# Greek Food: 25 Dishes to Try and Where to Eat Them > Greek food explained: 25 dishes to try, from moussaka and souvlaki to Corfu pastitsada and Cretan dakos, with tips on where and how to eat them in Greece. URL: https://theauthenticgreece.com/greek-food-guide/ Last updated: 2026-10-30 --- Greek food is simple, seasonal cooking built on olive oil, vegetables, pulses, cheese, bread, fish and slow-cooked meat, and the best of it is found in ordinary tavernas rather than smart restaurants. The 25 dishes below cover the classics you will see across the country, from horiatiki salad and moussaka to grilled octopus and loukoumades, plus regional specialities worth seeking out in Crete, Corfu, Kefalonia, Santorini and Thessaloniki. For each, we say what it is and where it tastes best. ## Quick facts - **How Greeks eat:** several dishes shared in the middle of the table, not one main course each - **Where to eat:** tavernas for home cooking and grills, ouzeri and tsipouradiko for small plates, psarotaverna for fish - **Meal times:** lunch from around 13:30, dinner rarely before 20:30 in summer - **Best value:** the daily cooked dishes (mageirefta), usually prepared at lunchtime - **Don’t miss:** local olive oil, bread and the house wine ## Starters and dips ### 1. Horiatiki (Greek salad) Tomato, cucumber, onion, green pepper, olives and a slab of feta, dressed with olive oil and oregano. There is no lettuce in the real thing. It is best in July and August when tomatoes are at their peak, and often shines brightest in a simple village taverna. ### 2. Tzatziki Strained yoghurt with grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil and sometimes dill. It goes with almost everything grilled, especially souvlaki and fried courgettes. A good tzatziki is thick enough to hold a spoon. ### 3. Fava A smooth purée of yellow split peas, topped with raw onion, capers and olive oil. The most famous version comes from Santorini, where a local legume grown in volcanic soil holds protected status; our [Santorini travel guide](https://theauthenticgreece.com/santorini-travel-guide/) covers the island’s food. ### 4. Dakos A Cretan barley rusk softened with grated tomato and olive oil and topped with crumbled myzithra or feta, capers and oregano. It is a light lunch on its own. In Crete it appears on every menu, alongside the rest of the island’s dishes in our [guide to Cretan food](https://theauthenticgreece.com/cretan-food/). ### 5. Spanakopita Spinach and feta pie wrapped in filo pastry, sold in bakeries for breakfast and served in tavernas as a starter. Village versions often add wild greens and herbs and use homemade, thicker pastry. Tiropita, the cheese-only version, is just as common. ### 6. Dolmades Vine leaves rolled around rice, herbs and sometimes minced meat, simmered and served cold with lemon or hot with an egg and lemon sauce. Homemade ones are softer and fresher tasting than the tinned kind found in some tourist restaurants. ### 7. Saganaki Cheese, usually kefalograviera or graviera, fried in a small pan until crisp outside and molten within, finished with lemon. The word saganaki refers to the pan, so you will also see shrimp saganaki, cooked with tomato and feta. ### 8. Horta Boiled wild or cultivated greens dressed with olive oil and lemon. It sounds plain, but in spring, when tavernas serve wild greens gathered from the hills, it is one of the best things on the table and a staple of the Greek diet. ## From the sea ### 9. Grilled octopus Octopus tenderised, often dried in the sun on a line outside the taverna, then grilled and dressed with olive oil, vinegar and oregano. It is the classic accompaniment to ouzo. Look for it in island harbours in summer. ### 10. Kalamarakia Fried baby squid, served with lemon. Ask whether it is fresh or frozen: fresh local squid is a seasonal treat and priced accordingly, while frozen is fine but not the same. ### 11. Grilled whole fish Not a single dish, but the centre of a meal at a fish taverna. You choose your fish from the display and pay by weight, so ask the price per kilo before it goes on the grill. Sea bream, red mullet and sardines are common; wild fish costs far more than farmed. ## Home-cooked classics (mageirefta) ### 12. Moussaka Layers of fried aubergine, spiced minced meat and a thick béchamel, baked and served in squares. A good one is made that morning and rested, so order it at lunch when it is freshest. Avoid places where it arrives suspiciously fast and steaming hot from the microwave. ### 13. Pastitsio Baked tubular pasta with minced meat sauce and béchamel, sometimes described as Greek lasagne. It is a Sunday family dish and a regular among the daily cooked trays in tavernas. ### 14. Gemista Tomatoes and peppers stuffed with rice and herbs, baked with potatoes in olive oil. It is a summer dish, at its best when tomatoes are ripe, and many versions are vegetarian. ### 15. Fasolada White bean soup with tomato, carrot, celery and plenty of olive oil, sometimes called the national dish of Greece. It is cheap, filling and typically eaten in winter with bread, olives and a few anchovies. ### 16. Gigantes plaki Giant white beans baked in tomato sauce with herbs until soft and creamy. Served warm or at room temperature, they make an excellent shared side and a good vegetarian main. ### 17. Stifado Beef or rabbit slow-cooked with small whole onions, tomato, red wine, cinnamon and bay. It is a winter favourite, rich and gently spiced, and appears on many island menus. ### 18. Kleftiko Lamb slow-cooked for hours, traditionally sealed in parchment or in a clay oven with garlic, herbs and sometimes potatoes and cheese, until it falls off the bone. The name refers to the klephts, mountain fighters of the Ottoman