Eating Gluten-Free in Greece

Having had to change my diet and eliminate gluten for health reasons, I am always just a little concerned about eating out in places I haven’t been before.  So when I was preparing for my holiday in Greece, I did some research into the types of food, and usual methods of preparation for those dishes.  I wanted to be able to choose easily, and quickly, without causing any fuss.  The more I looked, the more confident I was that eating Gluten-Free in Greece was going to be fairly easy. 

Greek food is delicious!

As well as that, so many of my favourite food items were off limits! Spanakopita, baklava, taramasalata (if it’s made with breadcrumbs not potato), gyros (souvlaki toast), Galaktoboureko …… But let’s not dwell on what we can’t have!

Gluten-free limitations just open you up to new food choices, which is a great opportunity. 

I was also surprised by the amount of gluten-free food and snacks that were available in the little grocery stores and bakeries on the islands. There were rice cakes and gluten-free crackers and mini-toast bread things that you could use in dips. There were also gluten-free snack bars that came in handy.

Avoiding Gluten

Just to be clear, I am Gluten Intolerant, not celiac. There’s a big difference. The following options are some ideas for food choices that can be made without gluten . You still need to check with each restaurant about their preparation methods to make sure they are free of gluten where you are eating.

So what can you eat?

I think that breakfast was actually the most difficult meal of the day.  Most of the hotels provide complimentary breakfast, which we would obviously want to try and take advantage of.  However the food on offer was all designed to be put on bread.  So I was eating a strange combination of things for breakfast.  A boiled egg, a piece of fruit, some yoghurt with honey, and a piece of cold meat or a slice of cheese.  Plus there are also salad items available for breakfast.  One place had a full Greek salad available for breakfast.  Once you get past the strange feeling of eating Greek salad and watermelon for breakfast, you’re ok. 

One thing I was glad that I tried in Crete was the sheep’s milk yoghurt.  Oh so tangy, but just amazing with some local honey for breakfast. 

Sheeps milk yoghurt
Sheeps milk yoghurt

Lunch and Dinner were actually not a problem. 

Most of the restaurants had the gluten free meal options clearly marked on their menus and there were a variety to select from. 

To start off with, there’s the traditional Greek salad. 

At home, our Greek salads come with a few pieces of fetta cheese tossed in the bowl with everything else ( you have to look hard for it).  In Greece, we were amazed to see the Greek salads were served with an entire slab of fetta cheese on top of the bowl!  Plenty for everyone. 

Eating Gluten-Free in Greece Greek Salad
Greek Salad
Gyros on a plate!

When we were on Crete, we discovered that many places will put the gyros on a plate for you with a bit of extra meat and chips.  So we sampled several of these which were all nice.  The best one I tasted was at Rethymno just behind the waterfront street lined with tourist restaurants.

Gluten Free Gyros in Naxos. 

Yes, that’s right.  Corn bread Gyros so you can have one just like everyone else.  What a great fast food idea!  I think my Dad just did one big Gyros crawl across Greece on our last holiday. 

Souvlaki

While Dad was doing his Gyros crawl, I was searching for the perfect souvlaki taste.  The one I remembered from my childhood holiday.  Fortunately, souvlaki is amazingly gluten free and if you can find the ones that are marinated, you definitely can’t stop at just one!  Although this one in Crete was massive – that’s not the way they are served all the time. 

Most of the time they are just 4-5 pieces of diced meat on a skewer that is cooked over an open char-grill flame.  Some of the nicest souvlaki we tasted was from the Acropolis café style restaurant in Athens. 

Tzatziki

A dip made from yoghurt, cucumbers, garlic and olive oil.  This is nice on its own with some previously mentioned gluten free crackers, or as an accompanying side dish to a grilled meat dish (think souvlaki!), or a Gyros.  

So many tasty choices….

Skordalia

A dip made with potatoes, garlic and olive oil. 

Grilled calamari with baked vegetables! 

Not just a few rings of calamari either.  In Naxos, you get the whole squid on your plate.   

Meltemi Calimari
Meltemi Calimari

In Nafpaktos, the calamari came in the form of one big octopus tentacle, char-grilled. You know you’re alive now.

Lahanodolmades

Cabbage rolls stuffed with meat and rice with a lemon style sauce. (Always check with the restaurant about the sauce, to make sure it is gluten-free)

Dolmades

Vine leaves stuffed with seasoned rice and simmered in lemon juice and water until soft.  Also perfect dipped into tzatziki!

Gemista

Tomatoes and capsicums stuffed with seasoned rice and grilled. 

And more

Apart from the above listed items there were many more choices. Fava bean dip, baked chickpeas, various dishes with eggplant, cabbage salad, assorted cheese and a lot of fresh fruit.

oinopoieio restaurant
Oinopoieio restaurant – Crete

Eating Gluten-Free in Greece isn’t difficult

In conclusion, it is really very easy to eat gluten free in Greece with a minimum amount of fuss.  To top it all off, many of the restaurants also come complete with a beautiful outdoor dining area with very satisfying views! 

If you liked this post, please share the link with your friends, or pin the article on Pinterest. As always, I appreciate your support! Thank you for reading.

Remember to back up your travel photos. Here’s how I take care of mine:

8 thoughts on “Eating Gluten-Free in Greece

Add yours

  1. Your pictures and story about your trip to Greece are great and helpful. We leave for Athens in 3 days and will also spend several days in Koroni, a small village about 1 hour south of Kalamata (where the olives come from). My daughter and I have celiac disease so we are looking for safe places to eat in Athens. Do you have a list of all the restaurants that you ate safely at during your visit to Athens?
    Were you able to drink the Frappes and if so, what places were safe to buy them from?

    I appreciate any information.
    Jeanie

    1. Thanks Jeanie. I am not celiac, but am Gluten intolerant. I know there are a whole lot of extra issues with cross contamination for those of you who are celiac. As I don’t have to deal with these issues, I am fine as long as I don’t actually eat foods with gluten in them. So this can make a big difference for you guys. That being said, restaurants we ate at were: The Grecos Project, The Acropolis cafe for Souvlaki , Arcadia Restaurant.
      I hope you enjoy your trip to Athens!
      Regards Fiona.

  2. You are right. The one I ate was gluten-free, but as I have not clarified this or provided a restaurant name, it is of little use to anyone. I have removed the reference and updated with a comment about the need to check preparation methods with each restaurant. Thank you for reading and commenting.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Baskerville 2 by Anders Noren.

Up ↑