Best Greek Food: Best 40 Greek Dishes And Food in Greece To Try

Last updated on November 23rd, 2023 at 12:35 am

Best Greek Food: Best 40 Greek Dishes And Food in Greece To Try

We will write about Greek food with the best 40 Greek dishes. The Greek cuisine is world famous and for sure, the food in Greece is good! There are also some dishes that are authentic traditional food in Greece to try and drinks in Greece! Take note, a lot of this food can easily be found in the streets or local restaurants, and we really suggest you to do that.

Local Greek food is one of the best ways you’ll be able to appreciate the culture of the country. Greek cuisine is influenced by its history, and geography. Greek Cuisine or Greek Food is one of the most popular cuisines in the world. Influenced a lot by it’s Mediterranean neighbors, Greek food is known for its very bold flavors and spices.

You almost can’t say you’ve traveled to Greece if you haven’t tried it’s local food, and we are definitely a big believer of this. We try the local food of every country we visit. Read here vegetarian food in Greece, best breakfast in Greece and drinks in Greece.

Read here eSIM Greece unlimited data, best Greece sim card for tourist, our Greece travel tips and Budget Travel in Greece.

So here we go. Read on to see what are the top 40 dishes you should be looking out for (to eat of course!) when you are in Greece.

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Best Greek Food: Best 40 Greek Dishes And Food in Greece To Try

Best Traditional Greek Dishes

1. Bougatsa

Bougatsa is a popular Greek breakfast food. If you are a breakfast person, this is a must try. Bougatsa is a Greek breakfast pastry found in Thessaloniki, and in Serres (Serres is a part of Central Macedonia, North of Greece). Bougatsa can be made sweet or salty, and it’s made of layers of phyllo, filled with either cheese, semolina, minced meat, or custard.

2. Tomatokeftedes (Santorini Tomato Fritters)

Tomatokeftedes (Santorini Tomato Fritters) is a popular Greek appetizer or Greek starter. This is a main food of Santorini cuisine, and they mainly use baby tomatoes to produce the authentic Santorini Tomatokeftedes taste.

To make the Tomatokeftedes, you just need to mix local baby tomatoes, with herbs, flour, onion and feta, rolled into balls, and fried in olive oil. Tomatokeftedes can be made as courgette fritters, can have some cinnamon, or just feta. And to complete the Greek food style, Tomatokeftedes are best served with Greek Yogurt with some Greek olive oil on it – the perfect Greek snack!

3. Moussaka

Moussaka is a must Greek food to try. Moussaka is an eggplant- or potato-based dish, often including ground meat, in the Levant, Middle East and Balkans with many local and regional variations.

4. Dolmadakia Yalantzi / Greek Dolmades (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

Greek Dolmades is a popular Greek cuisine which means stuffed grape vine leaves (known as Dolmas). This is usually eaten as an appetizer or could be part of the main course too. These grape leaves are stuffed with a mixture of herbs and flavors, rice and meat, cooked in lemon broth. The Greek Dolmades is a huge part of the Greek and Mediterranean cuisine.

5. Kolokithokeftedes – Courgette Balls / Greek Zucchini Fritters

Kolokithokeftedes is definitely one of the most popular and sought after dishes in the Greek cuisine, and can be easily found in taverns and restaurants. Full of bold flavors and spices, the Greek Kolokithokeftedes is made of salty and very tasty feta cheese with a hint of mint!

Kolokithokeftedes are crispy fried from the outside, and rich and creamy on the inside. To make a really good Kolokithokeftedes, make sure that you use fresh courgettes, good feta cheese and of course, the best extra virgin olive oil.

6. Greek olives (green or black)

Ahh, the Greek Olives. This definitely deserves a topic of its own, however we can’t not include it here. Greece is considered on eof the most [popular and main priducer of the best olives in the world. The olive branch itself has big parts in its culture and history, and Greek tradition.

