Readers Souvlaki Reviews

Hi

First of all, congratulations on your website. I don't think I have ever come across such a complete guide to Greece (or any other country, for that matter) on the internet. Furthermore, as a greek living abroad, it's nice to be reminded of all the good (and bad) things back home. I'm very impressed by the time and effort you have put on this project.
 

Just one comment about the all-important subject of souvlaki. I only had a quick scan through the website, so I'm not sure if you mention this anywhere else, but there is a huge divide between the south and the north of Greece on the matter. 'Souvlaki' in the south can mean either gyros-pita or the skewered meat (kalamaki) or kalamaki-pita (or anything wrapped in pita). But:in the north of Greece (which means anywhere to the north of Larissa, or even Lamia), 'souvlaki' means only the skewered meat. If you want the gyros-pita thing, you must order a 'sandwitch'. I have heard stories of Athenians ordering 'souvlaki me kalamaki' in Thessaloniki and receiving a kalamaki (i.e. souvlaki) and a straw (kalamaki, same word). Actually, to order exactly what you want to eat in the north, the best bet is to just list all the ingredients ('pita, gyros, etc'). But the word for the whole pita wrap is 'sandwitch'.
 

[And by the way, northern souvlaki is far superior than southern - not only larger and not as greasy, but you can also choose between a variety of meats (or even fried calamari, during lent) and salads.] A similar misunderstanding between south and north exists with the cheese. All yellow cheese in the north is called 'kasseri' and the word 'tyri' is only used for feta cheese.

I'm beginning to get hungry, so I'll finish the email here.

Cheers,

Haroula

And an other thing.Please don't advise yor readers to order something else when cheated. They should  get up and leave instead. This should be happening until those %^$#@^%$#@@^%$ wise up. They all know what souvlaki means. Thank God there are a lot of souvlaki-places .There can be no tolerrence for those who embarrass us .

Stavros Partheniou

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Hi Matt-

 I am just sitting here lost in nostalgia for Greece and longing to return
(which I will in May!!) and I came across your souvlakia page.  I just had the
urge to tell you about a place called Paliakis in Pangrati.  They have some of
the best gyros I've ever come across at a small family run place at Plateia
Varnava.  Next time you're in town check them out.

Angela Pitsakis

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Hi Matt,

Excellent website, keep up the good work. It makes for interesting reading, even for native Athenians who live in Athens, such as myself.

The souvlaki subject is very touchy for us Greeks. In keeping with your site's spirit of giving "inside" info to foreign visitors, I would thoroughly recommend that you delete all mention to Mpairaktaris, and all other dreadful tourist garbage on Mitropoleos and Plaka!

As a seasoned souvlaki veteran, I've had my share of the good, the bad and the downright awful. Mpairaktaris is probably one of the worst.
In case you didn't know, the "celebrity photo" concept has its purpose: to keep you distracted from the terrible food. One other torrid place, Jimmy's Souvlaki in Mykonos, also has celebrity photos, but the patrons there are usually too drunk to notice the photos, the souvlaki or the daylight robbery.

For any of your website visitors staying in the north of Athens, there 3 excellent souvlaki places, located within a few meters from each other in Nea Erythrea, just off Kifisias Avenue. (the so called magic triangle) These three spots are not only the undisputed best in the northern suburbs, but could well be in the Top 10 of the whole Athens area.

STELIOS, on Plastira Street (turn left on Plastira going north on Kifisias (Eleftheriou Venizelou), its on your left, 10 meters). Stelios is a kotopoulo (chicken) souvlaki specialist. The kotopoulo-pita is huge, the ingredients are fresh and the home-made sauce cannot be described with words. 10/10.

PANERYTHRAIKOS is about 50 meters from Stelios (turn left on Plastira). You cant miss it, because its always packed. P's menu only has one thing: souvlaki-kalamaki. I've seen people queue from over half an hour to get theirs. I dont know where he gets the meat from, or what the secret cooking technique is, but this soulaki-kalamaki (with pita or without - absolutely no sauce or tzatziki, just tomato and onion) has to be tasted to be believed (10/10)

DOKOS is on Plastira Square (again, about 50m from Stelios, but on the right). The key ingredient here is curry. Yes, Dokos must be the only souvlaki place in Greece that makes curry-gyros-pita. It's heavy, and worth its weight in gold. Dokos does everything curry, from kalamaki to gyros to french fries. He recently added a heavier kalamaki-souvlaki called The Heiropoiito (hand-made) which is served plain, with curry, or in a gigantic pita with optional condiments. A must try ( 9.5/10)

Note: All three places are run-down, shabby, uninviting, BUT very cheap. Where souvlaki is concerned, foreign visitors should always look for very greek-looking, undecorated, dark and uncomfortable souvlaki spots. Oh, and a general restaurant tip: Stay away from places that have pictures of the menu on the outside, and where waiters wear dark trousers and white short-sleeved shirts.
A.T.C.

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The best souvlaki after thanasis is “Posto” in maroussi near the train station. Delicious!!!

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