Best Greek food trips

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Best Greek trips

Athens

From bougatsa with cinnamon sugar and the locals' favourite souvlaki, to aromatic Greek wines by the glass, try all these and more in the Greek capital – there's plenty of food to discover in between cultural exploration.

Souvlaki – marinated meat grilled on skewers, sometimes served in pitta bread – is the fast food of choice for most Greeks. Around since the 1950s, O Kostas is one of the best places to try it in Athens (join the queue at this hole-in-the-wall for a truly authentic gyros experience; there’s no website but you’ll find it at Pentelis 5, near Syntagma Square). Or, for an updated (albeit smaller) version, make your way to Hoocut (“butcher’s cut”), where a group of enterprising young chefs has put an artisanal spin on the dish, using carefully sourced pork, chicken, lamb and beef and serving a vegetarian version, too.

Home to a famous flea market and several scenic (if tourist-heavy) ancient landmarks, the Monastiraki neighbourhood is a must-visit. Here, Café Avissinia’s artful mish-mash of blowsy wallpaper, marble-topped tables, antiques and picture-strung walls proves the perfect backdrop to its homely mix of traditional bistro-style cooking. In true Greek style, it’s a place to casually pop in to at any time of day, with a menu that covers the whole country but is marginally skewed towards Macedonian cuisine: try the stuffed sour cabbage with pork, or cheese-filled baked potatoes.

Where to stay: At the centre of ERGON House’s double-height agora (gathering place) there’s a silvery, 200-year-old olive tree. It’s just one of the highlights at this hotel, restaurant and market. At breakfast you can sample traditional sweet or savoury pies called bougatsa, while the all-day dining menu includes Greek meze, pasta, fish and meat. There are also cookery classes on offer and, if hotel guests want to cook what they buy at the market – which sells everything from local fish to herbs (ERGON’s owners also run a string of delis) – there are communal kitchens available.

Doubles from £204, check availability at booking.com

Crete

Greece’s largest island, food is the language of love for Crete. Set across mountain and sea, while drenched in year-round sun and carpeted in olive groves, it is an abundant natural larder of fish, meat, vegetables — Cretan horta (wild greens) are the best — fruit, honey and, of course, the finest extra virgin olive oil.

The original Cretan capital and, today, its second largest city, Chania is charmingly low-key, the old town’s narrow streets tumbling down to a picturesque Venetian harbour. Its chequered history is still visible in its Minoan ruins, old city walls, Venetian lighthouse and Turkish quarter, but the harbour is now lined with fish restaurants and tavernas, while 16th-century Venetian townhouses converted into chic boutique hotels hide down little backstreets. The grand covered market hall, built in the shape of a cross at the beginning of the 20th century and modelled on the market in Marseilles, has butchers’ stalls in one arcade, fishmongers in another and speciality food stores stocked with salted sardines, glistening olives and golden oils, cheeses and charcuterie. It’s open throughout the week, but on Saturdays there’s also an open-air farmers’ market nearby.

Where to stay: Set amid chestnut trees with the rugged mountainous beauty of the Kissamos region as a backdrop, Milia is a beautifully renovated collection of 15th-century stone buildings. All rooms have thick stone walls and their own fireplaces, making it perfect for cosy off-season stays, and the retreat is surrounded by an extensive network of hiking trails. The restaurant serves traditional Cretan “humble gastronomy”, such as wild greens soup and grilled aubergine spread, as well as roast baby goat, lamb with herbs and boureki courgette pot pie cooked in a wood stove. Every Wednesday, guests can join a four-hour traditional Cretan cooking session in the kitchen.

Doubles from £75, check availability at milia.gr

A table is laid with wine and it is looking out over rolling Greek hills

Sifnos

Known as the Cycladic island of gastronomy, Sifnos is the birthplace of renowned 20th century Greek chef Nikos Tselementes, whose cookery book is still the home-cooking bible for Greeks. While on the island, you must taste two of its most traditional dishes: revithada, a slow-cooked chickpea soup with onion, garlic and bay leaves; and mastelo, lamb cooked slowly with dill and wine in one of the ceramic pots that Sifnos is synonymous with.

In recent years, Sifnos has begun to draw an elegant crowd with its contemporary restaurants, notably Cantina, which perches above the water in the shadow of Kastro, the ancient capital of the island, and its new sister restaurant Pelicanos, a reimagined waterside taverna in Faros. Omega 3 is a trendy but unpretentious seafood bar: order sharing plates of taramasalata and various raw fish dishes and accompany your meal with a bottle of fresh, crisp white (ideally a malagousia).