The olive tree symbolozies wealth, health, wisom, abundance and beauty, and it is used as a symbol of truce and peace in the olden times. AN olive branch is also awardded during Olympics. Some popular Greek olives are the Kalamata Olives (Green and Black), Cretan Green Olives, Halkithiki Green Olives and more.

7. Greek Salad (Choriatiki)

A traditional Greek Salad is one to not miss when you are in Greece. Very fresh and healthy, a traditional Greek salad will usually have greens (your favorite vegetables), cucumbers, tomatoes, green bell peppers, red onions, Greek olives (of course), and feta cheese. You can add some mint for some added flavor, and Kalamata olives are a good too kind of the Greek olives to use for the salad.

8. Pastitsio – Greek Lasagna

Greek Lasagna or Pastitsio is a delicious main dish and comfort food – layers of pasta, meat sauce, cinnamon flavors, and bechamel. It’s almost like a Greek Moussaka, but without the eggplant.

9. Yiaourti Me Meli – Greek Yogurt with Honey and Walnuts

Yiaourti me meli even the simplest dishes are the best, and this can be eaten as breakfast, or a good snack, and even as a small dessert. The word Yiaourti me meli literally translates to Greek Yogurt with honey, and is already very popular across the globe as a healthy snack and breakfast – Greek yogurt being one of the healthiest yogurt choices of many people.

10. Horta Vrasta – Boiled Leafy Greens

Horta Vrasta or boiled leafy greens (dandelions) is something you easily see in every Greek household. The Horta Vrasta is a popular Greek Food and a must try. It’s green vegetables (dandelions), dressed with olive oil and lemon, simple, clean tasting and delicious.

11. Keftethes / Keftedes – Greek Meatballs

The Keftedes / Keftethes is definitely a huge popular Greek dish and part of the Mediterranean cuisine. Commonly served as part of a Meze platter, and served with pita bread and tzatziki sauce. This can also be eaten with white rice or the popular Greek Feta salad.

The original recipe is of course a mix of ground meat, with flavors and spices, and there are popular variations depending on where it’s being made. There is the Soutzoukakia recipe, that started from Izmir or Smyrni. The extra spice – cumin! There is also the popular Greek Keftedes Giouvetsi which is the Greek meatballs in tomato sauce.

12. Domates Yemistes / Yemista – Greek Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers

Stuffed vegetables are a big part of Mediterranean cuisine so Domates Yemistes is a big popular Greek food. Huge and ripe tomatoes are very delicious containers for flavored and seasoned rice, and can have added ground beef or lamb for its filling.

13. Chicken Soup Avgolemono

The Greek Avgolemono Soup is a chicken soup, prepared with a very delicious and scrumptious lemon-egg sauce, or the avgolemono sauce. Definitely a popular, must try Greek dish. The silky broth, and lemon sauce just makes the taste of the Greek Avgolemono so special and unique.

14. Pork Souvlaki – Grilled Pork / Meat on Skewers

Souvlaki is a popular Greek and Mediterranean cuisine made from meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Souvlaki is usually a lamb/chicken meat that is served wrapped in a flatbread such as pita, with tomato, onion, and sauce. You can buy souvlaki in local restaurants and bars for €3-4. This is commonly compared to the Gyros, and the main difference is that Gyros are cooked as vertical cones of meat, while Souvlaki is grilled horizontally on skewers.

15. Fasolakia Lathera – Green Beans in Tomato Sauce

The Fassolakia Lathera or the Greek style Green beans cooked in Olive oil is one of the simple but very popular Greek dishes. Lathera means traditionally dishes eaten during the summer which of course now can be made in any season in Greece, and of course delicious vegetables cooked with tomatoes and good Greek olive oil!

MORE GREEK FOOD: DRINKS IN GREECE TO TRY

16. Masticha

Chios Masticha / Mastiha Liqueur is a Greek local liquor. It is a liquor flavored with distilled mastic (or mastic oil from Chios). Chios Mastiha is a clear liquor with a nice aroma, and it is traditionally served cold.

