Culinary Secrets of Downtown Athens
Description
Downtown Athens is a place where life is lived bite by bite, from old-school dairy bars and bustling souvlaki counters to historic markets and hidden arcades. On this tour, we’ll explore the culinary backstreets of central Athens, tasting thick Greek yogurt with honey and walnuts, loukoumades, northern-style souvlaki and kebab based on a recipe brought by refugees from Constantinople. We’ll also discover the seafood eateries tucked inside the city’s traditional stoas and sample artisanal cheeses, honey and homemade spirits. At Varvakeios, Athens’ central market, we’ll explore the meat and seafood stalls before stopping for classic booze and bites at a tiny 1970s institution. We’ll then cross over to the fruit, vegetable and pickle market to taste different varieties of Greek olives. Rough, beautiful, ancient and modern, downtown Athens tells the story of the city through its food.
Tour Options
Itinerary
On this 5½-hour food tour, we will explore the culinary backstreets and secrets of downtown Athens, in search of the soul of this historic yet always vibrant city.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(122)
Amazing tour and food. Constantine was an awesome guide - very friendly, funny and informative!
Thank you for the wonderful review. We are so glad you enjoyed exploring the daily life and complexity of the city with us. Your support means the world to the traditional family-run spots and the unsung heroes of the kitchen who preserve these culinary traditions. We hope to share more stories with you in the future.
Our Culinary tour with Natali Chavez was terrific! Her knowledge and insight was impressive and she was delightful to spend the day with. It felt like walking around Athens with a friend. I would recommend this tour to anyone interested in understanding a culture through its food...and enjoying a lot of amazing food along the way. We will definitely book another Culinary Backstreets tour.
Thank you for the wonderful review! We are so glad that exploring Athens with Natali felt like spending the day with a friend. By joining our walks, you are directly supporting the unsung heroes of the neighborhood kitchens and helping to preserve their beautiful culinary traditions. We would be honored to share the daily life of another city with you in the future.
Sofia was fantastic. She gave us a wonderful local experience with history and architecture also thrown in. Would definitely recommend this tour!
Thank you for the review and for choosing to explore the daily life and complexity of Athens with us. We are thrilled you had a wonderful local experience and enjoyed discovering the intertwined history, architecture, and food of the city. Your support means the world to us and the unsung heroes of the kitchen who work so hard to preserve these culinary traditions.
Culinary Backstreets Downtown Athens with Natali was a fantastic experience! Loved, loved, loved all the different tastes, the stories, and Natali's fabulous personality. Be sure to come with a very empty stomach - eating all day!!
Thank you for the review and for sharing your wonderful experience in Athens. We are thrilled that you enjoyed the diverse tastes and stories shared during your time with us. Your hearty appetite and support mean the world to the city's unsung culinary heroes, helping us continue to preserve these vibrant local traditions.
This was one of the best tours I’ve ever been on. The pace was about right, we hit many places that only had signs in Greek (not the touristy places with everything in English). The honey tasting at the old, family run store was very informative. The fish and meat market was unique and the olive tasting was fun. Katia was a great host, unhurried yet no wasted time. She was engaging and very knowledgeable and proud of her Greek and Athens heritage. Some might ask if 5 1/2 hours is too long, especially in the middle of warm day. It is definitely a commitment to spend the better part of a day walking around Athens but it never seemed like we weren’t heading somewhere interesting or trying something new. We ending up walking close to 10km (6 miles) so we saw a lot of the city. One of the highlights was the book that each couple received at the end of the tour. It had most, if not all of the places we visited as well as other useful info about Athens (much better than any of the travel books we read before visiting). We’ll definitely lend it to any friend that is heading for Athens (as long as they promise to return it!). Overall an enjoyable, informative and filling day.
Thank you for the review! We are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed exploring the daily life and complexity of Athens alongside our team. Thank you for supporting the unsung heroes of the kitchen and helping us preserve these beautiful, family-run culinary traditions.
Constantine was an exceptional tour guide for “culinary secrets of downtown Athens”. He has so much information to share and we learned a lot. The tour itself included at least nine stops and brought us to parts of the city we had not yet explored. Some highlights were the central market where we saw meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, and olives, having Greek coffee at a cafe, cow and goat milk based desserts, traditional Greek items like Loukamades, souvlaki, spanakopita, and several types of seafood at the final restaurant. This was one of my favorite days of our whole trip that included Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini. Also, Constantine took the time to help us get reoriented with the city so we only had a short walk back to our hotel.
Thank you for sharing your experience and exploring the daily life and vibrant markets of Athens with us. We are so glad to hear this was a highlight of your trip, as your participation directly helps support the unsung heroes of the kitchen and preserves these beautiful, family-run culinary traditions. We hope to wander the backstreets with you again in the future.
This tour - and Katia - were terrific. It was our first full day in Athens and she not only helped us get oriented and to know the city a bit, she also took us to some of the most historic and truly Greek dining experiences that we never would have found on our own. She was personable and lovely and attentive and tuned in tour family’s needs the entire time. Make sure you come hungry! I highly recommend this tour and especially Katia.
Thank you for the wonderful review and for taking the time to share your experience. We are thrilled that you could connect with the unsung heroes of Athens' kitchens and dive straight into the daily life of the city. Your visit supports our mission of honest tourism and helps preserve these family-run establishments and culinary traditions for years to come.
Sofia was fabulous and showed us to so many hidden gems while introducing us to Greek cuisine. We learned a lot and had a blast along the way. Highly recommended for curious travelers and foodies alike.
Thank you for the wonderful review. We are thrilled that you enjoyed exploring the city's hidden gems and sharing in its vibrant daily life with us. By taking this walk, you are directly supporting the unsung heroes of the kitchen and helping to preserve important culinary traditions.
Katia was a great guide, giving us an insight into the history & culture of Athen & intertwining that with the foods that are part of the Greek lifestyle - simple & fresh using the best of ingredients. We started with the simple Koulouri, the sesame ring-shaped bread, both delicious & sustaining. We tasted lots of- honey, olives, cheese. Had Spanakopita, delicious Souvlaki, that all the locals eat, meze with Tsipoura a non- aniseed type of alcohol. Then to a traditional “Dairy bar” with amazing yogurt desserts before a “late lunch with fried octopus, fresh anchovies & wild greens & a lentil mash! We didn’t really need dinner! Katia shared her own treasured memories of growing up & shopping & eating with her family which enriched our own experience. She set a relaxed pace & we never felt rushed. Culinary Backstreets have a unique approach which enriches the food experience.
Thank you for the wonderful review and for taking the time to share your experience exploring the daily life of Athens. We are so glad you connected with the neighborhood's culinary heroes and enjoyed the personal, family-rooted stories shared along the way. Your visit means the world to us and helps immensely in preserving these vital, generations-old culinary traditions.
The tour was excellent. Well paced, nicely curated, with a delightful guide, and delicious.
Thank you for the review and for sharing your wonderful experience. We are thrilled that you enjoyed the pace and curation of our route, as connecting curious travelers with the unsung heroes of the kitchen is our greatest passion. Thank you for walking with us and helping to preserve these cherished culinary traditions.
