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Eating Out in Greece

There are different types of eateries in Greece, with different ranges of prices. If you want just a salad, or a pitta (flat bread with grilled lamb pieces, salad, dip, and a few chips rolled up) or a chop and chips, then go to a spit grill. They specialise in the above foods, do take aways, and are very cheap and cheerful. A kafenion is like a small drinks bar, with snacks, that the local men use.They serve coffee, ouzo, soft drinks, pies and little plates of snacks.The prices are usually dirt cheap.Fast food places do exist, but the fast part of the description is open to negotiation. The greeks like to cook everything fresh, so food is never fast in the usual sense of the word, even at Macdonalds!Restaurants are usually for evening meals, have a wider menu, and are more expensive.Greeks usually eat very late, in the summer they often don't meet for dinner until after eleven in the evening, when it is cooler!They spend the whole evening eating slowly, talking,laughing, and sometimes singing and dancing as well.Enjoy the time spent with your family and friends.

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The Old Fortress- Corfu Town Photo courtesy of John J Darbey

Village Festivals

Villages throughout Greece, and in the Islands, have local festivals called Panageries. These are celebrations for each village to honour their patron saint. Live music is played throughout the night , with traditional greek dancing performed by the local villagers, not professional dance teams. Locally produced wine and spit roasted baby lamb is available, as are Greek salads and home baked bread. There is no entrance fee to the local festivals, you pay only for the local wine or the lamb and salad. Wine is usually excellent quality, produced in a traditional way. It is fruity and rich, and very alcoholic, but rarely gives a hangover, as it is free from preservatives and chemicals. It often costs as little as three dollars for a two pint bottle.The bottle will often be a plastic water bottle, as it is not commercially bottled for the festival. It may be sold to you in an earthenware jug.The price of the lamb varies according to the market value of the meat, but it will be the sweetest, most succulent lamb you have ever tasted. You order the amount you want, and the whole lamb is taken off the spit and the amount you want is chopped off with a cleaver.

Finding the best places to eat is easy. Ask a friendly local where they go to eat, and they will point you in the right direction to find excellent food.Greeks are frugal with their money most of the time(except when you become a friend and they offer you hospitality!), so the place they choose as having the best food will probably be inexpensive as well.They may not have a menu in English, but do not worry, they will take you into the kitchen and let you choose from the cooking dishes and saucepans.If you prefer fish, you may be asked to choose which one you want from the fridge.Don't worry, this is normal behaviour in Greece!