The most famous fast food in Greece is: souvlaki (skewers), gyros, soutsukakis (greek kebabs) and burgers (patties).
 
A few criteria by which Greeks judge their fast food as good or bad are:
- the freshness of the meat and whether the skewers are homemade or not\,
- is the gyros homemade (made by hand) or is it ordered frozen (as it usually is in tourist places).
It is usually known in local circles which use fresh meat and which hand-make gyros and souvlaki.

Where to try the best gyros, souvlaki, pizza and other fast food in Thessaloniki?

Walking through the city, the smells that spread from fast food shops are irresistible at every step. Question is where to try the best? Below are the most popular fast food places and the specialties they are known for, where the locals like to eat the most and which we recommend.

The best souvlaki

The most famous fast food places to try souvlaki are: Derlikatesen and 22 Souvlakia. You will always see a crowd in front of these shops, so if you are hungry, be sure to stand in line and order dikavalo like most Greeks do.

It took us a long time to understand exactly what dikavalo means. Actually, there are monocavalo and dicavalo. Monokavalo is when you order only one stick of souvlaki, and dikavalo two. They are served in a thin tortilla with an excellent yogurt sauce. Dikavalo doesn’t have to be souvlaki and the word just means if you want a stick or two of something.
Apart from the stick with the meat (suvlaki), you can take dikavalo with vegetables, mushrooms or halloumi cheese, and you can also have a combination of souvlaki plus halloumi or another. One dicavalo is not enough for those with a better appetite.
 
In both fast foods, it is popular to order a large oven-baked potato as a side dish, which is later topped with a cheese spread.
 
At both places, you can order souvlaki and other meats from the grill by the piece, so one souvlaki on a plate costs €2.5, and in a pie (like gyros) €3.8, and other meats cost similarly from 60 cents for one meatball to €2.9 for a burger. Now, the price of dikavalo with two souvlaki is €5.5, with two halloumi €5.8, and vegetables €4.8. Monocavallo (one stick) is €3.8, €4.3 and €3.4.
 
There are other specialties on the menu, too, that you can try. The owners of Derlikatesen and 22 souvlaki used to be partners. They separated and now there are two shops with the same menu and good quality.
We prefer 22 souvlaki because they also have a garden with tables and a waiter comes to you to take your order. The advantage of this store is that it is located on Aristotle Square.
In Derlikatesen, the order line is in the shop itself and you have to order quickly because everyone is in a hurry and sometimes you can make a mistake because of that, which happened to us relatively often in the beginning. But we love the nice atmosphere in Derlikatesen.

22 Souvlakia
Address: Plateia Aristotelous 8
Phone: +30 231 022 4422
Map location

Derlikatesen
Address: 7 Kouskoura
Phone: +30 231 027 2752. +30 231 022 6367
Map location

Both fast food places are located in the very center, and there are other food stores around them. So if you have people in your group who want to try something different, they can easily do so. Across the street from Derlikatesen is Mongo (Asian food), next to is Everest with sandwiches, Freggio with ice cream, waffles and cakes, and next to 22 souvlaki is Savvikos, which we wrote about in our text Weekend in Thessaloniki. If you like sweets, you can find the best in our text Best pastry shops.

Souvlaki is actually the most traditional food in Greece. It is not widely known that souvlaki has been prepared since ancient times, when even small ceramic containers (almost pocket editions) with iron sticks for placing the meat were in use. The pan could fit some embers, enough to bake 4, 5 sticks with meat and lunch could be prepared anywhere a person happens to be.

Best gyros

The most famous place for gyros and Greek kebabs is Diagonios. It is a fast food shop with a very long tradition. This year, the old owner retired, and the restaurant was bought by others who promised not to change the recipes and tastes. The people of Thessaloniki, who have been buying gyros and kebabs in this store for decades, hope that this will indeed be the case.

Diagonios
Address: Pl. Fanarioton 2
Phone: +30 2310260958
Diagonios website
Map location

Burgers

Burgers do not belong to traditional Greek cuisine and Greek fast food, but they are very popular in Thessaloniki and you can try them in many places. Since one member of our team is a big fan of burgers, he tried almost all of them, but his absolute favorite is the Pax burgers.
Apart from Pax, try the Tarantino burgers, which are becoming more and more popular.

