A typical Greek menu, at a taverna or a modern Greek restaurant, is built for sharing: cold and hot meze such as tzatziki, a dip of yogurt, cucumber and garlic[1], then grills, oven dishes and salads. Meze are many small dishes set out together, traditionally alongside drinks[2]. Order a few meze for the table, add one grill or oven dish per person or to share, and ask staff which items are cooked to order and which are priced by weight.
Typical menu
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Examples vary by restaurant. Confirm ingredients, portions and dietary needs with staff.
Meze and dips
- Tzatziki — Thick Greek yogurt with grated, squeezed cucumber, garlic, olive oil and a little vinegar, often finished with dill[1]; cool and garlicky, eaten with pita or next to grilled meat. No chili heat.
- Taramosalata — A pale pink or beige spread of cured fish roe whipped with bread or potato, olive oil and lemon; salty, briny and creamy. A small bowl goes a long way for the table. Contains fish; mild.
- Melitzanosalata — Roasted or grilled eggplant mashed with olive oil, garlic, vinegar or lemon and herbs; smoky and soft, lighter than most dips. Some versions add walnuts, feta or peppers, so ask if you avoid nuts or dairy.
- Dolmades — Vine leaves rolled around herbed rice, sometimes with ground meat, served cool with lemon or warm with egg-lemon sauce; tangy and tender. Usually a plate of several pieces to share; ask whether they contain meat.
- Spanakopita — Spinach and feta pie in flaky phyllo, served as a slice or as small triangles; savory, herby and buttery-crisp. A good shared starter; mild and usually vegetarian, though not vegan.
- Saganaki — A slab of firm cheese pan-fried until crusted outside and soft inside, finished with lemon; salty and rich, best eaten hot right away. Some restaurants flame it at the table. One order suits two to four people.
Grills and gyros
- Souvlaki — Cubes of pork, chicken or lamb marinated in olive oil, lemon and spices, then grilled on skewers[3]; smoky and juicy. Comes as a plate with pita, salad and fries or rice, or wrapped in pita. Mild.
- Gyros — Meat roasted on a vertical skewer and shaved off in thin, crisp slices, served in pita with tomato, onion and tzatziki[4]. The meat may be lamb, beef, pork or chicken, so ask which one the kitchen uses.
- Paidakia — Grilled lamb rib chops seasoned with salt, oregano and lemon, usually sold by the piece or by weight; charred outside and pink inside. Eaten by hand, they make a shared main for two.
- Htapodi sta karvouna — Octopus that is tenderized, then charred on the grill and dressed with olive oil, vinegar or lemon and oregano; smoky and tender with a slight chew. Usually a small starter portion and often one of the pricier meze.
Oven dishes, salads and desserts
- Moussaka — Layers of eggplant, often potatoes, and minced meat cooked with wine, tomato and cinnamon, topped with béchamel and baked until golden[5]. Rich and filling: one portion is a full main. Mild.
- Pastitsio — Baked tube pasta with a spiced ground-meat sauce under a thick béchamel top, cut into firm squares; comforting and heavy, often compared to lasagna. A full main for one; ask whether it is made fresh that day.
- Gemista — Tomatoes and peppers stuffed with herbed rice, sometimes with ground meat, then baked in olive oil, often with potatoes; soft, sweet and herby. Often the vegetarian main, but ask whether the filling contains meat.
- Horiatiki — The village salad: tomato, cucumber, onion, green pepper and olives under a slab of feta, a brined white cheese traditionally made from sheep’s or goat’s milk[6]. Usually no lettuce; one bowl serves two.
- Baklava — Dozens of buttered phyllo sheets layered with chopped walnuts, pistachios or almonds, baked and drenched in syrup[7]; crisp, sticky and very sweet. Pieces are small, so share a plate. Contains nuts.
- Galaktoboureko — Semolina custard baked between layers of buttered flaky pastry, then soaked in lemon syrup and served cooled[8]; creamy inside, crisp on top and nut-free in its basic form. Contains egg, milk and wheat.
How to order on your first visit
For two, choose two or three meze with pita, then one grill and one oven dish to share, or a salad instead of a second main. For four or more, ask whether there is a mixed meze or mixed grill platter and how many it feeds. Ask which fish or chops are priced by weight, whether dips contain nuts, fish roe or raw garlic, and whether fries or rice come with the plate.
Different menu styles
A gyro shop is a counter-service menu: gyros or souvlaki in pita, plates with fries or rice, a Greek salad and a few dips, quick and inexpensive. A taverna menu is longer, with meze, grills, oven dishes cooked earlier in the day and sometimes whole fish. A Greek bistro or cafe usually sits between the two, and a modern Greek restaurant may serve the same names as smaller, reworked plates, so read each description and ask about portion size.
What to order
- First visit for two: two cold meze with pita and one hot meze, then share a grill and an oven dish
- Avoiding meat: spanakopita, gemista, horiatiki and the vegetable dips, after asking whether stuffed dishes include ground meat
- Quick lunch: a gyros or souvlaki pita, or a Greek salad with one dip
- Group of four or more: a mixed meze platter and a mixed grill first, then add oven dishes once you see the portions
- Dessert for the table: one baklava and one galaktoboureko to compare a nutty and a creamy sweet
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between gyros and souvlaki?
Gyros meat is stacked on a vertical spit, roasted and shaved off as it cooks[4]. Souvlaki is cubed meat grilled on a skewer. Both can be wrapped in pita or served as a plate, so check which format the menu line means.
How does meze work at a Greek restaurant?
Meze plates go in the middle of the table and everyone takes from them, so you order for the group rather than per person. Order in rounds: start with three or four, then add more once you see the size. Extra pita is usually available on request, sometimes for a small charge.
Is Greek baklava the same as Turkish baklava?
They are close relatives: Greek sweets such as baklava and kataifi reflect the centuries of Ottoman rule[9]. Recipes vary by kitchen in the nuts, syrup and spices used. If you have a nut allergy, ask which nuts are in it and whether other desserts share the same trays.
What should I expect from a modern Greek menu?
Modern Greek restaurants usually keep classic names but change the format, with smaller plates, a raw bar or crudo and reworked dips. Portions can be smaller than at a taverna, so plan on more plates per person and ask the server how many dishes a table usually orders.
Related guides
Sources
- Greek National Tourism Organisation. Tzatziki. Accessed
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Appetizer. Accessed
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Shish kebab. Accessed
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Gyro. Accessed
- Greek National Tourism Organisation. Μουσακάς. Accessed
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Feta. Accessed
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Baklava. Accessed
- Greek National Tourism Organisation. Galaktoboureko. Accessed
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Greece: Daily life and social customs. Accessed