30 street food worth the trip across Greece, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Greece guides.
Bantis Bougatsa ★ 4.8 · Thessaloniki
Panagias Faneromenis 33, Thessaloniki 546 27
The city's best cream bougatsa eaten at the marble counter: fresh phyllo, cold pastry cream, cinnamon shaker, powdered sugar. Opens at 06:30.
Trigona Elenidis ★ 4.8 · Thessaloniki
Venizelou 12, Panorama, Thessaloniki 552 36
The trigona panoramatos is Thessaloniki's defining pastry: a crisp phyllo triangle filled to order with cold cream. At Venizelou 12. Booking recommended.
Kostas Souvlaki ★ 4.7 · Athens
monastiraki · Agia Irinis Square 2, Athina 105 60
Kostas Souvlaki on Agia Irini Square in Athens has fired the pork souvlaki pita with its house tomato sauce since 1946, a counter run by the same family.
Tip: Open weekdays until 17:00 or until the meat runs out; closed Saturday and Sunday and cash is preferred.
Kirkor ★ 4.7 · Heraklion
Lions Square · Plateia Eleftheriou Venizelou 31, Iraklio 712 02
Kirkor has long sold bougatsa on Lions Square in Heraklion, and it is still the fastest breakfast in the whole city if you eat it standing up.
Tip: The queue moves fast, because there are really only two things on the menu.
Phyllosophies ★ 4.6 · Heraklion
Lions Square · Plateia Eleftheriou Venizelou 33, Iraklio 712 02
Phyllosophies is the Heraklion bougatsa counter on Lions Square, hand-opened phyllo filled with cream or sweet myzithra and cut with scissors.
Tip: Eat it standing on Lions Square while it is still too hot, which is how everyone in Heraklion does it.
Ladadika Tsipouradika ★ 4.6 · Thessaloniki
Katouni Street, Thessaloniki
The tsipouradika of Katouni and Doxis Streets operate the Thessaloniki ritual: cold tsipouro arrives in a small carafe, meze plates follow in relay.
O Telis ★ 4.5 · Athens
psyrri · 86 Evripidou str. & 20 Epikourou str., 10553
O Telis on Evripidou in central Athens has grilled pork chops over coals since the 1970s, the king-of-Evripidou-Street counter with chips, salad.
Tip: No menu; the order is pork chops with chips, salad, bread and red wine. Closed Sundays.
Ariston Pies ★ 4.5 · Athens
syntagma-historic-centre · Voulis 10, Athina 105 62
Ariston on Voulis behind Syntagma in Athens is the 1910 takeaway-pie counter where the spanakopita is the order and the bougatsa is the breakfast on the way.
Tip: Stand-up takeaway only; closed Sundays. Pies are warm out of the oven all morning.
Bougatsa Giannis ★ 4.5 · Thessaloniki
Mitropoleos 106, Thessaloniki
Bougatsa Giannis opens at 8pm and runs until 3pm the following day. The late-night cream or cheese phyllo fix for the bar crowd on Mitropoleos.
Falafellas ★ 4.4 · Athens
monastiraki · Aiolou 51, Athina 10551, Greece
Falafellas on Aiolou near Monastiraki in Athens is the central falafel pita counter, where the takeaway pita is built on order with tahini, salad and chilli.
Tip: Queue runs longest at lunchtime; the meatball pita is the variant the regulars order instead.
Stou Mitsou ★ 4.4 · Thessaloniki
Vlali 11, Kapani Market, Thessaloniki 546 24
Stou Mitsou opened inside Kapani Market in February 2014 and quickly became a reference address for the city's refugee dishes: Smyrna-style soutzoukakia.
Lukumades ★ 4.3 · Athens
monastiraki · Aiolou 21, Athina 105 51
Lukumades on Aiolou and Agia Irini Square in Athens is the modern loukoumades shop, where the classic Greek doughnut comes filled with cream.
Tip: The injected loukoumades with cream are the order; queue runs longest on summer weekends.
Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani Deli ★ 4.3 · Athens
psyrri · Sokratous & Evripidou 1, 10552, Athina
Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani on Sokratous in Athens runs a takeaway deli alongside the mezedopoleio, with pastourma sandwiches and a cured-meat counter.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The deli counter at the front sells meats by the kilo to take home.
Savoidakis ★ 4.3 · Heraklion
Old Town · Dikaiosinis 7, Iraklio 712 02
Savoidakis sells kalitsounia right across Heraklion, and a warm bag of the Cretan cheese pies is the best two euros you can spend near the Agora.
Tip: The Dikaiosinis branch is the handiest for the Agora, and the pies come out through the morning.
