Famously Cheap Food in Athens

Being self-guided budget travelers, one of the most important questions on any of our trips has been ... What is the PINNACLE OF CHEAP PEASANT FOOD in Kyoto/Florence/Prague/Hong Kong/Dubai/Quebec City? Based on this question I've come across my favorite Ramen-ya in Osaka, my favorite Chalou in Guangzhou, my favorite Osteria in Milan, and my favorite Deli shop in Montreal. And my favorite Gyro stand? That, was one of the major objectives of our trip to Greece.

Our search for that elusive taste worthy of our 14-hour-flight started several months prior to the trip, as usual, with suggestions from various people to give us a starting list of definitely must-tries, maybes, and avoid-at-all-cost tourist traps. Some restaurants would end up in all three categories, depending on who you talk to. At the end we amassed all the information and visited just a few, based on comments from other visitors and convenience of location.


Food Review: Ariston
Address: 10 Voulis Street, Athens
Hours: Rumoured to be 07:00-14:00
Website/Map: Review from Trip Advisor
Directions: Start from Syntagma Square and walk West along Karagiorgi Servias Street and turn right on Voulis Street. Ariston should be on your left.


Gyros and Souvlakia may be more well-known among foreign tourists, but the most popular fast food, based on the sheer number of Athenians we spotted chomping them down by the mouthful, seems to be the wide assortment of savory pastry pies. Just walk down Athinas Street any given weekday morning and watch the people coming out of the Everest branches with flaky phyllo pastry sticking to the chin.

And I did enjoy Everest -- it may be the McDonald's of Greece, or at least of Athens, but the quality is decent for a two euros Tiropita. But our time in Athens was limited and we wanted to find a truly traditional, authentic place the connoisseurs of Tiropita would go. So we took Matt Barrett's advice and headed to Ariston.

The above picture is what Ariston looks like -- an oldish, bland storefront flanked by rows of parked motorcycles on a nondescript street. It's only two blocks from Syntagma Square, but not busy enough to catch the eyes of the uninitiated. But look closely and you'll see its store sign proudly stating "Since 1910," the bold letters advertising "Tiropites," and most alluringly, the welcoming aroma of cheese, butter and pastries you can smell from a block away. You know you're in pie heaven.



Pies pies everywhere! From the typical Tiropites and Kototopites to Melizanotopites and more than a dozen other kinds I could hardly pronounce. Even the ubiquitous Spanakopites had a couple of variations -- I loved the one blended with Feta cheese pictured above.



We also had the Kotopoulo (Chicken Pastry) on the right, which came with some of the thickest, most flavorful chicken filling anywhere. So do what the locals do. Don't miss this cheap, authentic and filling breakfast if you're passing by the Syntagma Square in the morning.

Bill for Two Persons

Spanakopita with Feta Cheese	Euro 1.7
Kotopoulo	Euro 1.7
TOTAL	Euro 5.4 (CAD$6)

Food Review: O Thanasis
Address: Mitropoleos 69 (entrance to Monastiraki Square), Athens
Hours: Around 09:00-21:00 (unconfirmed; based on experience)
Website/Map: Review from Trip Advisor
Directions: Go to Monastiraki Square and face the Acropolis. The little alley to the left side is Mitropoleos Street. O Thanasis at the entrance to the alley, on the right hand side.


Tasty. Cheap. Conveniently located. Having Gyros at Athens’ Monastiraki Square is as essential an introduction to the city as stopping for Ramen at Dotombori in Osaka. Situated near the two Agora ruins, this popular crossroad is home to three of the city’s best-known Gyro joints -- O Thanasis, Bairaktaris and Savvas.



Twice we couldn’t resist the alluring smell of charred meat and dripping fat when passing by, and ended up hitting both O Thanasis and Bairaktaris. We visited O Thanasis for an early lunch one morning, sitting down (which cost a lot more than take-out) out front in the shades and ordering a full plate of Pork Souvlaki as well as a lamb kebab pita.



The above Souvlaki was actually quite enjoyable -- nicely charred, succulent and slightly spiced for a mild kick -- but it was also overpriced at 8 Euros. I would pay 4 to 5 Euros for a good Souvlaki but I felt 8 was a little too much. But this is at the centre of Athens's tourist district ... oh well.



A much better deal, and one of my favorite memories of Athens, was this lamb kebab pita at a much more reasonable 2.2 Euros -- lovely minced lamb with grilled onions, tomatoes and parsley. Juices oozed out of the lamb at each bite and became soaked up by the soft pita. This is what I would order next time, skipping the table and grabbing a kebab pita to go. But as we found out, O Thanasis’s arch-rival across the alley had great deals to offer too ...

Bill for Two Persons

Pork Souvlaki Plate	Euro 8
Lamb Kebab Pita	Euro 2.2
TOTAL	Euro 10.2 (CAD$16.3)

Food Review: Bairaktaris
Address: West side of Monastiraki Square, Athens
Hours: Around 09:00-21:00 (unconfirmed; based on experience)
Website/Map: Review from Trip Advisor


Here's the arch-rival of O Thanasis right across the narrow alley, sporting your typical electric rotisserie out front along with a line-up of tourists and local faithfuls alike. One of the oldest establishments in town, Bairaktaris is said to have been standing here since 1879, having passed down from father to son for generations. But does it live up to its legendary history? Well, that depends on who you ask.

Prior to our visit I had heard as many high praises as vehement attacks about this place, as if every patron either loved its no-nonsense Gyros or left feeling terribly ripped off. But as I stood in line and watched the locals in front paying 1.8 Euros for a Gyro, I realized that much of the criticism probably came from people who tried to sit down and ordered more complicated food than a simple Gyro stand should offer. I mean ... how ripped-off can you get for 1.8 Euros?



So how did it taste? I admit that we may have been slightly swayed by the reasonable prices, but both my wife and I thought our Gyros Pita were better than the Souvlaki at O Thanasis the previous day. How can anyone argue against charbroiled meat heavily smothered in thick, rich, garlicky tzatziki? This alone, in my opinion, propels Bairaktaris way above O Thanasis in my memory. Too bad we didn't have the stomach to also try Savvas around the corner ...

Bill for Two Persons

Gyro Pita (Pork)	Euro 1.8
Gyro Pita (Beef)	Euro 2
TOTAL	Euro 3.8 (CAD$6.1)

Athens is such a great place for cheap and good food seemingly around every corner, just waiting for the curious tourist to stumble upon. In fact one of the best Gyro Pita we had was at this nameless but packed Gyro place on Navarinou street in Piraeus, just a couple blocks from the ferry terminal. Juicy meats, thick Tzatziki, loaded with fries and tomatoes ... all for just 1.5 Euros with a table for sitting down. The whole lunch for two people, even with an Amstel to share, cost 5 Euros. I'm sure every adventurous foodie have similar stories to tell of Athens, and these were a part of ours.