17. Ouzo

Ouzo is the most popular drink in the Greek and Cyprus culture, Ouzo is a dry anise-flavoured aperitif. Ouzo is created from distilled and flavored rectified spirits . The taste of the Ouzo can be similar to other anise liquors like rakı, arak, pastis and sambuca.

18. Greek coffee / Ellinikos (Greek Coffee)

Greek coffee is a strong brew of coffee, which is served with foam on the top (kaimaki) and the grounds at the bottom of the cup. It is a style of coffee prepared using very finely ground coffee beans without filtering. “Ellinikos Kafes” is prepared in a special pot, called briki, which comes in different sizes, to create the right amount of foam.

Making Greek coffee requires a little bit of technique and a lot of “meraki”. So I have put together all the little tricks and tips and everything you need to know to prepare it the traditional way.

19. Greek Frappe

Can you believe that the Greek Frappe, popular and delicious is made from Nescafe instant coffee and water. Because it is! Greek coffee can be sketos (plain coffee, no sugar, no milk), metrios (medium sweetness), glykos (sweet), and me gala (with milk). Greek Frappe is of course mixing Nescafe with water, shaken with a shaker to make a froth, and you can add ice cubes for extra coldness.

20. Raki

Raki is an alcoholic drink, considered as Greece’s national drink. Raki is made from distilled grapes and anise. Straight Raki will be the popular national drink, while Mastikha will be the Raki version prepared with gum mastic.

21. Retsina Wine

Greek Retsina wine is a delicious Greek white, resinated wine. A very unique and delicious wine, even the European Union itself treats the name “Retsina” as a protected name, and traditional for Greece and some southern parts of Cyprus.

BEST GREEK FOOD: DESSERTS AND PASTRIES

22. Koulouri of Thessaloniki

Koulouri of Thessaloniki, the famous street food bread of Greece. These are crunchy bread rings covered with toasted sesame seeds, with a soft and chewy centre. Definitely go looking for them in the local streets of Greece. You can enjoy Koulouri with Greek coffee or frappe, and you can add cheese, butter, honey or jam. Koulouri is perfect for both breakfast or a Greek snack!

23. Amygdalota

While Amygdalota cookies are similar to almond horns, they’re definitely different.  The biggest difference between the two is that the amygdalota cookies include almond flour, and almond horns are made with a combination of almond paste and almond flour.

24. Greek Baklava or Siropiasta

Greek Baklava is one of the most popular syrupy or “siropiasta” desserts, and a big part of the Greek cuisine. The classic recipe of the Greek Baklava is made of three main ingredients – the phyllo / filo dough, walnuts and honey syrup. Make sure you find a Greek Baklava when you’re in Greece, and have fun trying to differentiate it from the Baklava versions of the other countries.

25. Feta Me Meli

Feta me Meli is a very popular Greek cheese appetizer that you should never miss! This is made of feta, crisphy filo / phyllo, and honey sauce, and can be partnered with drinks like raki and eaten with Greek barbecue.

26. Galaktoboureko

The Galaktoboureko is a popular Greek dessert. You can also find this in Turkish and Syrian cuisine. This is made of semolina custard baked in filo / phyllo. The custard of Galaktoboureko can be lemon, orange or rose flavored. Greek Galaktoboureko is also served coated with sweet syrup.

27. Halvas

The Greek Halvas is a traditional dessert in Greece, popular during the Lenten season. Greek Salvas is also known as Semolina pudding with raisins. Very easy to make, non dairy, and done egg free. You can usually find ingredients for one in a Greek home – semolina, sugar, oil and water. And you can usually add some nuts and raisins for added deliciousness.

28. Kataifi

Kataifi is a popular Mediterranean dessert, and definitely one of Greece’s best desserts. It is made with chopped walnuts, clove and cinnamon, and wrapped in crispy Kataifi dough, with lemon syrup. Traditional and very delicious!

29. Loukoumades – Honey Dough Balls

Loukoumades is a popular sweet dessert in Cyprus and Greek cuisines. Loukoumades is best enjoyed after Souvlakis and Sheftalies. These honey dough balls are deep fried in oil, and best enjoyed hot.

