After spending time in Crete and Naxos earlier this year in July, Dan and I had just one night—24 hours—in Athens. Since we’ve visited the city several times before, we decided to skip the major tourist sights and instead focus on something we never tire of: food. We chose Eating Europe’s “Our Big, Fat, Greek Food Tour,” which led us through six delicious stops across Athens’ Monastiraki and Psiri neighborhoods.
Looking up at the Acropolis at the beginning of our food tour.
One thing to note: we took the tour on a Sunday, when many places in Athens are closed. We were informed of this beforehand but decided to go ahead—it was, after all, our only night in the city. Would I do it again on a Sunday? Absolutely. Still, I suspect the experience is even better on other days when more spots are open and bustling.
THE BIG, FAT, GREEK FOOD TOUR
Our tour began in the Monastiraki neighborhood of Athens, which is a very old Athens neighborhood – dating back 6,000 years. This area is located in the shadow of the Acropolis, filled with far too many super touristy shops, and contains its own historical treasures, including the Roman Agora, Holy Church of the Virgin Mary Pantanassa, and Hadrian’s Library. All tourists should come to this area, regardless if you take a food tour.
Monastiraki, Athens. A very ancient Athens area.
STOP ONE: GREEK COFFEE
Our first stop on the tour was a small, rather unremarkable coffee shop tucked inside a touristy mall near Monastiraki Square. It wasn’t particularly charming, but it did serve excellent coffee. Dan and I both ordered iced coffees—something Greece does exceptionally well—but we were really there to watch how Greek coffee is made. This traditional brew uses a briki, a small pot for preparing unfiltered, finely ground coffee, much like Turkish coffee. Our Greek coffee took about as long to prepare as it took us to finish our iced drinks, but it was worth the wait—strong, earthy, and delicious. Alongside it, we sampled a spoon sweet—a traditional preserve made from fruit and served to balance the bitterness of the coffee. It was delightful, and surprisingly, something I’d never tried before in all six of my visits to Greece.
My iced coffee. That foam was incredible.
Dan’s iced coffee.
The “spoon sweet”.
Traditional Greek Coffee.
STOP TWO: GREEK MOUSSAKA WITH GREEK HOUSE WINE
Our second stop took us just down the street from Monastiraki Square to a trendy local restaurant serving up generous portions of one of Greece’s most famous dishes — moussaka. For those unfamiliar, moussaka is a comforting, layered dish made with eggplant or potatoes, often combined with ground meat and topped with a creamy sauce.
I’ll admit, I’ve never been a huge fan of moussaka, so I wasn’t particularly excited for this stop (LOL). But this version completely changed my mind — it was by far the best moussaka I’ve ever had. The layers were rich and flavorful, featuring ground beef and a delicious, well-seasoned sauce that brought everything together beautifully. Maybe I do need to give moussaka another chance — at least in Greece!
We paired our meal with both white and red Greek table wine. And if you’ve read my post on Greek wine tasting, you already know how I feel about those — not my favorite! Still, served chilled, it was refreshing enough to enjoy in the afternoon heat.
Real Greek Moussaka!
While Greek table wine.
Red Greek table wine.
STOP THREE: VARVAKIOS AGORA
Our next “stop” took us to the Athens Central Market, or Varvakios Agora, a sprawling marketplace right in the heart of the city. Normally, it’s buzzing with life — rows of food stalls, butchers, fishmongers shouting their daily specials, fruit sellers, cafés, and little restaurants tucked between all kinds of specialty shops. It actually reminded me a bit of a smaller Kemeralti Market in Izmir.
Unfortunately, we visited on a Sunday, when nearly everything was closed. It was almost eerie walking through the empty halls, still carrying a faint scent of seafood from earlier in the week. Among the shuttered stalls, we stopped at what seemed to be the one open shop – a small store selling pre-packaged Greek goods: spices, olive oils, dried fruits, nuts, and more. We sampled ouzo, nuts and dried fruits, and even a decadent pistachio cream. Of course, we made a few purchases. I did not get the shop’s name, but there are many of these types of stores in Varvakios Agora.
An open shop in Varvakios Agora on a Sunday.
Ouzo samples.
Pistacchio Krema – incredibly good.
STOP FOUR: GREEK SNACK PIES
After wandering through Varvakios Agora and exiting on the opposite side, we stopped at a small local chain called Beneth Food Hall. Beneth is known for its Greek snack pies, both sweet and savory. This particular location was more of a takeaway-style shop, though it had a few outdoor tables where we could sit and enjoy our treats.
We started with a savory spinach pie, similar to a traditional spanakopita — flaky, warm, and comforting. But my favorite was the sweet pie, filled with apples and cinnamon and dusted generously with powdered sugar. Simple, but absolutely delicious.
A savory Greek pie.
A sweet Greek pie. I preferred the sweet to the savory.
STOP FIVE: MAKE YOUR OWN GYRO
Our next stop — and probably the most fun of the day — brought us to the colorful and youthful Psiri neighborhood. And colorful it is! The area is bursting with energy, street art, and a laid-back vibe. I can only imagine how lively it must get on Friday and Saturday. We had a reservation at a restaurant that looked a bit on the touristy side, but to our surprise, the food was good. Even better, we got to make our own gyros! It turned out to be simple, delicious, and just the right amount of food to wrap up the savory part of our tour. We paired our creations with some Greek table wine — noticeably better than the one we’d tried earlier in the day.
While I’m not sure I’d return to this restaurant for a regular dinner, it was a fun, interactive experience and a perfect “event” for our one night in Athens. I’d definitely recommend it to first-time visitors looking for something lighthearted and memorable.
The somewhat touristy restaurant that we visited in Psiri.
Greek table wine. Better than the last.
Preparing to make a gyro.
The final product! Yum!
STOP SEVEN: LOUKOUMADES (OR GREEK DOUGHNUTS)
Our final stop of the tour was dessert — and it couldn’t have been more classic: loukoumades at Loukoumadaki. While Loukoumadaki serves a variety of sweets, its specialty is these golden, bite-sized Greek doughnuts. A loukoumas (singular for loukoumades) is a little ball of fried dough, served either sweet or savory — I actually had an incredible savory version in Corfu.
This time, they were sweet, drizzled generously with local Greek honey and served piping hot. Simple, but really good. Each order came with six, though after a full day of eating, we only managed two apiece. Thankfully, our guide happily took the rest home — we would’ve loved to, but we were flying out early the next morning.
The Loukoumadaki shop!
The famous loukoumades at Loukoumadaki.
Our food tour wrapped up after those delicious loukoumades, but we weren’t quite ready to call it a night. On our way back to the hotel, we made an impromptu stop at Gypsy Jungle, a lively spot with shisha and a stunning view of the Acropolis. It was the perfect way to wind down the evening — relaxed, spontaneous, and so much fun.
Happy Dan with his Shisha.
STEAL OUR TRIP
Our Big, Fat, Greek Food Tour: We took this tour with Eating Europe. The cost was €69 per person and included everything here (except this Shisha). This was plenty of food for dinner. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of some of the names of the places so I can’t link it all!
Beneth Food Hall: This is the link to the pie chain. There are numerous outposts.
Loukoumadaki: Miaouli 18, Athina 105 54, Greece. Open daily 12:30 – 11:30, later on the weekend. weekend.
Gypsy Jungle: Aiolou 27, Athina 105 60, Greece. Open daily 9:00 – 3:00. Our shisha bar – definitely has a “going out” vibe. Reservations recommended if you absolutely must go here.