Where to stay on Sifnos: The place to stay is Verina Astra, a boutique hotel just above the idyllic swimming spot of Poulati, which opens a second restaurant in the port of Kamares this June.

Doubles at Verina Astra from £349 per night, check availability at booking.com or mrandmrssmith.com

Peloponnese

Discover the scenic Peloponnese peninsula, a region with strong Mediterranean flavours and rich culinary traditions. Olive fans should visit the coastal town of Kalamata to try the famous black olives in their namesake town. Further south, the rugged Mani Peninsula has more to explore, from the stone village of Areopoli filled with unpretentious tavernas, to fortified medieval town Monemvasia which clings to a rock off the coast. You can dine on seafood and local specialties inside the castle walls at Chrisovoulo. Charming Nafplio is another town worth visiting - a vibrant seafront destination full of neoclassical architecture and culinary delights. The Peloponnese makes for a great road trip – discover this and more in our 10 unmissable road trips for food lovers.

Credit: E Filli, Greek National Tourism Organisation

Ithaca

Visit this peaceful Ionian island to beach-hop by boat, swim in dazzling cobalt waters and graze your way through meltingly soft feta, local olives, just-caught fish and note-perfect lemon tart.

There are plenty of food shops in Stavros, from a greengrocers and a fishmongers to a basic supermarket but don’t miss the shop marked 'General Store’ – the last small family-owned grocery on the island, it’s been operating since 1930 and still has beautiful old wooden cabinets towering all the way around its walls. Also in Stavros, cheerful orange-hued Cafe Margarita is the centre of local village life, in no small part thanks to owner Maria’s renowned baking skills. There are normally spinach and cheese pies on offer and, occasionally, a delicious courgette quiche but she’s also known for her rovani – local cake made with ground rice, olive oil and honey.

Visit Frikes, a postcard-perfect arc of painted houses overlooking glitteringly clear water. There are plenty of cafes to choose from here but only the seriously steel-willed could miss Dodoni, the ice cream parlour. Just beware that it’s addictively good. Check out our full guide to Ithaca for more recommendations.

Where to stay: stay at the Levendis Estate. Run with great care by an Aussie-Greek couple, Spero and Marilyn Raftopulos plus their (grown-up) children, Kate and Niko, this collection of four cottages plus a swimming pool is set on Spero’s family homestead, overlooking a bay in the north of the island. Cottage kitchens are pre-stocked with delicious Greek wine, olives and pistachios for that first holiday sundowner, plus supplies for breakfast.

You can easily stay within the Levendis gates – happy to swim in the pool and snooze in the cottage garden (each one has cleverly been designed for ultimate privacy) – or you could amble down to one of two little coves around 10-20 minutes’ walk away, the routes thrumming with butterflies and the sound of goat bells as you make your way past olive and cypress trees.

Check rates and availability at levendisestate.com.

Spetses

The name Spetses derives from an ancient Greek word that reflects the pine trees that blanket much of the island. But the Venetians also christened the island “Spezia” as it was on a major spice route, floating in the Saronic Gulf between mainland Greece and the Peloponnese. During the Greek war of Independence from Turkey, in 1821, the island played a pivotal role. Today, however, it’s a tranquil, Hellenic version of the Hamptons, albeit slightly more low-key, where some of Greece’s wealthiest dynasties come to play attracted by its verdant charm (its interior is laced with walking trails) and by quiet coves and beaches like Ligoneri Vrellas and Agioi Anargyroi.

Food-wise, it's the classics that win out here: grilled octopus with parsley pesto and lobster spaghetti at taverna Patralis. Don't leave the island without sampling or buying a box of the orange blossom-scented, sugar-dusted chewy almond cookies called amygdalota.

Where to stay: In the Old Harbour, the former port authority building has been sensitively restored to house the Orloff Resort.

Doubles cost from £141, check availability at booking.com

Exterior of balconied houses in Spetses, Peloponnese, Greece

Rhodes

Known for its ancient ruins, medieval old town and sun-drenched coastline, Rhodes is ideal for those seeking a historic retreat with exceptional food. Once home to the Colossus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the island’s Ottoman, Italian and maritime influences are clear in both the architecture and fare.

For seafood lovers, Limanaki Restaurant in Kolymbia is a must – simple grilled catch of the day (choose your own fresh from the counter) is drizzled with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. For something a little less traditional, beach-front Ronda in the old town offers a stellar sushi selection and cocktails perfect for golden-hour sipping. Sweet cravings are best satisfied at Gelateria Palladion in the old town – once voted Greece’s best – the Italian-influenced architecture of the town square making it the ideal place to enjoy a scoop or two. Or cool down with local frozen yogurt at one of the many cafés housed in the signature whitewashed buildings of Lindos after an ascent up its clifftop acropolis.

