In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The shop both English and Greek lists name most is Kostas: 9 English and 7 Greek publishers, and the City of Athens’ own guide lists both of its shops. Lefteris o Politis follows with 11, then Savvas (9), Thanasis (8) and Hoocut (7). Thanasis is open every day from 10:00 to 02:00. The Kostas shop on Agias Irinis Square is closed at weekends and sells out on weekdays. A kebab plate at Bairaktaris is €13.50. Or book a tour: the Athens: Street Food Tasting Tourad is from €59 for 3 hours.
📊 The evidence behind this guide. This pass counts the souvlaki and gyros mentions of the 41 English and 34 Greek publishers named in where to eat in Athens. Athens-only sites without a named newsroom and tour operators are not counted. Counts are publishers, not pages, and the English and Greek counts are shown apart. The City of Athens’ own guide, This is Athens, is named where it lists a shop. How the guides are made
⚠️ Check the day. The Kostas shop on Agias Irinis Square is closed at weekends, and both Kostas shops stop when the meat runs out.
The shops the lists name most
| Shop | Sources | English | Greek | City guide | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kostas | 16 | 9 | 7 | Yes | Agias Irinis Square, and 5 Pentelis |
| Lefteris o Politis | 11 | 5 | 6 | Yes | 20 Satovriandou, Omonia |
| Savvas | 9 | 2 | 7 | Ermou, Monastiraki | |
| Thanasis | 8 | 6 | 2 | Mitropoleos 69, Monastiraki | |
| Hoocut | 7 | 2 | 5 | Yes | 9 Platia Agias Irinis, Monastiraki |
| Bairaktaris | 5 | 1 | 4 | Monastiraki, Stathmos and Syntagma | |
| Kalamaki Kolonaki | 3 | 2 | 1 | Yes | 32 Ploutarchou, Kolonaki |
The lists use the name Kostas for two shops, and the count covers both. The English lists favour Thanasis, and the Greek lists favour Savvas, Hoocut and Bairaktaris.
The shops
Pork and chicken gyros wrapped in pita with chips, tomato and tzatziki. Photo: Antonio Fajardo i López, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Kostas
Agias Irinis Square, Monastiraki, +30 210 323 2971; and 5 Pentelis, Syntagma, +30 210 322 8502 · Cited by 16 sources (9 English, 7 Greek)
Two shops carry the name. The one on Agias Irinis Square was opened in 1946 by Tasos, and his son Kostas works the grill alone. ekathimerini reports a wait of up to 40 minutes, three high tables, steps outside to sit on, a shop closed at weekends and weekday service until 17:00, and dates the sauce on its wrapped souvlaki to 1946. 2foodtrippers puts the other shop at 5 Pentelis, officially closing at 15:00 and stopping when the meat runs out, with pork souvlaki wrapped with tzatziki, tomatoes, onions, parsley and chilli. Go early either way.
Lefteris o Politis
20 Satovriandou, Omonia · since 1951 · Cited by 11 sources (5 English, 6 Greek) · +30 210 522 5676
A stand near Omonia Square that, according to 2foodtrippers, serves one sandwich: grilled minced beef from skewers, stuffed into a pita with tomatoes, onions, parsley and chilli powder. The City’s guide lists it for the bifteki tylichto, the grilled minced-meat patty wrapped in pita. Omonia is on metro lines 1 and 2.
Savvas
Ermou, Monastiraki · first Athens restaurant of the chain in 1922 · Cited by 9 sources (2 English, 7 Greek) · savvas-restaurant.com
The branch on Ermou opened in early 2014 in a four-storey building: a taverna on the ground floor with a garden and live music, a sports café-bar, an à la carte restaurant with a view of the Acropolis and a roof garden. The menu includes the Savvas kebab, a kebab with yoghurt, the Kesaria pie, a mixed grill and pork chops. It is a sit-down restaurant, not a stand.
Thanasis
Mitropoleos 69, Monastiraki · every day 10:00 to 02:00 · Cited by 8 sources (6 English, 2 Greek) · souvlaki-othanasis.gr
A large place just off Monastiraki Square, with a patio and a big indoor dining room, where 2foodtrippers watched the grill cooks shave pork and beef from the gyros wheels. Lonely Planet sends readers for the yoghurt kebab, ground lamb grilled on a fluffy pita with yoghurt and tomato sauce. It is the one on this list that is open until 02:00.
