Food & Drink

Souvlaki shop
Probably the easiest one to understand. Normally a fast-food shop where you can grab your souvlaki or gyros through a window or sit down to eat. Good for a quick afternoon bite.

Restaurant
Not so difficult to understand either. They have a large menu serving everything from Greek to international cuisine. If you want to guarantee everybody's happiness then the Greek restaurant is the safest choice for wide variety.

Taverna
Typical Greek eatery where the locals come to regularly. For them the taverna is nothing special, it is a way of life. The menu is smaller than a restaurant and focuses on the Greek favourites. Salads, soups, pastas, fish, grilled meats. Prices are reasonable in the taverna and sometimes there is no menu. The locals know what the taverna serves.

Psaro-taverna (fish taverna)
Can be rustic or fancy. The focus is on seafood dishes. Psaro-tavernas usually have a wide variety of seafood and you can often choose from the cooler which fish you want them to prepare for you. The price can be more but they are specialists and a decent Psaro-taverna can make for a pleasant evening.

Psistaria
Probably the best way to explain a psistaria is like a Greek steakhouse. Grilled meats are their specialty. Lamb, pork, and beef grilled to perfection on the spit.

Ouzerie
Not hard to guess from its name, this is a place to come to drink ouzo – a traditional Greek liquor made from anise. They also serve other drinks and mezedes – appetizers. This can be a simple or elegant establishment where people come to gather and drink perhaps snack.

This gives you just a simple idea of the different establishments that exist for eating in Greece. This is just the tip of the iceberg of Greek cuisine, see some of our other articles about Greek food and drink.