamb chops
Order: Saganaki cheese set alight at the table and a plate of grilled lamb chops.
Tip: Open through 02:00 on weekends; the late-night kitchen runs the cluster.
Pegasus Taverna ★ 4.0
Pegasus Taverna on Monroe Street has fed the Greektown late-night crowd since 1981 in Detroit. The flaming saganaki and after-casino dining are the constants.
Try: Saganaki, lamb chops
Tip: Open through 02:00 weekends; the bar takes walk-ins later than the dining room.
Greek in Durham
Nikos ★ 4.3
Giorgios Bakatsias's Michelin-recommended Greek restaurant at Brightleaf Square serves sharing plates, grilled meats and Greek wines, plus weekend brunch.
Signature: Spanakopita, Lamb souvlaki, Tzatziki and pita
Nikos ★ 4.3
A Michelin-recommended Greek restaurant at Brightleaf Square. Small plates, grilled meats and curated Greek wines from the Bakatsias group on W Main St.
Greek in Glasgow
Halloumi ★ 4.0
Halloumi is a lively Greek meze restaurant on Hope Street in Glasgow's city centre, plating grilled halloumi, souvlaki and sharing dishes with Greek wine.
Order: Grilled halloumi to start and a mixed souvlaki platter to share.
Tip: Go for the meze route over single mains; the sharing plates are the best way to eat here.
Greek in Greenville
Ji-Roz ★ 4.4
Ji-Roz runs a small-room modern Greek restaurant on North Main: lamb chops, spanakopita, whole branzino. Locally owned, gluten-free menu noted.
Signature: Lamb chops, Spanakopita, Whole branzino
Ji-Roz ★ 4.3
Ji-Roz in Greenville: Modern Greek room on North Main Street outside the busiest restaurant cluster. Closed Sundays and Mondays, full gluten-free menu.
Why locals love it: Modern Greek room on North Main Street outside the busiest restaurant cluster. Closed Sundays and Mondays, full gluten-free menu.
Tip: Sit at the bar for a quick lamb chop dinner. Whole branzino off the grill on weekends.
Stax Omega Diner ★ 4.0
Stax Omega Diner is off-downtown greek diner since 1988. family-run, bakery case at the back, regulars take up the same booths every morning.
Why locals love it: Off-downtown Greek diner since 1988. Family-run, bakery case at the back, regulars take up the same booths every morning.
Tip: Sit at the counter. Order the gyro plate plus a slice of baklava from the bakery case.
Greek in Hong Kong
Artemis & Apollo ★ 4.4
Artemis & Apollo on Moon Street in Wan Chai is Black Sheep's Athenian taverna across two rooms, with souvlaki, charcoal grilled seafood and shared mezze.
Signature: Chargrilled lamb souvlaki, Whole grilled Mediterranean fish, Saganaki with Greek honey
Order: Whole charcoal grilled fish with Greek olive oil and lemon.
Tip: Reserve the smaller Apollo bar room for a counter perch; the Greek Wine Orgy nights pour rare bottles by the glass.
Greek in Jackson
Mayflower Cafe ★ 4.6
Mayflower Cafe, open since 1935, is Jackson's oldest restaurant and birthplace of comeback sauce. Greek-owned; fried shrimp in original vinyl booths.
Order: Fried shrimp plate with comeback sauce, or the broiled trout
Tip: The comeback sauce recipe has never been formally written down; buy a bottle at the counter to take home.
Mayflower Cafe ★ 4.6
Mayflower Cafe, open since 1935, is Jackson's oldest restaurant. The Greek-owned counter invented comeback sauce and serves fried shrimp and broiled trout.
Order: Fried shrimp with comeback sauce and coleslaw, or the broiled red snapper
Tip: The lunch trade peaks between 11:30 and 13:00; arrive early or late to avoid the counter queue.
Mayflower Cafe ★ 4.6
The Mayflower Cafe's lunch counter is one of the South's great cheap seafood deals: a full fried shrimp plate with coleslaw, comeback sauce, and a side of c.
Try: Fried shrimp plate with comeback sauce
Order: Fried shrimp plate at lunch, with extra comeback sauce on the side
Tip: The lunch rush from 11:30 to 13:00 is the most efficient time to eat here; a table turns in 30 minutes.
See all 7 greek rooms in Jackson →
Greek in Las Vegas
Estiatorio Milos ★ 4.7
Estiatorio Milos at the Venetian is Costas Spiliadis's Mediterranean seafood emporium, fish flown from Greek and Mediterranean waters and a produce-market.
