Veganaki — Restaurant in Athens

I found this place on the Happy Cow App. I came here after visiting the Temple of Zeus. This restaurant is very close to many tourist sites in Athens so it's easy to get to for breakfast or lunch. One of the things I first noticed was everyone in here was a dude, and a hot dude. They guys working and the customers too. I am not used to that. Most of the time I only meet vegan women and it was really nice to see so many attractive vegan men (or at least attractive men eating vegan food). I came around brunch time and got a little bit of both. I got the smoked tofu and I got the Veganaki special. To drink I got a greek frappe. The smoked tofu would be the perfect light breakfast. The sauce gives it a sort of egg flavor, but it also is very smokey and lighter with the pita bread and arugula (rocket). I also wanted to try a bit of everything so the special sounded perfect because it comes with falafel patties, Greek salad, vegan feta, fries with mustard, and tzatziki sauce. They warned me that I ordered too much food and they were right, but I didn't care. I'm an American so I'm used to big portions. But I should have listened anyway because I stuffed myself. The special is refreshingly tasty. The falafel is really good and not too dry or overcooked. It was really nice dipped in the tzatziki sauce too. The salad was huge and I really enjoyed the vegan feta. I wish I knew how to make that so I could add it to salads at home. It was the right amount of creamy and crumbly and tasted very fresh as well. The tomatoes were juicy, the onions were crunchy, and the olives gave a great Mediterranean flavor. The fries are the most disappointing part. They are hard and fairly tasteless. They have some herbs on them, but compared to all the other fresh foods on the plate they were underwhelming. Luckily, not eating those gave me room to finish the rest of my food. I also highly recommend the frappe. It's iced coffee that isn't horribly bitter and has thick coffee foam on top. The coffee flavor is smooth and easy to drink. Because it is iced it is perfect for a warm day. This is a great spot to get a vegan meal with Greek flair. I recommend coming here while visiting Athens!

Pros: Huge portions, Lots of seating, Lots of choices

Cons: Fries...

I came on a Saturday evening by myself and got a table right away. Few minutes later the place filled up, so it might be recommendable to make a reservation for larger groups. The food is good and all dishes are vegan & gluten free! I had the Veganaki Special: 3 mung bean patties, greek salad with cashew feta, air fried potatoes with mustard and tsatsiki. The mung bean patties were a bit too dry for my liking. The fried had a really nice texture, crunchy on the outside with a fluffy inside, but tasted a bit bland. The salad and cashew feta were tasteful, but the star of the show was the tsatsiki. Creamy, rich and truly satisfying. The portion size was just right, and the dish was served after reasonable waiting time to be prepared freshly.

As I only came for one night to Athens. For my trip the next day I ordered a Plastos Pie to take away. I kept it in the fridge and it was still good the next day. The polenta-crust got dry (understandably) but the filling was still tasteful and juicy (not too soggy thankfully).

The prices are moderate. Given that they use wholesome foods / good quality ingredients and everything is gluten free too (those ingredients are more expensive to purchase), it is definitely justified. Altogether a good restaurant that will satisfy cravings for traditional...

Searching for vegan gluten free options in Greece is kinda difficult, but we were so lucky to come across Veganaki. This is such a sweet place. They have a little book station where you can take a book and read if you’d like while eating. We were greeted and sat pretty much wherever we wanted. The staff is very nice and knowledgeable about their food. We ordered the Greek pizza and the falafel plate. I was a little hesitant about the pizza because the crust is made from sweet potatoes, but it was so good! They had the best homemade “feta” on it. I am a lover of arugula and that was all over the top. I asked for some crushed red pepper because I need spice, and they gave cayenne which worked out perfectly. The falafel plate was also delicious. The falafel were not super dry and had a yummy tahini sauce on top. My favorite on the plate was their tabouli mixed with the hummus. This is a definite must try even if you’re not vegan, it’s that delicious. Update 7/27/23: We went again and had the souvlaki and the...