Hoocut
9 Platia Agias Irinis, Monastiraki · Sunday to Thursday 12:00 to 23:30, Friday and Saturday 12:00 to 00:00 · Cited by 7 sources (2 English, 5 Greek) · hoocut.com
The City’s guide calls it the new souvlaki. It is a joint venture of five chefs, the pita is baked in the shop, and the meat, including mutton and premium beef, is cut thin before grilling, like gyros but leaner. It is on the same square as Kostas, and 2foodtrippers suggests it when Kostas is shut.
Bairaktaris
Monastiraki, Stathmos and Syntagma · since 1879 · Cited by 5 sources (1 English, 4 Greek) · bairaktaris.gr
A tavern founded in 1879 by the Bairaktari family, with three branches. It is a sit-down meal, not a wrap. On its menu, four kebab skewers with pita, baked tomato and onions are €13.50, pork gyros €13.90, a serving of pork brochettes €14.90 and a Greek salad €9.20. The Syntagma branch takes bookings on +30 210 322 2190.
The styles, and where the City’s guide sends you
This is Athens, the City of Athens’ own guide, sorts souvlaki into styles. The addresses are the guide’s.
| Style | What it is | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Kalamaki | Pork or chicken on a wooden skewer, with salt and oregano, a lemon wedge and bread or pita | Elvis Monastiraki, 112 Ermou; Livadia, 2 Kanigos; Kostas |
| Gyros | Pork or chicken layered on a vertical rotisserie and shaved thin | Best Taste, 23 Athinodorou, Petralona |
| Kebab | Patties of minced lamb and beef with garlic and cumin, from the refugees from Istanbul and Asia Minor | Mikra Asia Pangrati, 2-4 Mesologgiou Square, Pangrati |
| Bifteki | Grilled patties of minced meat with onion and parsley | Lefteris o Politis |
| Kontosouvli | Large chunks of marinated meat with onion, tomato and peppers, slow-cooked over charcoal | Kalyvas, 10 Georgiou Olympiou, Koukaki; Tsiknaboom, 4 Pallados, Psirri |
| The new souvlaki | Mini pitas served beside skewers of beef, pork, salmon, chicken or turkey | Kalamaki Kolonaki, 32 Ploutarchou, Kolonaki |
Souvlaki is a diminutive of the Greek souvla, a skewer. The wrapped version is a tylichto, and in Greece “kebab” means the spiced minced-meat dish, not the doner.
Pork souvlaki on skewers with tzatziki, chips, a lemon wedge and pita. Photo: Miyagawa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Learn to make it
The Athens: Greek Souvlaki Pita Gyros Cooking Class with a Localad is from €110 for 3 hours, with 50 reviews at 5.0 stars. The Athens: Greek Street Food Tour with 5 Tastings & a Drinkad is from €57 for 2.5 hours. Athens food tours compares both with the rest.
Plan the rest
Where to eat in Athens has the tavernas, the restaurants and the Central Market, and rooftop bars in Athens the drinks with a view of the hill. Kostas, Hoocut and Thanasis are round Monastiraki: see Monastiraki flea market. Where to stay in Athens compares the areas, and Athens in one or two days fits lunch to the sights.
Common questions
Where is the best souvlaki in Athens?
Kostas is the shop both English and Greek lists name most, with 9 English and 7 Greek publishers, and the City of Athens' guide lists both of its shops. Lefteris o Politis follows with 5 English and 6 Greek, then Savvas (2 and 7), Thanasis (6 and 2) and Hoocut (2 and 5).
What is the difference between souvlaki and gyros?
Souvlaki is meat grilled on a skewer. Gyros is seasoned pork or chicken layered on a vertical rotisserie and shaved off thin, from the Greek for "spin around". Both are wrapped in pita with tomatoes and onions, and the City's guide calls the wrapped souvlaki a tylichto.
When is Kostas open?
The shop on Agias Irinis Square is closed at weekends and serves on weekdays until 17:00, according to ekathimerini, and closes when the meat runs out. The Pentelis shop, according to 2foodtrippers, officially closes at 15:00 and also stops when the meat runs out.
How much is a plate at Bairaktaris?
On the menu on its site, four kebab skewers with pita, baked tomato and onions are €13.50, pork gyros is €13.90, a serving of pork brochettes is €14.90 and a Greek salad is €9.20.
What are kalamaki, tylichto and kontosouvli?
A kalamaki is a piece of pork or chicken on a wooden skewer, seasoned with salt and oregano and served with lemon and bread. A tylichto is the souvlaki wrapped in pita. Kontosouvli is larger chunks of marinated meat on a long skewer, slow-cooked on a charcoal rotisserie.
Can I learn to make souvlaki in Athens?
Yes. The Athens: Greek Souvlaki Pita Gyros Cooking Class with a Local is from €110 for 3 hours on GetYourGuide, with 50 reviews at 5.0 stars.
