I know that the quaint idea of wandering around the city streets looking for somewhere delightful, off the beaten track, and filled with locals is ideal for just about every travel enthusiast – but I’m vegan and gluten intolerant, and as much I’d love to stumble across somewhere idyllic, I have very much learnt the importance of planning. And I’m so glad I put some research into this trip, because Athens turned out to have some of the best vegan food I’ve ever had, in places I’d have never casually found.
First, if you don’t want to plan, you’ll definitely find something. There are plenty of places offering vegetable based dishes, and if you don’t have an issue with gluten, falafel and vegetable pittas and similar dishes are very commonly found street foods. You won’t starve, but here are a few recommendations to try.
Plan(e)t Ice Cream
When I was doing my research, I focused entirely on mains and evening meal options, so I was incredibly surprised to find a few 100% plant based ice cream shops dotted around the city. Unfortunately, I only got to try one, but it was great. The ice creams are oat based so nothing is 100% gluten free or coeliac friendly, but if you don’t have issues with gluten or can handle the risk of cross contamination that comes with oats, the staff were able to confirm which flavours were wheat free with ease, and offered a couple of tasting spoons if you weren’t 100% sure what to go for.
I opted for two scoops – one scoop of peanut butter caramel and one pistachio. Both were good, but the pistachio was incredible.
This place is in a great spot just off Monastiraki Square that you’re sure to pass when visiting Athens city centre.
Veganaki
This place was a gift. It’s located on the main intersection a two-minute walk from the Temple of Zeus, open all day, and the entire menu is vegan and gluten free, so it couldn’t be easier to order.
There’s something for everyone on the menu too from wraps to pizzas, pastas and salads. There’s plenty of 100% vegetable based options for people like me who don’t eat meat alternatives, but a few meat alternative options too. Several of the menu options include a vegan feta, their own recipe made in house. This wouldn’t be my go-to typically, but I really liked the sound of the other vegetables on the Greek pizza so decided to give it a try. It’s a very soft, creamy texture with an incredibly mild taste, give it a try if you’re not a feta lover, you may be surprised.
Staff are very friendly, and the location has a very relaxed vibe, meals are incredibly affordable with many options available for less than €10 – no need to dress up for this one.
Winners Vegan Restaurant
My biggest disappointment about Athens is that I wasn’t there long enough to visit this delight more than once. I ate here on my last night, and if I ever go back to Athens, this will be my first stop.
Prior to visiting Winners, I read a plethora of outstanding reviews, vegans and non-vegans alike praising this restaurant, calling it one of their best dining experiences to date. My expectations walking through the door were sky high, and the reality superseded all hopes I had.
The food was nothing short of exceptional, the staff were the perfect level of attentive without being too full on – the whole experience was a true pleasure. As for the menu, there’s a mix of salads, burgers, pasta dishes, some Thai/ Indonesian rice and noodle dishes, and a few other mains. It isn’t exclusively gluten free, but the allergen labels could not be any clearer, so choosing and ordering was very simple.
My first choice on the menu was unavailable that night, but after a couple of simple questions about why I wanted that dish (was it a specific ingredient, did I mind if my dish was hot or cold etc) my waitress pointed out two other dishes she thought I’d like instead. She seemed to know the menu inside–out, allergens included, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but makes ordering a breeze with dietary requirements.
And to say the dish I ordered was my second choice, it was one of the best vegan restaurant meals I’ve had in months, if not longer.
One final note – among those glowing reviews I found several complaining about the prices, many stating they were overpriced, and I didn’t find that at all. Mains started at about €12, stretching to €20, with most being about €14/15. More expensive than Athens street food? Sure. But overpriced as a restaurant? I don’t think so. Our table total was €63 for two glasses of wine, two desserts, one side dish, and one dessert, which while not remarkably cheap, I didn’t find to be overwhelmingly expensive either.
Until tomorrow,
Sophie
Leave a Reply