Best souvlaki spots| travel.gr

Some souvlaki spots in Athens are consistently more popular than others, attracting local customers as well as from other parts of town, based on their quality and reputation over long periods of time. Our list of recommendations includes souvlaki spots applying different approaches and recipes, making them unique.

Achilleas, unbeatable gyro

The Achilleas souvlaki spot is situated at a narrow street in the Neos Kosmos district. For 34 years now, Marinos, the proprietor, inspects all ingredients before buying and prepares everything himself. He prepares the gyro, skewered pork and chicken, as well as the tzatziki (yoghurt and garlic dip). The pork gyro, without a doubt this grill’s highlight, is juicy, delicious and marinated in a herb mix. Sizeable gyro pieces are cut and served in a pitta wrap or as a dish with pita bread pieces, tzatziki, tomato and onion.

The shop does not offer tables and seats, nor does it provide home delivery service. Getting there not too late is recommended as the place can be entirely out of food after 9 pm. The spot can hold on to a few portions for you by phone.

18 Spintharou, Neos Kosmos, +30 210 9021 391

Monday-Friday, 16:30-midnight

Closed on weekends

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Souvlakopoleion Alexandros, quality meat from the butcher’s shop to your dish

Souvlakopoleion Alexandros, run by two siblings, Kostas and Alexandros, was launched in Egaleo, western Athens, a number of years ago, after the brothers relocated to the capital from the Epirus region in northwestern Greece. This souvlaki grill is supplied all its meat from the family butcher’s shop, managed by one of the two siblings, Kostas. The brothers prepare the gyro themselves, along with the skewered souvlaki and kebab. The meat, hailing from small livestock farms in their Epirus homeland, is trimmed of all fat, and spiced before grilling. The gyro is a main attraction here. Its taste speaks for itself. Finely cut, crispy gyro pieces are served either in pitta wraps or as dishes. Customers can enjoy meals at the shop or order home deliveries.

68 Irakleitou, Egaleo, +30 210 5310 400

Tuesday-Saturday, 12:00-00:30

Sunday, 12:00-midnight

Closed on Mondays

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Mimis, premium quality pita wraps

Elvi Dimitris Zyba, an award-winning chef from the Alficon restaurant, has launched a new souvlaki spot, Mimis, in the lively Pagrati district. He offers top-grade souvlaki, using special cuts not often seen at souvlaki spots. The pork gyro is made with pancetta, beef gyro is made with picanha, and skewered souvlaki is made with chicken breast. The pitta bread, thinner and softer than normal, is homemade, at the shop. Different accompaniments and sauces, also all homemade, are recommended by the shop for respective meat choices, highlighting the flavour of cuts. Try the chicken wrap with almond sauce, tomato, yoghurt, red cabbage and crushed red pepper. Take away and home delivery are also offered.

10 Efranoros, Pagrati, +30 210 7565 789

Tuesday – Sunday, 15:00-23:00

Closed on Mondays

Kostas, lifelong souvlaki dedication

Kostas, a pint-sized souvlaki spot, situated in the centre of Athens, at a narrow side-street off Mitropoleos st, has been based at this address since 1950, serving skewered pork and beef bifteki, made simply yet filled with quality, either in pitta or without. The business is now run by a third generation of the family, with all the original quality intact. The meat is fat-free, charcoal-grilled and served either plain, with olive oil and oregano flavouring, as is customary at village festivals around Greece, or wrapped in pitta bread, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with tomato, onion, parsley, red pepper and yoghurt, which is preferred to tzatziki. The proprietors here believe the intense garlic flavour of tzatziki overwhelms meat flavour. This small shop does not offer seating. Customers can either order over the counter or online for home delivery.

5 Pentelis and Mitropoleos, Syntagma, +30 210 3228 502

Monday-Saturday, 10:00-16:00

Closed on Sundays

Panerythraikos, tiny grill, great satisfaction

Enjoying the city’s greatest cult status, Panerythraikos, in Nea Erythraia, northern Athens, offers a village café-like setting with wooden chairs out on the pavement. The menu is limited but worth exploring to its fullest. The meat offering is limited to skewered pork, small in size but very delicious, juicy and slightly fatty. The spot also offers freshly cut fried potato chips, salad with diced and peeled tomatoes, onion and parsley, as well as feta cheese topped with olive oil and oregano. The souvlaki is served either plain or in pitta bread, oiled to perfection, with paprika, tomato, onion and parsley. One objection: The pitta bread could have been smaller for a better match with the short skewers. Whether ordered with or without pitta bread, one souvlaki here will not fill your tummy.

11 Anaxagora, Nea Erythraia, +30 210 8000 271

Monday-Saturday, 18:00-midnight

Closed on Sundays