Your guide to the famous Greek Souvlaki and Gyros

Greek Souvlaki, Kalamaki, Gyros, Souvla, Kebap with pita! So many options, so many decisions!

All four versions of the pita wrap are delicious, ( with 2 being the same thing).

All 4 can come in a variety of fillings and styles, and all four are a staple of a Greeks lunch or dinner. It is one of the most popular Greek dishes in the country. 

When you break down this dish, you basically have the following ingredients:

• Meat
• A sauce
• Chips / fries (fried potatoes)
• Salad
• Pita bread

A very simple recipe, but, as with most Greek recipes the taste comes from the produce used and they method of not only cooking but assembly of the pita.

The difference between Gyro, Souvla, Souvlaki / Kalamaki and Kebap

While travelling through Greece you will no doubt come across these 4 dishes.

They are very similar at a quick glance, but there are two crucial elements that changes the flavour completely for each.

The first is the meat - not only the type of the meat, but the cut that is used. The second is the cooking process.

Below we will run through the 4 diferent methods each meat can be cooked.

The Gyro

When ordering a Gyro, you are ordering a pita bread filled with meat, sauce, chips and salad.

The gyro meat is what sets it apart. The gyro meat thats used is the large clump of meat that is spinning around being cooked by a grill / heater. You will see these large pieces of meat in clear view when entering a gyro shop.

The word Gyro in Greek basically translate to turn or revolution.

The Souvlaki / Kalamaki

The souvlaki / kalamaki is your meat on a stick (skewer). The meat is cooked fresh on a grill / bbq and is then inserted in the pita bread.

Why the 2 names? Well in Athens, the Athenians like to call this meat on a stick Kalamaki - which translate to straw. In typical Greek fashion, to make things hard, a Kalamaki is also used for a drinking straw.

Outside of Athens, meat on stick is called Souvlaki, even if you are in Athens they will understand you if you order a Souvlaki!

The Souvla

What the hell is a Souvla I hear you ask?

The souvla is more rotating meat, but the main difference here is that the meat is cooked over hot coals and slowly spins horizontally over the coals Better known as a spit.

Everyone knows of lamb on the spit, well this is exactly the same process, just will smaller chunks of marinated meat spinning around until its ready to be devoured.

The Kebap

The kebap in Greece is different to the rest of the world. A Kebap in Greece, is mince meat mixed with herbs and spices. This is then placed on a skewer and cooked over a grill or BBQ.

It is the Greek version of a Kofta.

The different types of meat used

The Gyros, Souvlaki / kalamaki and Souvla all are made with either chicken or pork meat.

The kebap is usually made with either beef mince or pork, or a mixture of both.

Chicken Gyro

The chicken gyro consists of the following ingredients:

• Chicken meat from the vertical rotisserie (the gyro), marinated with salt, pepper and oregano
• Chips / fries
• Mustard sauce 
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Wrapped in a pita bread that has been lightly warmed on the grill

Chicken Souvlaki in Pita

The chicken souvlaki in pita is a little bit different to the chicken gyro.

The ingredients for the chicken souvlaki in pita is:

• Chicken thigh pieces cooked on the grill, marinated with salt, pepper and oregano
• Chips / fries
• Mustard sauce 
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Wrapped in a pita bread that has been lightly warmed on the grill

Chicken Souvla in Pita

Chicken souvla has the following ingredients:

• Chicken thighs cooked over a coal bbq, marinated with salt, pepper and oregano
• Chips / fries
• Mustard sauce 
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Wrapped in a pita bread that has been lightly warmed on the grill

PRO TIP

What to note here is that, the sauce for chicken is a mustard sauce, not tzatziki. If you are after taztziki,  you can ask for it to be used instead of the mustard sauce.

Also, with the chicken side of things, lettuce in place of the normal onion.

Pork Gyro 

The pork gyro is made of the following materials (a word you will see throughout Greece)

• Pork meat, from the vertical rotisserie (the gyro), marinated with salt, pepper and oregano
• Chips / fries
• Tzatziki
• Tomato
• Onion
• Wrapped in a pita bread that has been lightly warmed on the grill

Pork Souvlaki in Pita

The pork souvlaki (the go to for most Greeks) in pita has the following materials:

• Pork belly / pork shoulder or neck cooked on the grill / bbq and marinated with salt, pepper and oregano
• Chips / fries
• Tzatziki
• Tomato
• Onion
• Wrapped in a pita bread that has been lightly warmed on the grill

Pork Souvla in Pita

• Pork belly / pork shoulder or neck cooked on a coal BBQ, marinated with salt, pepper and oregano
• Chips / fries
• Tzatziki
• Tomato
• Onion
• Wrapped in a pita bread that has been lightly warmed on the grill

KEBAP

The kebap is very similar to the gyro and souvlaki in pita in regards to the materials.

These materials are:

• Minced meat that is cooked on the grill and marinated with salt, pepper, paprika and chilli (in some places)
• Chips / fries
• Tzatziki
• Onion
• Tomato
• Paprika over the filling
• Wrapped in a pita bread that has been lightly warmed on the grill

PRO TIP

Some places will add tzatziki, but its best to ask for it as other places omit this delicious sauce!

A Special Note

When travelling around Greece you will see variations of the humble gyro. The more north you go from Athens, you will come across variations such as, different spices being used, a varied array of different sauces and the size of the overall gyro. 

For the best variations, try and visit the Greek city of Thessaloniki. They have some great Gyros there!

FINAL PRO TIP

Ask for your pita bread to be dipped in oil before it is warmed on the grill. It ads an extra flavour level to the pita!

For some of the best places in Athens to try a gyro or a souvlaki pita, have a look out our Athens food guide for some great places.

Food Tour

If you are wanting to taste the perfect Souvlaki and Gyro, why not join one of our food tours.

We have a food tour we offer which takes you on a food journey around Athens, which you can view here.

Alternatively, we do offer custom food tours, where we work with you to create your own special delicious food tour around Athens.

To discuss a custom food tour, you can send us an email at hello@voltatours.com or you can chat to us on our website (our chat is located at the bottom right corner of our website).