Signature: Whole grilled fish, Milos special tower, Greek yogurt with honey
Order: The Milos special: paper-thin zucchini and aubergine chips with tzatziki.
Tip: Lunch prix fixe is significantly cheaper than dinner; the produce-market plates run all day.
Elia Authentic Greek Taverna ★ 4.4
Elia Authentic Greek Taverna in Las Vegas is the Boca Park family-run Greek room, a neighbourhood taverna with grilled lamb chops, pastitsio and house-baked.
Signature: Pastitsio, Lamb chops, Spanakopita
Order: Lamb chops grilled over open flame with lemon and oregano; ask for the saganaki to start.
Tip: Lunch runs daily specials at a lower spend; the dinner mezze platter feeds three to four.
Greek in London
Lemonia ★ 4.0
The Evangelou family's Primrose Hill Greek taverna on Regent's Park Road in London, opened 1979, still the village's Sunday-lunch destination for lamb.
Signature: Lamb kleftiko, Saganaki
Order: Lamb kleftiko (slow-cooked in paper for three hours), with saganaki to start.
Tip: Sunday lunch books two weeks ahead through their site. Tuesday-Thursday dinner walks in any time after 19:00.
Greek in Lyon
Zoi Kitchen ★ 4.0
Zoi Kitchen at the foot of the Croix-Rousse slope cooks a Greek counter menu: souvlaki, gyros and salads served with charred pita and tzatziki.
Signature: Souvlaki, Greek salads
Order: The pork souvlaki plate with fries and tzatziki.
Tip: Lunch only Mon-Wed; full dinner Thu-Sat from 19:00.
Zoi Kitchen ★ 4.0
Zoi Kitchen at the foot of the Croix-Rousse slope cooks a Greek street-food counter menu: souvlaki, gyros and house tzatziki on pita, with most plates.
Try: Pork souvlaki plate with fries and tzatziki
Order: The pork souvlaki plate with fries; the combo under €13.
Tip: Lunch only Mon-Wed; full dinner Thu-Sat from 19:00.
Greek in Madison
Parthenon Gyros ★ 4.2
Parthenon Gyros on State Street, Wisconsin's first gyro restaurant since 1972, serves house-made gyros and Greek plates with a rooftop patio for outdoors.
Signature: Gyros, Greek salad
Order: A house-made gyro plate with a Greek salad on the side.
Tip: Open 11:00-03:00 daily; the rooftop patio fills first on summer evenings.
Parthenon Gyros ★ 4.1
Parthenon Gyros on State Street, the long-running Greek counter on the pedestrian strip, serves gyro plates and souvlaki for a student-budget lunch.
Try: Gyro plate with fries and tzatziki
Greek in Melbourne
Aegli ★ 4.4
Aegli on Coventry Street leads Melbourne's new Greek wave: regional Hellenic flavours, smoked saganaki and lamb shoulder in a South Melbourne room.
Order: Wood-roasted lamb with orzo and feta
Greek in Miami
Estiatorio Milos ★ 4.5
Estiatorio Milos in Miami Beach is Costas Spiliadis's Greek seafood dining room in South of Fifth at 730 1st Street, a 2025 Michelin Recommended pick.
Order: Whatever the whole-fish display offers; flown in from Greece and the Med, sold by the pound.
Tip: Lunch prix-fixe at $39 is the city's best fine-dining value. The wine list runs deep into Assyrtiko.
Mandolin Aegean Bistro ★ 4.4
Mandolin Aegean Bistro in Miami's Buena Vista is the 1940s-bungalow Greek-Turkish dining room on NE 2nd Avenue, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022 for taverna.
Signature: Greek village salad, Chicken souvlaki, Whole grilled fish
Order: The Greek village salad and a whole grilled fish for two.
Tip: Sit in the garden under the bougainvillea. The takeaway shop next door sells Mandolin's house olive oil.
Mandolin Aegean Bistro ★ 4.4
Mandolin Aegean Bistro in Miami's Buena Vista is the 1940s-bungalow Greek-Turkish dining room on NE 2nd Avenue, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022 for taverna.
Signature: Greek village salad, Chicken souvlaki, Whole grilled fish
Order: The Greek village salad and a whole grilled fish for two.
Tip: Sit in the garden under the bougainvillea. The takeaway shop next door sells Mandolin's house olive oil.
