Slab of kefalograviera or graviera cheese pan-fried in olive oil until crusted golden on the outside, gooey within. Squeezed with lemon and eaten with crusty bread; the canonical Greek taverna opener.

Saganaki takes its name from the two-handled frying pan it cooks in, which itself derives from the Turkish sahan brought to Greek kitchens of Asia Minor before 1922. The cheese version using kefalotyri, kefalograviera, or graviera became the canonical taverna meze across mainland Greece in the 20th century. In Athens, it is a permanent fixture on every taverna menu from Plaka to Exarchia, served with a wedge of lemon. The flaming version is a 1968 Chicago invention with no Greek precedent.

6 editor picks for Saganaki in Athens, ranked by editorial score. All Athens signature dishes · Saganaki across every city.