Greek Food You Have to Try in Rhodes – And What to Avoid

1. Gyros

Shaved meat, warm pita, chips inside the wrap, and a dollop of tzatziki. It’s cheap, cheerful, and dangerously addictive.
🌯 You’ll promise to eat half. You’ll eat two.

2. Souvlaki

Tender chunks of grilled meat on a stick or in a wrap. Best enjoyed with your fingers and a side of smugness.
🍢 Proof that life really is better on a skewer.

3. Tzatziki

Creamy Greek yoghurt with cucumber, garlic, dill and olive oil. It goes with everything—and somehow ends up on everything.
🧄 Yes, you now smell like garlic. No, you don’t care.

4. Feta in Every Form

Crumbled, baked, deep-fried, or stuffed into something—feta is the MVP of Greek food.
🧀 Not just a cheese. A way of life.

5. Moussaka

Layers of aubergine, spiced mince, and creamy béchamel. Like lasagne, but Greek, and somehow even more comforting.
🍽️ You’ll need a nap afterwards. A long one.

6. Greek Salad (Horiatiki)

Crisp tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, green pepper, and a solid brick of feta. No lettuce in sight.
🥗 If the feta isn’t in slab form—run.

7. Loukoumades

Tiny golden dough balls drizzled in honey and cinnamon. Sometimes Nutella joins the party.
🍯 You’ll order “just a few.” You’ll eat the tray.

8. Fresh Seafood

From grilled octopus to calamari, sea bream, and prawns—Rhodes nails seafood every time.
🐙 Tastes like it was caught five minutes ago. Because it probably was.

9. Dolmades (Stuffed Vine Leaves)

Little parcels of rice and herbs wrapped in vine leaves. Can be warm or cold, and often served as part of a meze spread.
🌿 Looks odd. Tastes incredible. Don’t skip ‘em.

10. Gemista (Stuffed Tomatoes & Peppers)

Baked veg stuffed with herby rice or mince, soaked in tomato sauce and olive oil.
🍅 Comfort food disguised as a vegetable. Sneaky.

11. Saganaki (Not Just Cheese, But Mostly Cheese)

Usually refers to pan-fried cheese (aka: YES PLEASE), but also comes in seafood versions like shrimp or mussels. Served bubbling and sizzling.
🔥 If it arrives in a frying pan, it’s about to be amazing.

12. Bougatsa

Warm custard pie in flaky pastry, dusted with sugar and cinnamon. Found in bakeries, best eaten with coffee.
🍰 Breakfast? Dessert? Doesn’t matter. Just eat it.

13. Pastitsio

Greek pasta bake with thick noodles, spiced mince, and béchamel sauce. Kind of like lasagne but somehow better.
🍝 The reason you’ll cancel your beach plans.

14. Kleftiko

Slow-cooked lamb with herbs, lemon, and potatoes—often baked in paper. Melts in your mouth and maybe your heart.
🍖 Not suitable for vegetarians or anyone in a hurry.

15. Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)

Layers of buttery phyllo filled with spinach and feta. Found in bakeries, best when slightly greasy and piping hot.
🥬 You’ll say it’s healthy. You’ll know you’re lying.

16. Honourable Mentions

• Baklava – Phyllo, nuts, honey. Just yes.
• Stifado – A hearty stew with beef, onions, and red wine.
• Gigantes Plaki – Giant baked beans in tomato sauce.
• Fava – Creamy yellow split pea dip that deserves more hype.

🍽️ Order them. Eat them. Regret nothing.

🙅‍♀️ The Greek Dishes You Might Want to Avoid

(Unless you’re brave… or already 3 ouzos in.)

1. Kokoretsi

Lamb intestines wrapped around offal and roasted on a spit. A traditional Easter delicacy—and an adventure for your tastebuds (and your gag reflex).
🧠 Tastes better than it sounds. But also… it sounds like intestines.

2. Patsas (Tripe Soup)

Cow stomach soup, typically served late at night to “help” with hangovers. Thick, tangy, gelatinous—and emotionally confusing.
🥣 You’ll either love it… or leave it. Quickly.

3. Bougatsa (The Bad Kind)

When it’s good, it’s amazing. When it’s reheated, rubbery, and sold from a freezer box… it’s a crime against pastry.
🥶 Ask if it’s homemade. If they hesitate—abort mission.

4. Anything From a “Tourist Menu”

Laminated, photo-heavy menus offering everything from spaghetti bolognese to “chicken with cheese cream” (??). Usually microwaved. Usually disappointing.
📸 If the menu’s in 12 languages and includes a free shot—you’re not here for the food.

5. Revithokeftedes (Dry Chickpea Fritters... Sometimes)

These are Greek-style falafel. When they’re homemade? YUM. When they’re not? Dusty ping-pong balls with zero flavour.
🥱 Delicious in theory. Risky in practice. Approach with caution.

6. Overhyped Frozen Seafood Platters

If you’re eating metres from the sea but your “seafood platter” tastes like it came from a box—you're in a tourist trap.
🦐 Frozen, flavourless, and five times the price of a local taverna special.

7. Meze for 2 (That Feeds… No One)

Sometimes a “meze platter for 2” arrives with 3 olives, 4 chips, and a mystery dip. Other times it could feed a village. It’s a gamble.
🎲 Always ask what’s included before you commit.

8. Greek Pizza

This isn’t Italy. Sometimes it’s decent, other times it's pita bread with ketchup and cheese. Proceed only if you’re desperate (or 12).
🍕 Set your expectations to "drunk snack at 2am."

💬 Tips for Eating Like a Local

✔️ Eat late – Greeks dine at 8–10pm.
✔️ Share everything – Meze is life.
✔️ Trust the tiny tavernas – If it looks basic, it’s probably brilliant.
✔️ Ask what’s fresh today – The waiter knows best.

🧭 Hungry for More?

Pair this foodie guide with:
👉 Faliraki Nightlife Guide – because cocktails are food too
👉 Best Beaches in Faliraki – for your post-feast nap
👉 Car Hire in Rhodes – so you can find the good tavernas hidden in the hills
👉 Excursions Page – for food-filled boat trips and local market visits

📸 Tag Us in Your Greek Food Glory!

From gyros to saganaki, we want to see your best bites. Tag us on Instagram @falirakitravel – we might repost your feast (and steal your order ideas).