The best traditional Greek dishes
The top 3 according to 55 votes from people: Moussaka · Souvlaki · Tzatziki. (Updated Sep 15, 2025.)
The Greek dishes that every guide to eating in Greece puts at the top, from taverna mezze to Sunday oven bakes. Desserts included at the end because baklava and loukoumades deserve it.
Top 15
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1
Moussaka
Layers of aubergine, potato and cinnamon-spiced meat sauce under a thick béchamel, as codified by Nikolaos Tselementes in the 1920s.
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2
Souvlaki
Marinated pork or chicken grilled on skewers, wrapped in pita with tzatziki, tomato and onion.
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3
Tzatziki
Strained yoghurt with cucumber, garlic and olive oil, served with bread or grilled meat.
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4
Greek salad (horiatiki)
Tomato, cucumber, onion, olives and a slab of feta with oregano and olive oil, no lettuce.
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5
Grilled octopus
Octopus sun-dried and grilled over charcoal, a staple of island ouzeries.
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6
Saganaki
Fried kefalograviera or kasseri cheese finished with lemon.
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7
Dolmades
Vine leaves stuffed with rice and herbs (sometimes minced meat), served with lemon.
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8
Keftedes
Fried meatballs with mint and oregano, a meze classic.
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9
Gyros
Meat roasted on a vertical spit and sliced into pita with chips; Greece's favourite street food.
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10
Baklava
Layers of filo with walnuts or pistachios soaked in honey syrup.
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11
Loukoumades
Fried dough balls drenched in honey and cinnamon, among the oldest desserts in Greece.
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12
Spanakopita
Spinach and feta pie in crisp filo pastry.
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13
Pastitsio
Baked tubular pasta with meat sauce and béchamel, Greece's lasagne.
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14
Kleftiko
Lamb slow-cooked in parchment or a sealed clay pot with garlic and lemon, named after the klephts.
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15
Fasolada
White bean soup with tomato, carrot and celery, often called Greece's national dish.
Candidates
They don't make it into the top 15… yet. Vote for them to move them up.
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16
Bougatsa
Phyllo pastry from Thessaloniki filled with semolina custard, cheese or minced meat, eaten for breakfast.
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17
Gemista
Tomatoes and peppers stuffed with herbed rice and baked with potatoes.
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18
Stifado
Beef or rabbit stewed with lots of small onions, red wine and cinnamon.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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Comments (2)
Back from Crete this summer and the dakos should be on here!
Gemista in August with tomatoes from the garden, the best.