Tragano Navarinou ★ 4.3 · Thessaloniki
Dimitriou Gounari 32, Thessaloniki 546 21
Tragano on Dimitriou Gounari near Navarinou Square bakes some of the city's most reliable koulouri (sesame bread rings) on site. At Dimitriou Gounari 32.
Diagonios 1977 ★ 4.3 · Thessaloniki
Egnatia 159, Thessaloniki 546 21
Since 1977 on Egnatia Street, Diagonios has served the city's most consistent souvlaki until 3am on weekends. At Egnatia 159. Booking recommended.
Ariston Tyropita ★ 4.2 · Thessaloniki
Aristotelous 8, Thessaloniki 546 24
The Ariston counter near Aristotelous Square is the reference tyropita address in the city centre. Booking recommended. Reservations advised.
Loukoumania Navarinou ★ 4.2 · Thessaloniki
Gounari 24, Thessaloniki 546 22
Loukoumania near Navarinou Square fries fresh dough daily and serves the crisp, fluffy, honey-soaked loukoumades in dozens of combinations. At Gounari 24.
Xanthopoulos Kokoretsi ★ 4.2 · Thessaloniki
Ippokratous 26, Thessaloniki
Xanthopoulos on Ippokratous is the serious address for kokoretsi, the Easter and Sunday offal spit-roast of wrapped intestines, heart. At Ippokratous 26.
Modiano Market Stalls ★ 4.1 · Thessaloniki
Ermou 24, Thessaloniki 546 25
The Modiano Market reopened in December 2022 after full restoration and now houses food stalls, cheese and cured-meat counters, the Modiano Bahar spice shop.
Thraka Grill ★ 4.0 · Heraklion
Old Town · Plateia Daskalogianni 1, Iraklio 712 01
Thraka Grill turns out gyros on Daskalogianni square in Heraklion until midnight, the local answer to where to eat well for about five euros.
Tip: On Daskalogianni square, and it is the gyros stop the local food tours use rather than the seafront chains.
Krasas ★ 4.0 · Heraklion
Old Town · Leoforos Ikarou 40, Iraklio 712 02
Krasas grills on Leoforos Ikarou in Heraklion until three in the morning, the default late gyros stop for anyone heading home from the east.
Tip: Open until 03:00, and there is a second Krasas near the airport in Nea Alikarnassos.
Giotis Gyradiko ★ 4.0 · Thessaloniki
Vasileos Irakliou 40, Thessaloniki
The most consistent gyros counter in the city centre. Pork or chicken in soft pita with tomato, onion, tzatziki, and chips: the Thessaloniki formulation.
Pasatempas Nut Stalls ★ 4.0 · Thessaloniki
Kapani Market, Thessaloniki
The nut and seed stalls at Kapani Market selling pasatempas, the Thessaloniki term for roasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds. Booking recommended.
Winter Corn and Chestnut Carts ★ 4.0 · Thessaloniki
Aristotelous Square, Thessaloniki 546 24
In winter, the roasted corn and chestnut carts appear around Aristotelous Square and the waterfront promenade. Booking recommended. Reservations advised.
Bairaktaris Pita Counter ★ 3.9 · Athens
monastiraki · Pl. Monastirakiou 5, 10555, Athina
Bairaktaris on Monastiraki Square is the long-running Athens souvlaki counter from the late 19th century, with a takeaway pita window onto the square open.
Tip: The pita window faces the square; the sit-down room behind is a separate tip and bill.
Mavrokostas ★ 3.9 · Heraklion
Nea Alikarnassos · Leoforos 62 Martiron 75, Iraklio 713 04
Mavrokostas sells homemade Greek food on 62 Martiron in Heraklion through the small hours, long after every other kitchen in town has shut down.
Tip: Open until six in the morning on weekdays and eight at weekends, which makes it the last kitchen standing in Heraklion.
Souvlaki Point ★ 3.8 · Heraklion
Nea Alikarnassos · Menelaou Parlama 17, Iraklio 713 04
Souvlaki Point grills skewers on Menelaou Parlama in Heraklion until one in the morning, a takeaway counter rather than a sit-down taverna room.
Tip: Open until one in the morning most nights, and set up for takeaway rather than a sit-down meal.
Spiros Psitopoleio ★ 3.8 · Heraklion
Nea Alikarnassos · Christomichali Xilouri 53, Iraklio 713 04
Spiros Psitopoleio is the neighbourhood grill house on Christomichali Xilouri in Heraklion, selling meat by the portion to a mostly local queue.
Tip: A neighbourhood psitopoleio on Christomichali Xilouri, which means grilled meat by the portion rather than by the plate.
Seafront Corn Carts ★ 3.8 · Thessaloniki
Nikis Avenue, Thessaloniki 546 24
The roasted corn carts on Nikis Avenue operate from spring through autumn, positioned along the waterfront promenade between the White Tower and the port.