10 Things YOU SHOULD NEVER DO in a Greek restaurant (and noone will tell you)

Today I’ll show you the 10 Things YOU SHOULD NEVER DO in a Greek restaurant! And noone will ever tell you!

Food is very important in Greece and Greeks take it personally when it comes to Greek food.

If you’re planning to travel to Greece and want to try Greek food, do it like a local!

There are things that Greeks do in a restaurant that are a little different from other cultures.

Let’s get started!

The 10 Things YOU SHOULD NEVER DO in a Greek restaurant

1.Don’t Order for Yourself and Share your Food

Greeks rarely order a “personal” dish for themselves.

Before the waiter comes, talk with your friends and decide the dishes you ALL want.

When the dishes come, put them all in the middle of the table so that everyone can share everything!

This way, after all, you can taste from all dishes!

2. Don’t Pay for yourself

Greeks rarely pay for what they personally ordered.

When the check comes, split it by the persons you are with. Everyone pays equally.

If your friend drank a little more ouzo, it’s ok, everyone pays the same.

3. Order Randomly, NOT by Category

While it’s ok to order by category,

for example

To start, I’ll have a tzatziki, for a main dish, I’ll have mussaka etc,

Greeks rarely order this way. Just order randomly.

A Greek will just say any dish he wants to order no matter which category it belongs to.

For example

Θα πάρουμε μία μερίδα γύρο κοτόπουλο… ένα τζατζίκι… μια χωριάτικη… ένα λουκάνικο σχάρας…

We’ll have a chicken yiros… a tzatziki… a Greek salad… a grilled sausage… etc.

4. Don’t Pay for the Dessert

In many Greek restaurants, especially in small Greek towns or villages, they serve a Greek dessert as a treat after you ask for the check.

This is usually ice-cream or fruit or a little dessert.

This is a treat, you don’t pay for it and it’s the restaurant’s policy to serve it to all their customers. And it’s a nice gesture!

5. Don’t Order Home Food in Restaurants

Ofcourse I understand that you want to try moussaka when you first come to Greece.

But you need to know that mousaka is not a kind of dish Greeks like to eat in a restaurant.

Mousaka is a homefood or “mama food” that Greeks eat at home.

So if you want to eat a real mousaka and not a touristy one, try it in a restaurant called μαγειρείο (mayirio) where you can only find Greek traditional home food.

6. Don’t leave a tip if you don’t want to

Unlike in other countries where you must leave a tip, in Greece you don’t have to.

Noone is expecting you to leave a tip and if you don’t do it, it’s still fine.

Ofcourse leaving a tip is a nice thing to do and you can leave as much money as you want to.

For example, if the check is 18 euros, a typical Greek would leave 20 and just let the waiter keep the change.

7. Don’t order a bottle of wine - Get unbottled wine instead

In traditional Greek restaurants, it’s not usual to order a bottle of wine.

Getting unbottled wine is much more preferred by locals.

You can order in

1/4 or 1/2 of a liter,
red or white,
dry or sweet.

8. Don’t go to restaurants in touristy places

You need to be lucky to have real Greek food experience in very touristy places.

These central places are usually overpriced and have nice big photos in their menu to attract your attention!

Ask Greek locals for local traditional Greek restaurants and they will show you the hidden gems!

9. Don’t order Greek salad as a main dish

Greeks don’t order a Greek salad as a main dish.

Food is shared so Greek salad is big enough to be placed in the middle of the table and be shared by everyone.

Well, ok, if you’re in a diet or you really want to have a Greek salad just for you, go for it!

10. Don’t say OPA!

No comments. Just don’t do it!

Greeks don’t say OPA for fun or when they have a great time eating and drinking in a restaurant.

They may say it when dancing, but in general saying OPA while breaking plates is just not cool anymore!

What's next?

These were the 10 things you should NOT do in a Greek restaurant.
And noone will ever tell you.

I hope you enjoyed this post and trust me … if you do these things
in a restaurant, you’ll feel like a local.

You can also download my Free e-book, “Speak Greek at the Restaurant and the Café in Under a Day!”

Until next time, keep exploring, keep learning.

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