period who were said to cook meat in sealed pits. ## Grills and street food ### 19. Souvlaki Small pieces of pork or chicken grilled on a skewer. Order it on the plate with chips, salad and pitta, or wrapped in pitta with tomato, onion and tzatziki as a cheap meal on the go. In Athens and much of the south, the word souvlaki covers the pitta wrap too. ### 20. Gyros Meat, usually pork or chicken, cooked on a vertical rotisserie and shaved into pitta with tomato, onion, chips and tzatziki. It is the classic late-night snack; the best gyros shops have a queue of locals. Our [Athens travel guide](https://theauthenticgreece.com/athens-travel-guide/) covers the city’s street food. ## Regional specialities ### 21. Pastitsada (Corfu) Rooster or beef cooked slowly in a spiced tomato sauce with cinnamon, cloves and paprika, served over thick pasta. It is the signature Sunday dish of Corfu, a legacy of the island’s Venetian centuries, together with sofrito (veal in a garlic, wine and vinegar sauce) and bourdeto (spicy fish stew). Read more in our [Corfu food guide](https://theauthenticgreece.com/corfu-food/). ### 22. Kreatopita (Kefalonia) Kefalonia’s meat pie, filled with lamb, goat or beef, rice, tomato and herbs in a golden pastry. It is a festive dish but easy to find in village tavernas. Our [Kefalonia food guide](https://theauthenticgreece.com/kefalonia-food/) pairs it with the island’s Robola wine. ### 23. Bougatsa (Thessaloniki) Filo pastry filled with semolina custard, cheese or minced meat, baked in large trays and cut into pieces. The sweet version is dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon. It is breakfast in Thessaloniki, where specialist bougatsa shops open early; see our [Thessaloniki food guide](https://theauthenticgreece.com/thessaloniki-food/). ## Sweets ### 24. Loukoumades Small balls of fried dough soaked in honey syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon and walnuts, or topped with chocolate in modern shops. Eat them hot, straight from the fryer. ### 25. Galaktoboureko Semolina custard baked between layers of filo and soaked in lemon syrup. It is one of the most popular sweets in Greek pastry shops, alongside baklava and kataifi. In many tavernas a dessert or fruit arrives free at the end of the meal. ## What to drink with it House wine, sold by the carafe, is usually local and inexpensive and often perfectly good. Greece also has excellent indigenous grape varieties such as Assyrtiko from Santorini, Agiorgitiko from Nemea and Xinomavro from Naoussa. With seafood and small plates, ouzo or tsipouro is the classic choice, diluted with water or ice. Coffee comes Greek style, boiled in a small pot, or iced as a freddo espresso, which dominates summer. ## Practical tips - **Share everything:** order several dishes for the table and add more as you go. - **Ask what is fresh today:** the best dishes are often not on the printed menu. - **Check the fish price:** fresh fish is sold by the kilo, so confirm the weight and price before cooking. - **Eat at lunchtime:** cooked dishes like moussaka, gemista and stifado are made in the morning and are at their best around midday. - **Look for locals:** a taverna full of Greek families at 21:30 is a better sign than any photo menu. - **Try island cheeses:** each region has its own, from Naxos graviera, covered in our [Naxos travel guide](https://theauthenticgreece.com/naxos-travel-guide/), to Cretan myzithra and Lesvos ladotyri. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the national dish of Greece? There is no official national dish, but fasolada, a white bean soup, is often called that. Moussaka and souvlaki are the dishes most visitors associate with Greece. ### Is Greek food good for vegetarians? Yes. Many classic dishes are naturally vegetarian, including horiatiki, fava, gemista, gigantes, horta, spanakopita and dakos. During religious fasting periods, many tavernas offer even more meat-free dishes. ### What do Greeks eat for breakfast? Breakfast is often light: a coffee with a koulouri bread ring, a slice of spanakopita or tiropita, or bougatsa in Thessaloniki. Greek yoghurt with honey is common in hotels but less so at home. ### How much should you tip in Greek restaurants? Tipping is appreciated but not obligatory. Rounding up the bill or leaving around 5 to 10 percent for good service is normal, and you can leave coins on the table. ### What time do Greeks eat dinner? Later than most visitors. In summer, locals rarely sit down for dinner before 20:30 or 21:00, and tavernas stay busy until late. Lunch usually starts from around 13:30. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the national dish of Greece? There is no official national dish, but fasolada, a white bean soup, is often called that. Moussaka and souvlaki are the dishes most visitors associate with Greece. ### Is Greek food good for vegetarians? Yes. Many classic dishes are naturally vegetarian, including horiatiki, fava, gemista, gigantes, horta, spanakopita and dakos. During religious fasting periods, many tavernas offer even more meat-free dishes. ### What do Greeks eat for breakfast? Breakfast is often light: a coffee with a koulouri bread ring, a slice of spanakopita or tiropita, or bougatsa in Thessaloniki. Greek yoghurt with honey is common in hotels but less so at home. ### How much should you tip in Greek restaurants? Tipping is appreciated but not obligatory. Rounding up the bill or leaving around 5 to 10 percent for good service is normal, and you can leave coins on the table. ### What time do Greeks eat dinner? Later than most visitors. In summer, locals rarely sit down for dinner before 20:30 or 21:00, and tavernas stay busy until late. Lunch usually starts from around 13:30.