Souvlaki: The Hamburger of Greece

souvlaki shops, fast food, fast food in Athens, dining out in Athens, Souvlakis are the hamburgers of Greece. At least they were until hamburgers arrived and now hamburgers are the hamburgers of Greece. Souvlaki shops have become more scarce and fast food places more plentiful, though you should not have trouble finding a souvlaki if you want one.
What is a Souvlaki?
It is usually meat of some sort, beef, lamb, pork or 'unknown' that is on a giant vertical rotisserie. The souvlaki 'cook' slices off the meat as it becomes done and puts it on a round pita bread with lettuce, tomato, onions, and sadziki, a cucumber-yogurt-garlic sauce that in my opinion is what makes souvlakis great. In some souvlaki shops the meat is skewered and sometimes you can get ground beef, which is generally known as beefteki. In some upscale souvlaki shops you can get chicken souvlakis and even swordfish souvlakis(Very rare. I think there is a place next to MacDonalds at Syntagma where I saw it). It comes in wax paper which keeps it all together and you eat it like you are peeling a banana.
When I was a kid I could eat three or four of them easily but now I have trouble imagining eating one. But that is only because the only time I would eat in a souvlaki shop would be in the day because dinners are eaten in tavernas as a form of entertainment as well as sustainance and who wants to eat a big greasy sandwhich when it is 95 degrees out? Well, many people do and they are still quite popular day or night. In fact when I tell my old friends who used to live in Greece I am going there, they always ask me to bring them back a souvlaki. One American kid from the US Airbase filled a suitcase with souvlakis when he left Greece after his father's tour of duty was over. So you see the power of the Souvlaki is strong and unless you are a vegetarean, you must try one.(You can get them without meat too.)

The great thing about souvlakis is that they are cheap and if your kids are hungry you can send them to the souvlaki shop for dinner. They can go and order for themselves and it will be a sort of adventure and fill them with confidence in their ability to survive in a foreign culture.

As was the general consensus 25 years ago, the best place for a souvlaki is.....
well, just read on.

Souvlaki Warning!

Where Metropoleos street meets Monistiraki square are several souvlaki shops, next to and facing each other, each one just as good as the other. But you must be careful here. If you sit down and order a 'souvlaki', the waiter will return with an enormous plate filled with salad, chopped pita-bread and a skewer or two of meat. Of course this is not the souvlaki you know and were expecting. souvlaki shops, fast food, fast food in Athens, dining out in Athens,
I remember seeing a family of tourists who moments before had been bursting with excitement over the anticipated arrival of their first souvlaki in Greece, then stare in astonished disbelief at the five plates put before them. Sadly they ate them, thinking they had made some kind of tragic mistake when they ordered. They had not made a mistake. While everyone in the world knows what a souvlaki is, these restaurants have given the word a new meaning. The reason is simple. The cost of a sandwich versus the cost of a whole meal.

When they tried the stunt on us my friend Dorian confronted the waiter.

"What the hell is this?" He asked.
"It's a souvlaki", said the waiter. "It's what you ordered".
"I didn't order this." said my friend.
"Sure you did. I took the order myself. See it's written right here."
He showed us an illegible scrawl on a piece of paper.
"If this is a souvlaki, then what do you call the skewer of meat with tomatoes, onions and sadziki wrapped in pita-bread?" Dorian asked.
"That's the "Special Sandwich", smiled the waiter with an embarrassed look on his face that told us that he knew he had been trapped by a couple of experts.
"Take these away and bring us two souvlakis. The kind they sell as souvlakis everywhere in the world except here." Said Dorian.
The waiter returned smiling with our souvlakis.

souvlaki shops, fast food, fast food in Athens, dining out in Athens, So when you go to one of these places be sure to tell them Souvlaki Sandwich. This article will cost the Greek economy billions of drachma in lost souvlaki revenue but at least souvlaki lovers of the world will return home fulfilled. If it is in a plate, laying flat, with more then one skewer of meat, then send it back. (unless you want the platter, which actually is not bad).

As for the restaurants, in my opinion these are the best souvlakia in Athens so don't let this article keep you from going here.

Souvlaki Expert Alex Charlabidis has contributed the following valuable information on Souvlakis:

The Alex Charalabidis Guide to Souvlaki

  • 1. Asking for a "souvlaki" will normally result in a kebab - meat on a skewer, especially outside Athens.
  • 2. The classic "souvlaki" known throughout the world is purchased by asking for "gyro pita" (YEE-roh PEE-tah) Note that the "pita" is essential to denote the wrap, asking for "gyro" will likely get you the full monty -a "merida" (portion) with the disappointing results Matt mentions above. On the other hand, a "souvlaki (me) pita" would be a classic souvlaki with meat from the skewer in it instead of meat sliced off the big spit.
  • 3. A "doner" is another name for "gyros" (the Turkish original, I presume) and a term more widely used in the city centre rather than in the neighbourhood "souvlatzidiko."
  • 4. Fancier souvlakia (kebabs) may come with pieces of onion and green bell pepper between the pieces of meat.
  • 5. Chicken souvlakia are increasingly common and many shops now carry them. Some shops have a separate spit for chicken but I'd go for the souvlaki instead.
  • 6. Any professional who calls it a "souvlaki sandwich" ought to be condemned to a year of flipping burgers at McDonalds. I've never heard of it, it's probably a strictly tourist shop term and would make any Greek look at you funny.
  • 7. Many places in the centre have blackboards with the menu written on them outside the shop, usually in awful but recognizable transliterations.
  • 8. Sitting down is an implied invitation to be served a full meal. Go  inside and stand in line.
  • 9. Some places will lace the onion with parsley to draw out the bitter flavour of onion that's been cut for a while. Others will combine it with lettuce.
  • 10. The meat in the gyros is commonly a blend of pork and lamb (or mystery meat). Definitely not kosher. If you're Jewish or Muslim, you'll want to avoid it and go for the souvlaki, which is usually lamb (see 2.).
  • 11. Tzatziki is meant to have the consistency of yoghurt. The only thing dripping out of the bottom of a wrap should be grease, not runny tzatziki.
  • 12. Good tzatziki contains garlic - lots of it. Beware!
  • 13. I had no idea I knew this much about souvlakia.

    • Alex Charalabidis

    Return to Greek Food Index