Best Authentic Traditional Souvlaki In Athens

Have you ever wondered where you can find the best authentic traditional souvlaki in Athens? Here is a short introductory guide to help you discover some iconic spots during your visit.

First, A Bit Of History And Terminology

Souvlaki; a word that is in the forefront of almost every traveler’s mind who visits Athens, or Greece in general.

Arguably, this world-famous Greek street food delicacy is right up there with other renowned culinary delicacies like moussaka or tzatziki and certainly it is on the top of most ‘to eat’ tourist lists.

There is evidence that dates as far back as the Bronze Age, which shows that Greeks loved to skewer their meat and roast or grill it over a slow charcoal fire.

In Medieval times, that skewer was called “souvla” and in later times, when it came to smaller pieces or individual portions, the diminutive term “souvlaki” (meaning “small skewer”) was introduced, a term that carried through the ages until the present day.

Alternatively, it is also called “kalamaki” (“small reed”) because back in the day these small individual skewers were made from thin reed strips.

Usually, souvlaki is paired with some bread slices or a specific type of round flat bread called “pita”.

At some point, the two were combined in one item, meaning the skewered meat was wrapped in the pita, along with chopped tomato, onion and parsley, and spiced up with ground red pepper.

Later, spicy tomato sauce or tzatziki -the also famous yogurt-and-garlic spread- were added to the wrap. In very recent years, it has become very common to add fries as well. 

What About Today?

Nowadays, the term “souvlaki” has become a general use term for this type of wrapped-in-pita skewered meat.

And, it follows logically, if you can wrap one type of meat in a pita, why not wrap them all?

So it is not uncommon to find souvlakia (plural) with chicken meat, bifteki (grilled meatball), kebab, sausage, and, of course, the also famous Greek gyro (pieces of meat on a vertical rotisserie).

In Athens today every single neighborhood has at least one souvlaki place. Guaranteed!

It is our most common street food, our preferred takeaway, our national culinary pride of sorts.

Some places even attempt to evolve this delicacy by adding novelties such as different meats, all sorts of spreads, or even… avocado!

But, thankfully, there are still a few select places seemingly frozen in time.

These spots keep the tradition and the recipes of the authentic souvlaki and they deserve to be discovered for a truly unique and very tasty experience.

1. Kostas (Agias Irinis Square)

If you happen to be around the touristy Monastiraki square, you owe it to yourself to pay a visit.

Ignore all the food “sirens” in the area calling you in new age eateries and take a short walk in Aiolou pedestrian street to reach Agias Irinis square.

There you will find one of the oldest traditional souvlaki places in Athens, if not the oldest that still survives today, operating since 1946.

The place is tiny but it can’t be missed because it is almost guaranteed there is going to be a queue waiting to try Kostas’ delicious offerings: he has been working there since his teens, when the place was run by his father and today’s square was just a dirt road.

Everything is prepared right there daily with the same love and care since the first day.

There is a choice between kalamaki or bifteki, grilled with experience and wrapped in delicious pitas with tomato and onion.

There are also fries, mostly as a side dish, not inside the pita.

And of course, there is the famous, slightly spicy, tomato sauce, made with the same family recipe for decades, which is what Kostas is famous for and the reason people come from all over Athens to try it.

Map

2. Lefteris o Politis

In a small street just a block behind the central Omonia Square there’s another family business which goes back three generations.

Lefteris o Politis, which literally means “Lefteris from Poli” (a way a lot of Greeks call modern day Istanbul) has operated since 1951 and has continuously offered its own version of traditional souvlaki.

The grandparents of today’s owner started by selling souvlaki from a wheel cart on the square, when they first came to Athens from Poli.

Soon they managed to open their tiny store and the rest is history.

Lefteris o Politis offers just two items: bifteki and soutzouki wrapped in a small pita, grilled on top of the bifteki, so as to get all the juicy delicious moisture.

They are served with chopped tomato, onion and parsley and just the right quantity of spicy ground red pepper.

Everything is prepared daily in the store.

Bifteki is just ground beef with a pinch of salt, nothing else!

Soutzouki is a spicier sort of bifteki, which also comes from Poli.

There is no pork, there are no fries, there is no tzatziki.

But nobody cares. Neither will you, after the first bite.

Recently, Lefteris o Politis opened a second store near Syntagma Square. This location might be more convenient if you’re staying nearby.

Map (Omonia Square) and Map (Syntagma Square)

3. Kostas (Syntagma Square)

The bustling Syntagma square is definitely the turf of Kostas (no relation with Kostas in Agias Irinis), another authentic and celebrated traditional souvlaki place in Athens.

Yet another family business which goes back three generations, when Kostas, the grandfather of today’s owner of the same name, opened the first store in Plaka in 1950.

He then moved to a narrow street between Plaka and Syntagma and recently moved again in the more central Filellinon street.

Here you will find either a delicious pork kalamaki or a succulent bifteki, made from ground beef, wrapped in the most fluffy pita with the traditional filling combo (chopped tomato, onion, parsley and very spicy ground pepper).

Here too, there is no tzatziki or fries, but there is yogurt, which proves to be a very welcome addition in order to cool down the hotness of the pepper.

Don’t be disheartened by the sometimes long queue because it moves quickly and you won’t wait for long.

After all, as the “No Stress” sign on the wall suggests (an old staple of Kostas’ attitude), tasting this famous traditional souvlaki will make up for any waiting time.

And if you happen to pay in cash, you will experience another of Kostas’ staples, the famous tongs with which he takes your money so as to not touch it by hand, the same hand that prepares your souvlaki.

Map

4. Achilleas

“What about gyro?” one might ask.

Is there a traditional souvlaki place in Athens that wraps gyro in pita? Yes, there is!

If you visit the neighborhood of Neos Kosmos, make sure you drop by Achilleas in order to taste its famous handmade gyro.

Less than 1km from the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) and just 400m from the Neos Kosmos metro station, Achilleas is yet another tiny shop with great taste.

The previous owner, the eponymous Achilleas who opened the business in 1987, has now retired, but three former-employees-turned-owners run the place today.

There is the option for pork or chicken kalamaki, but the specialty of Achilleas is the gyro, which is prepared fresh every morning in the store.

Excellent quality of lean meat, no fatty pieces and experienced grilling, along with the classic tomato-onion-parsley combo and the addition of tzatziki, result in an explosion of taste with every bite.

Just make sure you go there early enough because in the evening they might run out of gyro if the demand is very high.

Map

More Delicious Street Food

So, there it is! Your authentic traditional souvlaki time-machine guide to help you taste a bit of the past in Athens.

You may also want to check out the 5 Must-Try Food Tours in Athens and the 10 Best Authentic Greek Taverns.

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