Eat well in Athens for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.

Cheap eats worth seeking out

Kostas Souvlaki ★ 4.7

Greek€monastiraki

Kostas on Agia Irini Square in Athens has fired the souvlaki pita with its house tomato sauce since 1946, the €3 lunch counter that has fed the city.

Try: Pork souvlaki pita with tomato sauce

Tip: Open weekdays until 17:00 or until the meat runs out; closed Saturday and Sunday and cash preferred.

Agia Irinis Square 2, Athina 105 60

O Telis ★ 4.5

Greek€psyrri

O Telis on Evripidou in central Athens has grilled pork chops since the 1970s, the king-of-Evripidou-Street counter where the €10 plate comes with chips.

Try: Grilled pork chops with chips, salad, bread

Tip: No menu; the order is pork chops with chips, salad, bread and red wine. Closed Sundays.

86 Evripidou str. & 20 Epikourou str., 10553

Diporto ★ 4.5

Greek€psyrri

Diporto on Sokratous and Theatrou in central Athens has poured Attic retsina from barrels since 1887, a basement koutouki with a €10 lunch and no menu.

Try: Greek lunch with retsina from the barrel

Tip: Lunch only from late morning until the pans empty, often by 17:00; no menu, no English spoken.

Sokratous 9, Athina 105 52

Ariston Pies ★ 4.4

Greek€syntagma-historic-centre

Ariston on Voulis behind Syntagma in Athens has baked filo pies since 1910, a takeaway counter where the spanakopita is the order and a coffee runs under €3.

Try: Spanakopita, cheese pie, meat pie

Tip: Stand-up counter only; closed Sundays. Morning pies fly out before 10:00.

Voulis 10, Athina 105 62

Falafellas ★ 4.4

Levantine€monastiraki

Falafellas on Aiolou near Monastiraki in Athens is the central falafel pita counter, fresh-built takeaways under €5 with tahini, salad and chilli.

Try: Falafel pita with tahini and salad

Tip: Queue runs longest at lunch; the meatball pita is the regulars' variant.

Aiolou 51, Athina 10551, Greece

Krinos Loukoumades ★ 4.4

Greek€syntagma-historic-centre

Krinos on Aiolou has fried loukoumades since 1923 in Athens, the €5 portion of doughnuts with honey at the back-counter seated room. At Aiolou 87.

Try: Loukoumades with honey, Greek coffee

Tip: Closed Sundays; the seated counter at the back is the destination, not the takeaway window.

Aiolou 87, Athina 105 51, Greece

Lukumades Aiolou ★ 4.3

Greek€monastiraki

Lukumades on Aiolou and Agia Irini Square in Athens is the modern loukoumades shop, where filled or topped doughnuts run €4 to €8 with espresso to go.

Try: Filled and topped loukoumades

Tip: The injected loukoumades with cream are the order; queue runs longest on summer weekends.

Aiolou 21, Athina 105 51

Bairaktaris Pita Window ★ 3.8

Greek€monastiraki

Bairaktaris on Monastiraki Square in Athens has a takeaway pita window onto the square, a €4 pita that runs until 02:00 every day of the week.

Try: Souvlaki and gyros pita

Tip: The pita window faces the square; the sit-down room behind is a separate bill.

Pl. Monastirakiou 5, 10555, Athina

Taverna tou Oikonomou ★ 4.4

Greek€petralona

Taverna tou Oikonomou in Ano Petralona in Athens cooks home-style mageirio food since 1930, a €12 lunch plate from the pan with house red and bread included.

Try: Daily mageirio plate

Tip: No microwave and no menu; you point at the trays. Closes when the pans run out, often by 22:00.

Kydantidon 32, Athina 118 51

Karavitis Tavern ★ 4.4

Greek€pangrati

Karavitis in Pangrati has cooked the Athens taverna canon since 1926, a budget Greek dinner of bekri-meze, vine leaves and chops with house wine for around.

Try: Athenian taverna plate with house wine

Tip: No reservations are taken; arrive before 21:00 on weeknights and before 20:30 on Saturdays.

Pausaniou 4 Pangrati, Athina 11635, Greece
← Back to Athens food guide