The Vegetarian Food Tour of Athens

What you eat on this vegetarian food tour 

The tour starts in Monastiraki with a Greek coffee and a koulouri, the sesame bread ring that people here pick up on the way to work. From there you walk into Plaka and start tasting.

You try vegetarian pies, a shop that has been baking in the same spot for many years. There is fava, the soft yellow split pea purée, and dolmades, vine leaves stuffed with rice and herbs. At a traditional deli you sample olives, a few different cheeses and olive oil, and the guide shows you what makes an oil extra virgin and how to tell a good one from an ordinary one. You also try Mastiha, a resin from the island of Chios that Greeks use in sweets and in drinks. The tour ends the way most good Greek meals do, with mezze and a glass of local wine or a small spirit, shared around one table.

Come hungry. There is more food than people expect.

Where the tour goes

The route covers Monastiraki, Plaka and the streets in between. One of the stops is the central market at Varvakeios, where much of Athens buys its produce, herbs, olives and cheese. Several of the places on the route are small family shops with no English menu, and some have no sign at all. We know the owners, which is usually how you end up tasting things that are not on any list.

And if you are vegan…

The tour is vegetarian by default, but Greek cooking gives us plenty to work with for a vegan version. Fava, dolmades, olives, olive oil, greens, bread and most of the market stops are already plant based. When you book, let us know, and we replace the cheese and dairy stops with something else. If you want a route that is vegan from start to finish, say so and we build it that way.