30. Pasteli – Greek Honey Sesame Bars

Greek Pasteli resembles a power bar and yes, it’s a sesame candy! Very delicious and easy to make on your own if you choose to, sesame and honey are the main ingredients, but you can also use almonds and pistachios.

31. Revani

The Greek Revani is the one for you if you want your desserts to have some hints of citrus flavor! This is the Greek Semolina cake, with orange syrup – easily a crowd favorite!

32. Tiropites / Tiropita – Phyllo Cheese Triangles

Tiropita is of course we will not forget the most popular pie of Greece, definitely a must try – the traditional Tiropita, or Greek Feta Cheese Pie, also known as Phyllo Cheese Triangles. The Greek Tiropita is a popular breakfast delicacy, and can also be eaten any time of the day.

A perfect match with the Greek coffee. The most traditional Tiropita will have feta, eggs, homemade phyllo / filo, and olive oil, and can be easily a popular street food. The Tiropita has a cheese-egg filling. It can be made with kasseri cheese, and that would be a Kasseropita.

33. Spanakopita

Spanakopita is almost like the Tiropita, apart from Spinach and feta used as a filling. Because of its taste, the Spanakopita makes a perfect side dish on dinners, partnered with lamb or lemon chicken. It can also be served as a dish on its own, or with a traditional Greek salad.

34. Kourabiethes / Kourabiedes – Greek Butter Cookies

Kourabiethes or Kourabiedes are Greek Almond Butter cookies, very delicious and can be popularly made during Christmas celebrations. These cookies are flavored with almonds, and coated with icing sugar (to probably mimic the White Christmas). Perfectly served with milk, or hot coffee! And don’t be shy to lick those icing sugar with your fingers – definitely acceptable!

35. Tsoureki – Greek Easter Bread

The Tsoureki is the traditional Greek Easter Bread, that gets its unique flavor from two very traditional Greek ingredients – the mahleb (mahlepi) and mastic. Mahleb is made from seeds that almost taste like almonds, and mastic is a resin (has good aroma), and goes into chewing gum (the mastic gum).

36. Melomakarona – Honey Walnut Cookies

Melomarakora is another traditional Greek food Christmas cookies, and this time, the honey cookies. The name of the cookie came from the words, “meli” which means honey and “makarona”, a word derived from the Ancient word, “makaria” meaning blessed. Definitely a perfect name for blessed cookies during the holiday season!

37. KAZAN DIBI

A classic dessert from the Byzantine ages and Constantinople is Kazan Dibi. It is a burnt-milk pudding, a type of caramelized pudding of a Turkish dessert. It is traditionally made by burning the bottom.

MORE GREEK DISHES AND FOOD IN GREECE: POPULAR DIPS

38. Greek Fava Dip – Yellow Split Pea Puree

Mediterranean dips – now these are staples in Mediterranean cuisine. Greek Fava is the popular local dip in Greece. These are the yellow split peas, served like a Greek hummus, and tastes like a mix of chickpeas and regular peas.

There are two popular authentic Greek Fava, the Santorini Fava beans, and the Arosis Fava Beans. The latter is mostly seen in small local family farms in Greece.

39. Taramasalata / Taramosalata

The Taramasalata is definitely one of the Greek dips to enjoyh when in Greece. It is made of fish roe, Greek olive oil, lemon juice, grated onions, and bread. Good combo with pita and your favorite bread or as a part of a meze platter.

40. Tzatziki

The Tzatziki also called Talatouri is one of the most popular snacks and spreads in Greece. Tzatziki is made from a mixture of white Greek yogurt, cucumbers, mint, olive oil with some garlic. Tzatziki compliments souvlakis and sheftalies well and usually served with bread as an appetizer. Tzatziki can also be a good substitute for the halloumi cheese on bread.

Hope you liked our Greek food blog post. Let us know if we missed any food in Greece and which one is your favorite in the list of Greek dishes.

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