I first had a gyros on the Greek island of Zakynthos. I was a vegetarian at the time. It came with the usual ingredients with an extra helping of chips. Fast forward two years and now, while I try to be vegetarian most of the time, I’m more relaxed about it. So I knew I had to try gyros with the meat when I visited Athens this year with my partner, Dane.
If I thought the vegetarian ones were good, the meat ones blew my mind! They were cheap, filling, and could be bought on almost every street. In the two months that I spent in Greece, I only tasted one gyro that I didn’t like. Maybe I’m easy to please, who knows, but I was hooked.
As far as price goes, in Athens, they do tend to be a little more expensive – being the capital city and all – and so it got me thinking about whether I could find cheap gyros. In Zakynthos, a gyro will cost you around €2.50, so I wanted to find ones that were at least as cheap as that. And so started my quest to find the cheapest gyros in Greece.
AƟHNA
Pronounced “Athena”, this restaurant sits on the corner of Athinas and Ermou, opposite Monastiraki Square. It was only a two-minute walk away from the hostel we were staying at, SafeStay, so it was a safe bet. The friendly waiter always used to catch us as we were walking by until one day we decided to eat there. The trick is to get it to takeaway – they do special deals. They have a window through which you can order and receive your food fresh from the cook.
It was always fresh food. The chicken (my usual favourite) was tender and spiced well, with paprika sprinkled over the gyros to add a kick of flavour. If you order to takeaway a gyro would cost from €2.20. Quite a steal, in my opinion. Monastiraki Square is a great place to sit down and eat your meal. It’s bustling with tourists and locals, and you can head into the flea market once you are finished for an interesting browse.
Price: €2.90 sit-down. €2.20 for takeaway.
Location: Athinas 1 &, Ermou, Athina 105 54, Greece.
The Grecos Project
With several restaurants in Athens, I kept stumbling upon Grecos and it always looked interesting. It’s a sit-down restaurant and is more expensive than other gyro places, but it’s worth it. It’s important to treat yourself sometimes! We found this place for lunch, and sat beside the open windows, looking out to the street and people watching.
The gyros were tasty and juicy, and we were treated to the accommodating service of a sit-in meal. We could sit down and relax while we planned the rest of our day. This restaurant was a short walk from Parliament House and Syntagma Square. Here you can see the changing of the guard in front of the monument of the unknown soldier. The best time to see this is at 11am on Sundays, Pop over to the Grecos Project afterward for a revitalising lunch.
Price: €3.30.
Location: Mitropoleos 5, Athina 105 57, Greece.
Website: http://www.grecosproject.gr/
Ahmed's Gyros
If you’re not fancy and just want a gorgeous gyro to go, then head over to Ahmed’s in the North-West of Athens. it’s only a short walk from Omonia Square. The style of the shop is more reminiscent of a kebab shop in England; it’s simple, it’s budget, and it’s characteristic. Alongside serving curry, this bustling restaurant is mainly takeaway. It’s usually easy to tell which food place is worth it because of how busy it is, and this was crammed. This restaurant sat on the corner of the street where we stayed in another hostel, called Athens Hawks. We couldn’t believe our luck when we found it!
We squeezed ourselves into the line, and by the time we stumbled back out again we were loaded down with good food. There was a real atmosphere here, and it felt like we were seeing the back streets of Athens, away from the tourists and overpriced merchandise. Head back to Omonia Square and sit in front of the grand fountain for a scenic lunch.
Price: €2.00.
Location: Sofokleous 54, Athina 105 52, Greece.
Bouloukos Kebab
I tend to find interesting characters in places I visit, and this restaurant has a character I won’t forget! On a corner of the Central Municipal Market sits a couple of gyros joints. By chance, we grabbed a table outside of this one after exploring the market. The lady behind the counter is a Greek mother on all accounts, and as she loudly talks back and forth between us, we place our order and sit at the table in the busy street.
We must have looked like two little tourists as she walked out and pinched our cheeks like our mother! Placed before us were our gyros, and they were just as soul-filling and heart-warming as our host.
Price: €2.20.
Location: Athinas 53, Athina 105 52, Greece.
Theikon Grill House
Next to Bouloukos kebab, we found this place first. It’s right next to the fruit section of the Municipal Market. I can only describe the shops there as what it would look like if Aladdin’s Genie was a hoarder inside his little lamp.
Like with most restaurants there are seats outside. This had a more cafe-style atmosphere as you order at the counter and a little more personal space. Your shoulders aren’t rubbing against people as they walk past. It’s a great location for a quick pit stop after shopping, or getting lost in the stores that are too much like Draco Malfoy’s Room of Requirement in Hogwarts.
An extra treat is they sell cafe freddos here for €1. It’s a very cheap meal that fills you up and revitalises you for the rest of the day. You’re gonna need it if you want to escape the Cave of Wonders. Just don’t touch anything.
Price: €2.20.
Location: Armodiou 147, Athina 105 52, Greece.
These are only five gyros out of five thousand places in Greece. As much as I would have liked to try more, there wasn’t enough time. I also would have no longer been able to fit into my clothes, so… The few pounds I did put on I quickly worked off when I went to my next Workaways in Palairos and Demati.
There is a gyros restaurant to suit everyone’s needs, from cheap to expensive, grungy to fancy. Find one that suits you! Compared to London, even the expensive gyros aren’t that pricey, so I still felt like I was getting a good deal at €3.
Do you have a favourite gyros in Greece? I would love to learn of more places to add to my list for next time.
[…] coffee as well. Always a plus! I went on a quest to find cheap gyros, which you can read about here. I was obsessed with eating gyros and I ate at a lot of places! If you want a break, sit in the […]