Greek2Me staff · Vocab
Greek Food Menu Words
The Greek menu, decoded. Every section you'll see at a taverna, from μεζέδες to γλυκά, with the dishes you'll really want to order and enough context to sound like you know what you're doing.
| Greek | English | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu sections | |||
| μενού | menu | ||
| ορεκτικά | starters | ||
| μεζέδες | small sharing plates | ||
| σαλάτες | salads | ||
| κύρια πιάτα | main courses | ||
| από τη σχάρα | from the grill | ||
| θαλασσινά | seafood | ||
| γλυκά | desserts / sweets | ||
| ποτά | drinks | ||
| Meze and dips | |||
| τζατζίκι | yoghurt, cucumber, and garlic dip | ||
| μελιτζανοσαλάτα | smoked aubergine dip | ||
| ταραμοσαλάτα | fish roe dip | ||
| τυροκαυτερή | spicy cheese dip | ||
| ντολμάδες | stuffed vine leaves | ||
| σαγανάκι | fried cheese | ||
| Salads | |||
| χωριάτικη | traditional Greek village salad | ||
| μαρούλι | lettuce salad | ||
| Classic mains | |||
| μουσακάς | layered aubergine and mince bake | ||
| παστίτσιο | baked pasta with mince and béchamel | ||
| γεμιστά | stuffed tomatoes and peppers | ||
| From the grill | |||
| σουβλάκι | grilled meat skewer | ||
| γύρος | rotisserie meat, usually pork or chicken | ||
| μπιφτέκι | grilled beef patty | ||
| παϊδάκια | grilled lamb chops | ||
| κοτόπουλο | chicken | ||
| χοιρινό | pork | ||
| αρνί | lamb | ||
| Seafood | |||
| ψάρι | fish | ||
| καλαμάρι | squid | ||
| χταπόδι | octopus | ||
| Desserts | |||
| μπακλαβάς | layered pastry with nuts and syrup | ||
| γαλακτομπούρεκο | custard pie in filo | ||
| λουκουμάδες | honey doughnut balls | ||
| Drinks | |||
| κρασί | wine | ||
| κόκκινο κρασί | red wine | ||
| λευκό κρασί | white wine | ||
| τσίπουρο | grape distillate spirit | ||
| ούζο | anise-flavoured spirit | ||
| μπύρα | beer | ||
How a Greek taverna menu is laid out
Most menus follow the same rough order top to bottom:
- Ορεκτικά / μεζέδες: starters and small plates for sharing
- Σαλάτες: salads
- Κύρια πιάτα: main courses, often split into oven dishes and grill
- Θαλασσινά: seafood, sometimes priced by the kilo
- Γλυκά: desserts, though a taverna often brings something on the house
- Ποτά: drinks, with house wine (χύμα κρασί) usually cheapest
Once you spot these headings you can navigate any menu, even the hand-written ones on paper tablecloths.
Meze culture (order lots, share everything)
Μεζέδες are small sharing plates, and the whole point is to order several and pick at them slowly. Classic combinations:
- τζατζίκι with warm bread
- σαγανάκι (fried cheese) with a squeeze of lemon
- ντολμάδες (stuffed vine leaves) with yoghurt
- χταπόδι στα κάρβουνα (grilled octopus) with ούζο
A table of four might order six or seven meze and one main between them. Nobody is rushing. Kwame said this was the meal format he wished the UK would adopt full-time.
Reading grill vs oven dishes
Greek mains split into two loose camps:
- Της ώρας (tis óras), 'of the hour', cooked to order on the grill. Souvlaki, biftéki, païdákia, kotópoulo, psári all fall here.
- Της κατσαρόλας or oven-baked, cooked in advance and served warm. Mousakás, pastítsio, yemistá, and slow-cooked stews all fit here.
If you're in a hurry, oven dishes come out fast. If you want it hot off the coals, ask for anything από τη σχάρα (from the grill).
Ordering wine (and what χύμα means)
Two words worth knowing at the wine section:
- Εμφιαλωμένο (emfialoméno), bottled
- Χύμα (híma), house wine served from the barrel, usually by the carafe (κιλό / μισό κιλό / τέταρτο)
House wine is often the local varietal and often the best value on the menu. Ask for μισό κιλό κόκκινο χύμα, παρακαλώ (half a kilo of red house wine, please) and see what arrives.
Ordering phrases that really work
A short kit of lines to get through the meal:
- Θα ήθελα...: I would like...
- Τι προτείνετε;: What do you recommend?
- Είναι πικάντικο;: Is it spicy?
- Για δύο άτομα.: For two people.
- Ένα ακόμα, παρακαλώ.: One more, please.
- Ήταν υπέροχο.: It was wonderful.
- Τον λογαριασμό, παρακαλώ.: The bill, please.
Most waiters in tourist areas speak English, but even three Greek words changes the interaction. Try one and see.
Frequently asked questions
What does meze mean in Greek?+
Μεζέδες (mezédes) are small sharing plates, closer in spirit to Spanish tapas than to Western starters. You order several, put them in the middle of the table, and everyone picks. A meze meal often lasts the whole evening and pairs with ouzo, tsipouro, or wine.
What are the most common Greek mains on a menu?+
Μουσακάς (aubergine and mince bake), παστίτσιο (baked pasta with béchamel), σουβλάκι (grilled skewer), γύρος (rotisserie meat), παϊδάκια (lamb chops), and γεμιστά (stuffed tomatoes and peppers). At the coast, add fresh ψάρι (fish) and χταπόδι (octopus).
What is χύμα wine?+
Χύμα (híma) means loose or unbottled, house wine served straight from the barrel by the carafe. It's usually a local grape, usually cheap, and often better than the bottled options in a small taverna. Order it by weight: μισό κιλό (half kilo) or τέταρτο (quarter).
How do you say the bill in Greek?+
Ο λογαριασμός (o logariasmós). The polite full phrase is τον λογαριασμό, παρακαλώ (ton logariasmó, parakaló), 'the bill, please'. In relaxed tavernas you can also just catch the waiter's eye and mime a scribble on your palm.
What's the difference between souvlaki and gyros?+
Σουβλάκι (souvláki) is small pieces of meat grilled on a skewer. Γύρος (yíros) is meat stacked on a vertical rotisserie and shaved off in strips, usually pork or chicken. In a pita wrap, both often get called 'souvlaki' casually, but on a menu the two terms mean different cooking methods.
Practise this in the app
Order like a local in the app
Menu-word quizzes, audio for every dish, and drills on the phrases you'll really use at the table.
Start with the food vocabulary lesson