5 Great Places to Eat in Athens for under €5!

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Pink Flamingo Dim Sum

Pink Flamingo

A party on a plate awaits at this popular dim sum destination that shines the spotlight on the famous and very moreish Chinese steamed bun, all packaged up in pretty pink paper that’s printed with pink feathers! With just a handful of sidewalk tables and a small upstairs area, you can choose from three different dim sum versions:  vegetarian with peas, sweet potatoes, lentils, curry and ginger, one with shrimp and chicken, and one with pork and ginger. Another highlight is the bao bun (Asian steamed bread) with fillings that change each week. The recipe of the day costs just €4.50. Add 50 cents to 1 euro to upgrade to the “Dim Sum” menu.

Yiaourtaki

Yiourtaki

Bang centre of Monastiraki Square, Yiaourtaki offers up pancakes and waffles well-furnished with all kinds of tempting taste trimmings such as fruit, chocolate, cheese – even meat – for lovers of this French-via-America specialty. Meanwhile, decadent biscuit chunks can be integrated into the traditional crepe, for extra impact. The specialty here though is fresh or iced natural yogurt, which can be mixed with different sweet ingredients of your choice and sold by the weight. Yiaourtaki thus satisfies your seasonal cravings no matter the weather.

Yogurt from €2.70, pancakes from €3.20-6.90 € with chocolate composition, strawberries, cranberries, pistachios and cream.

Tzatziki

On always humming Ermou, Tzatziki makes a perfect pit-stop in which to hit the pause on your retail adventures with a delicious dose of Athens’ most popular street food staples. From gyros, to kalamaki, served with traditional or Arabic pita, passing through salads and pies, the choices are many. The famous Greek sauce, the tsatziki, is obviously the flagship ingredient but other sauces are also available to accompany tomatoes, onions, salads, fries, pork or chicken gyros. We can also recommend the vegetarian “chaloumi” wrapped in pita bread with cherry tomatoes, lettuce, gouda and feta, for € 3.50. A great place to soak up Greek culinary culture in the heart of the city.

Falafellas

Falafellas

Two friends, one shared passion and a few square meters in the center of Athens have been the key ingredients behind the wildly-popular street food fave, Falafellas, since it opened four years ago in buzzy Aiolou. Year round, locals and tourists alike happily brave lengthy queues to get their hands on one of Falafella’s famous falafel delights, often billed as the best in Athens and we can attest that their home-brewed spicy sauce  is reason enough for the wait!

Falafel wraps and portions start from €2.50; the giant meatball special is €4.80 and you can wash down this street food hero with a cold beer for €1.50.

Hot Hot Burger

Get your burger on at Hot Hot Burger

An ever-present street food suspect, the burger nonetheless is an irresistible proposition when well executed and a little bit original. Exploring the narrow streets of the Athenian center will poke your appetite sufficiently to make a detour to the corner of Parxitelous and Kolokotroni streets where you may be lucky to land a sidewalk perch at this urban bolthole-sized branch of the Hot Hot Burger tribe that’s open 24 hours. Our tip is the Jack Daniel’s Burger for its eponymous sauce and appetizing €4.50 pricetag.

Research: Corentin Laporte and Johanna Bonenfant