Where to stay in Rhodes: For a modern, laid-back stay, Casa Cook Rhodes is a stylish boho-chic adults-only retreat backed by mountains. Its two restaurants serve thoughtfully prepared dishes – expect all the meze classics like creamy taramasalata, tzatziki and hummus with warm pita or grilled souvlaki and gyros, with vegetarian options throughout.

Breakfasts here are a standout: local honey drizzled over thick yogurt, scrambled eggs with salmon and a daily rotating smoothie selection. Don’t miss a chilled freddo coffee before heading off to explore. Come evening, the beach bar pulses with laid-back DJ sets, the ideal backdrop to sip on sweet local Rhodian melitio wine. While you’re there, hike up to hilltop Tsambika Monastery for panoramic views of the Med and you might even spot a goat or two.

Doubles from €209 per night, check availability at casacook.com, booking.com or expedia.co.uk

Thessaloniki

Want to explore more of the Greek mainland? Thessaloniki is Greece's second-biggest city and has plenty to offer foodies. It was the country’s first City of Gastronomy in 2021 and has a diverse cuisine influenced by its varied history from the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires.

Spend time in Ladadika, the historic waterfront district with pretty cobbled streets to explore, lined with colourful pastel-painted buildings and filled with tavernas, restaurants and cafes. Try local produce at the covered Modiano market and visit one of Thessaloniki's oldest bakeries, Koukos, for lunch for the famous cheese pie – a feta-filled slab of flaky filo pastry. As Thessaloniki sits on the coast, it's great for fresh fish and seafood lovers; 7 Thalasses offers simple grilled or fried fish dishes or try something unique at Mourga for the regularly changing menu based around the best fish available.

Where to stay in Thessaloniki: ON Residence sits right on Thessaloniki's seafront. The elegant hotel exudes a slick, art deco vibe, retaining many original features from its 1920s-era construction from chequered black and white floor tiles to intricate ceiling mouldings. The interiors of the 60 rooms are understated but chic, with pearl grey walls and snowy white bed linen contrasting with rich, jewel-coloured velvet furniture. On-site restaurant, Olympos Naoussa, serves up a buffet-style breakfast in tastefully plush surrounds; pile your plate with anything from local cheeses to hot egg dishes and bougatsa, a traditional sweet custard pastry dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon.

Doubles from £150, check availability at booking.com, mrandmrssmith.com or hilton.com

Folegandros

If you want to escape the crowds of well known Greek islands like Santorini or Mykonos, add Folegandros to your wishlist instead. It is one of the lesser known Cyclades islands with a population under 1,000, no airport and one road. It's the perfect destination to switch off, slow down and simply soak up the views of the Aegean Sea. The limited phone signal should help.

Visit the traditional Cycladic town of Chora, take a boat trip round the island and swim at Katergo and Livadaki beaches. For dinner, head to the main square to Kritikos. Order matsata as an accompaniment to rabbit stew, tomato-stewed rooster or kontosouvli (pork roasted on a large spit) and wash it down with the house wine. The remote taverna Papalagi offers spectacular views for a memorable meal.

Where to stay in Folegandros: The opening of Gundari in 2024 helped put Folegandros on the map. This five-star eco-friendly resort is the pinnacle of sustainable luxury. Its 29 suites and villas are bio-climatically designed, using solar energy to minimise energy use, kitted in natural colours and with private pools. The cliff-edge pool with swim-up cocktail bar is as dreamy as it sounds, as is the subterranean sea view spa. The resort's own organic farm provides produce and restaurants are helmed by Greece’s first Michelin-star chef, Lefteris Lazarou, serving dishes such as squid with basil pesto, seabass carpaccio and Cycladic salad with local souroto cheese. gundari.com

Doubles from £394; check rates and availability at booking.com or mrandmrssmith.com

Ikaria

This tiny, rugged island in the north Aegean region is renowned for longevity and a zest for life and featured as one of the Blue Zones in the Netflix series by Dan Buettner. Come to soak up the sunshine and embrace a slower pace of life.

Ikaria has brilliant beaches to offer: visit Seychelles or Nas beach for super white sand and clear blue seas. The island is also home to several thermal springs that claim to reduce stress and anxiety and promote relaxation. For the more active, the island is dotted with hiking trails and 37 saves to explore.

Where to stay in Ikaria: Cavos Bay Hotel & Studios has a traditional architectural style and is located on the north coast of Ikaria overlooking the stunning Armenistis Bay. Low-key and locally owned, the property oozes Greek charm and has two pools, but is also just a short stroll from a sandy beach.

Doubles from £63, check availability at booking.com or expedia.co.uk