Strained Greek yogurt with grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil and dill, the cold side dip on every Athens taverna table and every souvlaki pita in the city.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Tzatziki shares roots with the Turkish cacik and the Indian raita, all built around yogurt and cucumber. The Greek version with garlic and olive oil dominates from the post-war taverna era. Every Athens taverna serves a small bowl of tzatziki with bread before the meal arrives, and every souvlaki pita includes a generous spoonful. The dish requires only strained yogurt, fresh cucumber and good olive oil to work; it ruins fast with bad ingredients.
Common allergens: Dairy
Tip from the editors. The garlic should be finely minced not pressed; pressed garlic turns acrid and dominates the yogurt.
Bairaktaris on Monastiraki Square in Athens runs until 02:00 every night, the long-running souvlaki counter that has fed the after-bar crowd since the late.
Try: Souvlaki and gyros pita
Order: A pork souvlaki pita with extra tzatziki and a glass of the house retsina.
Tip: The pita window faces the square; the sit-down room behind is a separate bill and longer wait.
Klimataria on Theatre Square in Athens runs until past midnight every night, the Psyrri institution since 1927 where rebetiko plays live and the wine comes.
Try: Slow-cooked lamb with house red from barrels
Order: Gigandes plaki, slow-cooked lamb and a half-kilo of the house red from the barrel.
Tip: Live music runs most evenings from around 22:00; book a fortnight ahead for the weekend seatings.
Taverna Saita on Kydathineon in Plaka is the rare Athenian-locals tavern on the quiet end of the strip, opposite the Metamorphosis church courtyard.
Why locals love it: The rare Plaka room cooking for Athenian locals on the quiet end of Kydathineon, opposite the Metamorphosis church courtyard, away from souvenir shops.
Tip: Pavement tables face the quiet end of Kydathineon; book a fortnight ahead for weekend dinners.
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