What to eat Central Greece? culinary specialties and gastronomy

In Greece, most restaurants are open every day and offer continuous service from lunchtime to evening. The first service starts around 12 noon, and kitchens generally close between 10 and 11 pm. Some restaurants also serve coffee, so are open in the morning. More upscale establishments are closed on certain days and have more limited service hours.

Tavern. The taverna is the most common type of restaurant. It's an establishment serving Greek cuisine. Local customers usually have several starters/mezzés and a salad to share, as well as one main course each. And most authentic tavernas don't actually have dessert on the menu. Bread is often charged extra. In popular taverns, expect to pay around €15 per person, with the main course costing between €7 and €12. Some taverns continue the tradition of offering dessert, usually fruit or a portion of homemade cake. House wine is served by the jug: ask for ena kilo for a liter, miso kilo for half a liter, kokkino for a red, lefko for a white. Note that there is a wide variety of tavern types: ouzeri, mezedopolio, tsipouradiko, psarotaverna... They are all originally specialized: ouzo, mezzés, tsipouro, fish and seafood... But the differences are sometimes subtle and the dishes served are often the same. In any case, credit cards are now accepted almost everywhere.

Gyros and souvlaki. Gyros is the traditional Greek sandwich, the equivalent of the Turkish doner kebab. It consists of lamb or pork meat grilled on a rotating spit and served in pita bread with a little tomato and onion, oregano, tzatziki and French fries. You can also opt for souvlaki: a skewer of lamb, pork or chicken served in the same way. A gyros or souvlaki costs between €3.50 and €6.

Many restaurants charge for bread: around €1/person. For water, ask for nero to vrysis for free water in a carafe. It's risk-free. But it's not always available: in chic restaurants and, above all, in taverns on islands lacking in water, a bottle of mineral water is the only choice. As for tipping, it's not compulsory, but it's a good idea to leave an extra 10% for service... if you're satisfied!

In taverns, dishes and starters arrive in no particular order, and guests at the same table are not necessarily served at the same time. That's why it's a good idea to share a mezze and a salad. You should also be aware that not all dishes come with a side dish. Ask for fries, rice or vegetables. If there are three of you at the table, you can order a salad and two dishes only, for example. At the end of the meal, you won't be pressured to leave the table either: unless you ask for the bill (ton logariasmo), you'll be left to enjoy it, without necessarily clearing the table. And if you don't manage to eat everything, don't hesitate to ask for a paketo to take away the leftovers. Coffee is not a Greek custom at the end of a meal: it's drunk everywhere and all day long, but very rarely in restaurants. On the other hand, it's quite common for a small dessert or a glass of alcohol to be offered at the end of the meal.

Nothing in particular. But if you go to a restaurant with Greeks, pay the bill or have the meal offered to you. In any case, avoid counting up what everyone has eaten and paying only for your share. This is not a common practice, if not downright impolite. And don't forget: if you're celebrating your birthday with Greeks in a restaurant, it's up to you to invite them, not the other way round.

Children are often very welcome. And they'll easily find a few specialties to suit their tastes, whether they're vegetarians, carnivores, small eaters or devourers of French fries (patates tiganites). Except in tourist restaurants, children's menus are non-existent. But it's easy to ask for half a portion of spaghetti (miso makaronia), for example.

Greeks are big smokers. But the air is finally becoming more breathable in taverns. Admittedly, the anti-smoking law, passed in 2008, has long remained highly theoretical. However, most restaurants now ban smoking indoors.

Let's just say that, like everywhere else, the best food is rarely found in establishments with a waiter at the entrance... And while some restaurants in prime locations (tourist sites, panoramic views...) charge exorbitant prices, prices are generally well displayed. What's more, it's not necessarily a tourist trap, but the bill in a fish restaurant can give rise to surprises. Fish and seafood are expensive, and charged by weight.

Most cafés and bars are open every day, from breakfast in the morning until around midnight. Some night bars only open from 6pm-7pm and stay open until the early hours of the morning. Pastry shops and tearooms often have a weekly closing day and variable opening hours.

The price of a café varies greatly: from "Balkan" fare in less touristy villages, to "Parisian" fare in the fine establishments of city centers and the most popular panoramic locations. Here are some average prices: €3.40 for a cappuccino, €4.50 for a pint of Greek beer, €2 for a soda. The good thing is that you can stay for hours at the same café table without having to renew your drink.

In Greece, the legal drinking age is 18. But controls are rare.

In the villages, the traditional establishment where men meet is the kafenio (καφενείο). As mores evolve, women are now admitted and there's even wifi for tourists. But most of the customers are retired men who here remake the world over a Turkish café (called elleniko since Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974), sipping slowly on a glass of alcohol (ouzo, tsipouro or raki) accompanied by mezzés or playing tavli (the national table game, very similar to backgammon) for hours.

Children are accepted everywhere, accompanied by their parents. As in restaurants, they are welcome. Children are kings in Greece and their noise level is very well tolerated!

The anti-smoking law was passed in 2008 and began to be applied everywhere. Smokers are now concentrated on the terraces.

Nothing to report, apart from avoiding establishments that need to employ thrashers. It's often a bad omen!