Pax burgers
Pax Burgers
Address: El. Venizelou & Kalapothaki 8
Working hours: Sunday-Thursday: 12:00 - 00:00 Friday-Suturday: 12:00 - 00:30
Phone**:** +30 231 022 1852
Pax Burgers website
Map location

Tarantino burgers
Address: Ernestou Emprar 5
Phone: +30 2310 530 020
Tarantino burgers website
Map location

The best sucukaki - Greek kebabs in town

If you have time to get out of the strict city center, visit the Kronos tavern. It is located in the end of the new beautiful promenade by the sea, in one of the most charming streets in Thessaloniki, Vafopoulou. The street is characteristic because it is narrow, quiet and full of greenery in a busy and noisy city. There are several antique shops and bookstores in the street, which gives the overall atmosphere and the tavern itself a special touch. The rustic environment and decoration of the tavern, which is based on musical instruments and old objects, takes you back to some old, romantic times.

Kronos tavern
Address: Vasilisis Όlgas 178, & G. Vafopulu 30
Phone: +30 231 041 4730
Working hours: Monday-Suturday 13:00 – 01:00 Sunday: 13:00-17:00
Kronos tavern
Map location

The most famous dish in this tavern is sucukaki – greek kebabs and they are considered the best kebabs in town. You can also try gyros in Kronos, it is far better than most in the city. We put this tavern in the fast food category because you should come here precisely for the kebabs and gyros, although they differ in quality and taste from gyros and kebabs from fast food kiosks. It is best to visit this tavern on weekdays, because during the weekend it is very crowded and it may happen that there are no free tables (in the evening).

If you are a fan of taverns HERE you can find more about the best dishes and taverns in Thessaloniki.

Other popular fast food places in Thessaloniki

There are many other fast food, gyros and souvlaki places in Thessaloniki and it almost never happened that one of them was really bad, so you can also visit Ladi kai Rigani, which there are in several places in Thessaloniki.

The gyros Aristotelis on Aristotle Square is also famous, and that’s the place where most tourists buy gyros. And it’s good, but if you want something a little better, stop by Diagonios.
We also wrote about Katsamaka homemade gyros HERE which is excellent and is also located in the center of Thessaloniki, in Athonas square.

If you prefer your gyros as a portion, not in pita gyro (as fast food), besides Katsamaka, visit Diavasi Tavern. It serves one of the best gyros in Thessaloniki.

Ladi kai Rigani
Address: ugao Ermu i Aristotelus 20
Phone: +30 231 028 2500  
Working hours: non stop 12:00-24:00
Ladi kai Rigani
Map location

O giros tis Aristotelus
Address: Aristotélous 24
Phone: +30 231 026 0033
Working hours: every day 11:00-02:00
O giros tis Aristotelus
Map location

Diavasi
Address: P. Mela 13
Phone: +30 231 022 0596
Working hours: non stop
Map location

The best pizzerias in Thessaloniki

When it comes to pizzerias, we think it’s a pity to eat pizza in Thessaloniki with so many local specialties, but for those who love pizza, here are some suggestions.
 
The most popular pizza in Thessaloniki is at the Pizza Hood pizzeria in the city center, and we recommend that you definitely stop by if you want to try how this Italian specialty is prepared and loved by the Greeks. The pizza here is prepared according to the original Neapolitan recipe.
 
If you want to enjoy a pizza with a view of the sea, then visit Pizzeria Basilico, located on Nikis Avenue. If you find yourself in the Cosmos shopping center, try the pizza at the La Pasteria pizzeria. For good pizza by the slice in the center of Thessaloniki, visit The Last Slice.
 
If you are walking along the new seafront esplanade towards the Hotel Makedonia Palace, we suggest you take a break at the pizzeria Navona, which is located in front of the hotel, right next to the promenade and the sea. Here you will enjoy a beautiful view of the sea, a pleasant atmosphere and delicious food. In this pizzeria you can try one of the most delicious tiramisu in Thessaloniki.

Pizzeria Pizza Hood
Address: Ernestou Emprar 2    
Phone: +30 231 052 7212
Working hours: svaki dan 13:00-00:00
Map location

Pizzeria Basilico
Address: Leof. Nikis 49   
Phone: +30 231 025 2272
Working hours: non stop 12:00-24:00
Map location

Pizzeria La Pasteria
Address: Shopping mall Cosmos, 11km National Road Thessaloniki - N. Moudania
Working hours: every day 13:00 - 23:00
Phone: +30 231 047 2262
Map location

Pizzeria The Last Slice
Address: Proxenou Koromila 1
Phone: +30 231 128 1206
Working hours: every day 13:00-02:00
Map location

Pizzeria Navona
Address: Leof. Meg. Alexandrou 2
Working hours: every day 10:00-24:00
Map location

To have the best experience in Thessaloniki, read more about Greek dishes not to be missed , top 5 restaurant, and of course the best cakes and ice creams . In our Thessaloniki Guide you can find what to visit and many useful information (parking lots, public transportation etc.), everything you need if you are visiting Thessaloniki.

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