Greek in Minneapolis
Afro Deli ★ 4.4
Abdirahman Kahin's Afro Deli on Washington Avenue SE has run Beard-nominated halal sambusas in Minneapolis since 2011. Located in Northeast.
Try: Sambusas, gyro
Greek in Montreal
Estiatorio Milos ★ 4.4
Estiatorio Milos is the original of the global Greek seafood group, still on Avenue du Parc in Montreal, grilling whole fish picked fresh from ice.
Order: A whole fish chosen from the display, grilled and priced by weight.
Tip: Fish is sold by weight and adds up fast; the fixed-price lunch is the smart way to try the grill.
Greek in New York City
Kiki's ★ 4.3
Kiki's on Division Street has poured retsina and grilled lamb chops in the Lower East Side, New York City since 2014. Priced at $$. Kitchen leans greek.
Signature: Lamb chops, Saganaki
Order: Lamb chops, saganaki, peasant salad.
Tip: Walk in at 17:30 or 22:00 for the only two short waits. The garden out back is the prize.
Greek in Richmond
Stella's ★ 4.5
Stella's on Lafayette has cooked the Dikos family Greek menu since the Lafayette opening in 2011 (the original Stella's debuted in 1983). Mid-week meze.
Signature: Lamb shank, Spanakopita, Greek meze
Stella's ★ 4.5
Stella's on Lafayette in the Museum District has cooked Stella Dikos's family Greek menu since 2011. Meze nights, lamb shank and house wine.
Signature: Lamb shank, Spanakopita
Stella's ★ 4.4
Stella's runs Sunday brunch on Lafayette Street with Greek-leaning plates. The Dikos family Museum District room flips its meze format to brunch.
Order: Greek-style omelette with spanakopita.
Tip: Sunday brunch books up; the bar seats walk-up.
Greek in Sacramento
Petra Greek Midtown ★ 4.3
Petra Greek on 16th Street, midtown Sacramento, serves chicken and lamb gyros under $16, the family-run Greek counter on the 16th Street strip.
Try: Gyro plate and lamb wrap
Petra Greek Midtown ★ 4.2
Petra Greek on 16th Street, midtown Sacramento, is the family-run Greek room with gyros and lamb plates, the anchor on the 16th Street midtown strip.
Signature: Gyros, Lamb plate
Order: The chicken or lamb gyro; the lamb plate with tzatziki; baklava to finish
Tip: Counter for quick lunch. Sister locations downtown at Golden 1 and at the Palladio in Folsom. Patio fills fast.
Greek in Salt Lake City
Manoli's ★ 4.6
Manoli's on Harvey Milk Boulevard, chef-owner Manoli Katsanevas' Greek small-plates room since 2015, reinterprets Greek mezze with seasonal local ingredients.
Signature: Halloumi with marcona almonds, Spanakopita
Order: Halloumi with black olive honey, dolmathes, spanakopita and a Greek pour off the list.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Saturday and Sunday brunch 10:00-14:30; dinner Tue-Sun from 17:00.
Manoli's ★ 4.6
Manoli's on Harvey Milk Boulevard, chef-owner Manoli Katsanevas' Greek small-plates room since 2015, reinterprets Greek mezze with local ingredients.
Signature: Halloumi, Spanakopita
Order: Halloumi with black olive honey, dolmathes and a Greek pour off the by-the-glass list.
Tip: Closed Mondays; weekend brunch 10:00-14:30; dinner Tue-Sun from 17:00.
Manoli's ★ 4.6
Manoli's on Harvey Milk Boulevard, the Greek small-plates room from chef Manoli Katsanevas since 2015, is the Greek mezze destination locals send guests.
Why locals love it: Greek small plates with seasonal local ingredients on a Harvey Milk Boulevard corner most tourists miss.
Tip: Closed Mondays; the room is small, reservations help on weekend nights and brunch.
Greek in San Francisco
Souvla ★ 4.3
Souvla in San Francisco is a counter-service Greek spit-fired meat sandwich house with four sites citywide, and the Hayes Valley original is the test kitchen.
Signature: Lamb sandwich, Pork salad, Frozen Greek yogurt
Order: Lamb sandwich with horiatiki salad and a frozen yogurt with olive oil.
Tip: The 12:30 lunch line is faster than 13:00; order ahead via the app to skip it altogether.
Souvla ★ 4.3
Souvla in San Francisco is the Hayes Valley Greek spit-roast sandwich counter, with a lamb sandwich, a frozen Greek yogurt and a take-away built for a fast.
