In the 1990s, Athens sustained itself on two reliable street‑side constants: souvlaki skewers and sesame‑crusted koulouri. Today, the city tells a different story. A steady influx of new cultures, matched by a distinctly Greek entrepreneurial instinct, has turned its sidewalks into something closer to an open‑air tasting menu.

You might start with a Saigon‑style banh mi, pass a stall stretching Anatolian gözleme, then stop for Roman pizza al taglio or a taco bright with Baja heat. The cooks behind these counters aren’t chasing trends. They work from memory, market produce, and technique – small, personal details that give even the quickest bite a sense of intention.

This is our tried and tested address book of Athens’s most compelling handheld food, which we make sure is regularly updated. We’ve largely left out the city’s classic souvlaki, pizza, and burger institutions – they deserve a guide of their own – and focused instead on the places that add surprise to an afternoon of wandering. Most sit within the historic center, neatly positioned between ruins and galleries. Walk, taste, repeat.

Read more at Travel.gr/en