Athens is one of the great food cities of the Mediterranean, and a food tour is one of the best ways to experience it -- guided walks through markets, backstreet tavernas, and neighbourhood haunts that most visitors would never find on their own. Not technically a day trip out of Athens, but a day trip into a side of Athens most tourists miss.
In this guide
Greek food goes far beyond moussaka and souvlaki. Athens has a layered food culture shaped by Ottoman, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean influences, with regional specialities from across Greece converging in the capital's markets, bakeries, and tavernas. A guided food tour gives you context, access, and tastings that would take days to discover independently.
Types of Food Tours
Walking Food Tours (Most Popular)
The standard format: a guide walks you through a neighbourhood, stopping at 6-10 food spots for tastings and explanations. You eat as you walk. Most tours last 3-4 hours and include enough food to replace a meal.
Typical stops include: - Central Market (Varvakeios Agora) -- Athens' main meat and fish market. Loud, vivid, authentic. - Traditional bakeries -- Koulouri (sesame bread rings), tyropita (cheese pie), spanakopita (spinach pie) - Meze restaurants -- Small dishes, ouzo, and conversation - Spice shops -- Greek mountain tea, saffron, dried herbs - Delis and charcuteries -- Cured meats, olives, cheeses - Sweet shops -- Loukoumades (honey doughnuts), baklava, galaktoboureko (custard pastry) - Street food -- Souvlaki, gyros, the eternal Athens debate over which shop is best
Price range: 60-90 EUR per person. Includes all tastings. Some include wine or ouzo.
Best for: First-time visitors who want to understand Athenian food culture quickly.
Cooking Classes
Half-day or full-day classes where you shop at the market, then cook a multi-course Greek meal. More hands-on than a walking tour.
Typical format: - Meet at a market for ingredient shopping (1 hour) - Walk to the kitchen (often in a home or small studio) - Cook 4-6 dishes (2-3 hours) - Eat everything you've made, with wine
Price range: 70-120 EUR per person.
Best for: People who want to take Greek cooking skills home.
Wine and Food Pairing
Focused on Greek wine paired with local dishes. Usually held in a wine bar or restaurant rather than as a walking tour.
Price range: 50-80 EUR per person.
Evening/Night Food Tours
Walking tours that run in the evening (starting 18:00-19:00), focusing on dinner spots, meze bars, and the Athenian dining culture. The pace is more relaxed and the atmosphere livelier.
Price range: 70-100 EUR per person. Usually includes a sit-down dinner component.
Where the Tours Go
The Central Market (Varvakeios Agora)
The beating heart of Athenian food. A covered market near Monastiraki selling meat, fish, cheese, olives, spices, and dried goods. It's noisy, aromatic, and visually intense -- especially the meat and fish halls. Most food tours start or pass through here.
Open Monday-Saturday, roughly 07:00-15:00. Best visited in the morning.
Psyrri and Monastiraki
The old commercial district, now a mix of traditional workshops, hipster bars, and some of Athens' best street food. Psyrri has transformed from a gritty neighbourhood to a food destination, with meze bars, neo-tavernas, and craft cocktail spots sitting alongside old-school butchers and spice merchants.
Exarchia
The alternative/anarchist neighbourhood north of the centre. Less polished than Psyrri but with excellent cheap eats, ethnic restaurants (particularly Middle Eastern and Asian), and a raw, ungentrified energy. Some food tours venture here; others avoid it.
Plaka and Anafiotika
The touristy old town below the Acropolis. Food tours that include Plaka tend to focus on traditional sweets and the tiny Anafiotika neighbourhood (built by workers from the island of Anafi in the 19th century, with a Cycladic village feel).
Koukaki
A residential neighbourhood south of the Acropolis with a growing food scene. Local tavernas, wine bars, and bakeries without the tourist markup. Some of the more interesting food tours include stops here.
What You'll Eat
A good Athens food tour will introduce you to:
- Koulouri -- Sesame bread rings. The Athens street snack. Sold from carts on every corner.
- Tyropita and spanakopita -- Cheese pie and spinach pie. The quality varies enormously -- a food tour finds the best.
- Loukoumades -- Deep-fried dough balls soaked in honey and cinnamon. Hot, crispy, addictive.
- Greek cheeses -- Beyond feta. Try graviera (hard, nutty), myzithra (soft, fresh), and kasseri (semi-hard, buttery).
- Olives -- Dozens of varieties. Kalamata is famous, but try Amfissa (purple, meaty) and Thassos (wrinkled, oil-cured).
- Meze -- Small shared dishes. Tzatziki, taramasalata (fish roe dip), melitzanosalata (aubergine dip), dolmades (stuffed vine leaves), grilled octopus.
- Souvlaki -- The Athens version: meat on a skewer or in a pita wrap with tomato, onion, and tzatziki. The debate over Athens' best souvlaki is endless and passionate.
- Greek sweets -- Baklava, galaktoboureko, halva, pasteli (sesame and honey bars), spoon sweets (fruit preserved in syrup).
- Greek coffee -- Thick, strong, served in a small cup with the grounds. Ordered as sketo (no sugar), metrio (medium), or glyka (sweet).
Booking and Practical Tips
- Book at least a few days ahead. Popular tours fill up, especially in season.
- Morning tours are best for the markets. The Central Market winds down by early afternoon.
- Come hungry. Most tours provide enough food for a full meal across the stops. Skip breakfast or have something very light.
- Wear comfortable shoes. You'll walk 3-5 km over 3-4 hours on uneven streets.
- Dietary requirements are usually accommodated with advance notice. Vegetarian is easy in Greek cuisine. Vegan and gluten-free are manageable but require communication.
- Tip your guide if the experience was good. 5-10 EUR per person is standard.
- Operators to look at: Athens Food on Foot, Culinary Backstreets Athens, GetYourGuide, Viator. Read recent reviews -- quality varies.
DIY Food Tour
If you'd rather explore on your own:
- Start at the Central Market (07:00-09:00 for the best atmosphere)
- Coffee at a traditional kafeneio in Psyrri
- Loukoumades at a specialist shop (several on Aiolou Street)
- Browse the spice shops on Evripidou Street
- Lunch at a Psyrri meze spot -- order 4-5 small plates and a carafe of house wine
- Afternoon sweet at a zacharoplasteio (pastry shop) in Monastiraki
- Evening souvlaki -- join the locals at a counter shop
Total cost: 25-40 EUR if you graze sensibly. Less than a guided tour but without the commentary and insider access.
Athens food tours typically run 3-4 hours and cost 60-100 EUR per person including all tastings. Book in advance, especially in summer.