ATHENS: Feta, Phyllo + the Fuss over Greek Salad with Vivian Pelopida

**What really belongs in a Greek salad?** Why are Athenians lining up longer for sourdough than the Acropolis? And what might **Socrates** and Plato have eaten while debating in the ancient Agora? In this episode of **This City Is Delicious**, Kevin heads to **ATHENS**, to explore the Greek capital through ancient appetites, neighbourhood markets, family recipes and **plenty of feta**. Kevin is joined by **Vivian Pelopida**, a proudly Greek licensed travel guide born in Thessaloniki, briefly raised in Toronto and now calling Athens home. For more than 30 years, she has guided travellers across Greece, bringing its history, archaeology, **food and traditions deliciously to life**. Together, they dig into the simplicity of Greek cooking, the foods tourists overlook, the great **horiatiki versus dakos debate**, **the problem with bad moussaka** and why some of Athens’ most memorable meals are found far beyond the obvious tourist hits. Plus, Kevin shares the Athens bites and places he still dreams about, from **impossibly thick Greek yogurt dripping with honey at Stani to loukoumades**, neighbourhood **laiki markets**, legendary grilled meats and one cheekily named bakery **where sourdough has become the hottest ticket in town**. We’re talking: 🥗 Why a real Greek salad does NOT need lettuce 🍅 Horiatiki vs. dakos and the delicious Greek salad identity crisis 🫘 Why legumes might be one of Greece’s most underrated culinary treasures 🍆 The secret to great moussaka and why not every version deserves your order 🍊 Portokalopita, phyllo pies + the desserts Kevin couldn’t stop eating 🥖 Jesus Crust, Athens’ micro-bakery boom + sourdough worth skipping the Acropolis for 🏛️ What Socrates, Plato + ancient Athenians might have eaten at the Agora 🐟 Seafood tavernas, neighbourhood dining + where Athenians actually eat 🛒 Athens Central Market + the laiki street markets that bring everyday Greek food culture to life 🍯 Stani’s legendary Greek yogurt with honey 🍖 Kevin’s favourite kebabs, falafel, markets + delicious Athens discoveries 🫒 Olive oil, feta + spoon sweets worth making room for in your suitcase Plus, **listener questions**, edible souvenirs and Kevin’s favourite Athens recommendations to make your next visit to the Greek capital even more delicious. 🎧 Follow This City Is Delicious wherever you find your favourite podcasts. 📍 Find even more recommendations, food finds + behind-the-scenes bites on Instagram @thiscityisdelicious. ⁉️ Have a question about this episode, or a tasty story from one of your favourite food cities? DM us a voice note on Instagram or email [hello@thiscityisdelicious.com](mailto:hello@thiscityisdelicious.com). Travel hungry. **This City Is Delicious™** **CHAPTERS** **00:00 – Cold Open** Greek salad debates, tourist traps + why sourdough might be Athens’ hottest ticket. **00:38 – Welcome to Athens** Kevin introduces a city of ancient appetites, neighbourhood markets, Greek hospitality + food worth planning a trip around. **03:27 – Gorgeous, Delicious + Chill** Why living in Athens for nearly five months changed Kevin’s relationship with the city, plus loukoumades, Greek coffee + old-school local rituals. **06:47 – Meet Vivian** Licensed travel guide Vivian shares her proudly Greek story, from Thessaloniki and Toronto to more than 30 years guiding travellers across Greece. **08:52 – Why Greek Food Works** Mediterranean eating, sustainability, regional influences + the remarkable simplicity behind Greek cuisine. **12:03 – Beyond the Greek Classics** Why legumes deserve more attention, from fava to giant beans, plus the complicated truth about restaurant moussaka. **13:50 – The Great Greek Salad Debate** Horiatiki, the unwanted tourist known as lettuce + why the Greek salad outside Greece became something very different. **15:42 – Horiatiki vs. Dakos** Cretan rusks, juicy tomatoes, feta + a delicious rivalry between two beloved salads. **17:01 – Where Locals Eat** Pagrati, Petralona, Piraeus + neighbourhoods worth exploring beyond Athens’ historic centre. **18:20 – The Dish Vivian Won’t Share** Gemista, memories of her grandmother + a tiny restaurant near the Acropolis making its own phyllo. **19:37 – Phyllo + Portokalopita** The syrup-soaked orange cake Kevin practically ate every day and the practical history behind Greece’s tray-baked sweets. **21:15 – Jesus Crust + Athens’ Bakery Boom** The cheeky sourdough bakery Kevin loves, the rise of Athens micro-bakeries + why bread lines can rival the Acropolis. **22:24 – Eating with Socrates + Plato** Breakfast in ancient Athens, the Agora, Mediterranean delicacies, symposium culture + what food tells us about Greek history. **24:39 – Athens Central Market** Why the market is essential to understanding the city and the foods, shops + restaurants radiating around it. **26:03 – A Hidden Athens Classic** The story of Diporto, its two unassuming doors, more than a century of history + troubling news about its future. **28:58 – Kevin’s Stani Obsession** Thick Greek yogurt, golden honey + one old-school Athens dairy Kevin desperately needed to know was still there. **30:18 – Athens Fast Food** Moussaka or fava? Souvlaki or gyro? Dakos or horiatiki? Vivian faces Kevin’s rapid-fire Greek food showdown. **32:25 – CJ Enters the Salad Debate** Horiatiki gets another vote, lettuce gets evicted + Kevin proposes some questionable new podcast merchandise. **33:49 – The Best Fig Kevin Ever Ate** A spontaneous food-tour discovery in Piraeus becomes one of Kevin’s favourite seasonal bites in Greece. **35:16 – Seven Greek Food Tours Later** What Kevin learned after taking multiple food tours across Greece and why travellers deserve more than repeated classics. **37:38 – Shop Like an Athenian** Laiki street markets, stunning produce + why Athens’ everyday neighbourhood markets belong on your itinerary. **39:59 – Kevin’s Athens Favourites** Jesus Crust, Stani, legendary kebabs + some of the places Kevin still has pinned on his Athens food map. **42:27 – A Hotel Built for Food Lovers** Inside Ergon House, where boutique rooms sit above restaurants, gourmet shops, a butcher, fishmonger + cooking experiences. **43:52 – An Unexpected Taste of Damascus** Syrian falafel with an extra-crunchy twist + one tiny restaurant Kevin says deserves a place on your Athens eating itinerary. **45:11 – What to Bring Home from Greece** Olive oil, olives, feta + colourful jars of syrupy spoon sweets worth squeezing into your luggage. **48:14 – Listener Questions** A Greek drink Kevin probably wouldn’t order twice + the city he found easiest to explore without restaurant reservations. **53:02 – Next Stop: Lima** Kevin thanks Vivian and teases ceviche, anticuchos + what it’s really like to eat at Maido, named the number one restaurant in the world. If you enjoyed traveling and eating with us, make sure to follow the show so you never miss our next stop. And if you have a second, a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review goes a long way in helping more food-obsessed travelers like you find us. If you’re still hungry, join us on Instagram **@ThisCityIsDelicious** for extra bites from the road, behind-the-scenes food finds, and a few tasty surprises that didn’t make it into the episode. And if you know someone who plans their trips around meals not museums, share this episode with them - we’re saving them a seat at the table. Until our next bite together… travel well, be kind, and eat something you can’t pronounce. Because remember, This City Is Delicious™.