Try: Lamb sandwich
Tip: Order ahead via the app and skip the 12:30 line; the frozen yogurt is the closer.
Greek in Sydney
The Apollo ★ 4.6
Modern Greek institution on Macleay Street, Potts Point, Sydney. Saganaki with honey and oregano, slow-roasted lamb shoulder, share-style table.
Signature: Saganaki with honey and oregano, Lamb shoulder, Spiced black-eyed beans
Order: Lamb shoulder with lemon potatoes for two.
Tip: Bookings essential; the kitchen runs late Friday and Saturday.
Olympic Meats ★ 4.5
Greek grill house on Marrickville Road, Sydney. Nothing on the menu over A$21; walk-in only, BYO, queues from 5pm every night, lamb on the spit.
Try: Greek grill plate
Olympic Meats ★ 4.4
No-frills Greek grill on Marrickville Road, Sydney. Walk-in only, BYO, nothing over A$21 on the menu, and a long queue of locals from 5pm every night.
Signature: Lamb on the spit, Saganaki, Greek chips with feta
Greek in Tampa
Psomi ★ 4.5
Psomi on North Howard Avenue in Tampa holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for Chef Christina Theofilos' Greek daytime kitchen and bakery. The patio fills first.
Signature: Octopus ceviche, House-made dolmades, Pastitsio
Order: Octopus ceviche, house-made dolmades, and a Greek coffee with the bougatsa.
Tip: Theofilos runs a daytime-only kitchen: breakfast and lunch Wednesday through Friday, brunch on weekends; closed Monday and Tuesday.
Psomi ★ 4.5
Psomi on North Howard Avenue in Tampa holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for Chef Christina Theofilos' Greek daytime kitchen and bakery. The patio fills first.
Order: Octopus ceviche, house-made dolmades and a Greek coffee.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday; breakfast and lunch Wednesday to Friday, brunch on weekends.
Psomi Greek Bakery ★ 4.5
Psomi Greek Bakery is daytime-only greek bakery and cafe on howard avenue with michelin bib gourmand status, closed monday and tuesday and quiet midweek.
Why locals love it: Daytime-only Greek bakery and cafe on Howard Avenue with Michelin Bib Gourmand status, closed Monday and Tuesday and quiet midweek.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday; the octopus ceviche and house dolmades are the orders.
Greek in Thessaloniki
Purovoku Project ★ 4.8
The 50 Best Discovery bar in Ladadika keeps its doors open until 4am on weekends. At Karipi 3. Booking recommended. A neighbourhood favourite.
Bantis Bougatsa ★ 4.8
Thessaloniki's best bougatsa for 2 to 3 euros at the marble counter. Opens at 06:30. The benchmark cream phyllo pastry of the city eaten standing.
Mourga ★ 4.7
Chef Giannis Loukakis's Ladadika restaurant operates at the creative edge of northern Greek cooking. Kitchen leans market-driven creative greek.
Greek in Toronto
Mamakas Taverna ★ 4.4
Mamakas Taverna on Ossington is owner Thanos Tripi's 85-seat Aegean kitchen since 2015, traditional Greek taverna cooking from scratch each day.
Signature: Whole grilled fish, Saganaki
Order: The whole grilled fish, dressed Aegean style with lemon and olive oil.
Tip: Sister Bar Mordecai sits next door for a pre-dinner drink. Weekend lunch runs into early dinner without a break.
Mamakas Taverna ★ 4.4
Mamakas Taverna on Ossington is owner Thanos Tripi's 85-seat Aegean kitchen since 2015, traditional Greek taverna cooking from scratch each morning.
Signature: Whole grilled fish, Saganaki
Order: The whole grilled fish, dressed Aegean style with lemon and olive oil.
Tip: Sister Bar Mordecai sits at 1272 Dundas West for a pre-dinner drink. Weekend lunch runs into early dinner without a break.
Greek in Warsaw
Meze by Teo Vafidis & Sons ★ 4.4
Meze by Teo Vafidis and Sons on Wilcza in Warsaw runs a Greek and Mediterranean carte built around shared meze plates, souvlaki and grilled octopus.
Signature: Souvlaki, Grilled octopus, Moussaka
Order: The mezedakia sharing plates with a glass of assyrtiko.
Tip: The lunch carte is the value pick; the kitchen leans heavier on grill and seafood at dinner.
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