Athens Greek Cooking Class: Market Tour or Evening Meze

Experience Greek food, culture and hospitality in the welcoming atmosphere of a local Athenian kitchen. Choose between two authentic culinary experiences: a fully hands-on cooking class combined with a visit to Athens Central Market, or a relaxed evening preparing and sharing traditional Greek meze.

Whichever option you select, an experienced local home cook will introduce you to family recipes, practical cooking techniques and the stories behind some of Greece’s best-loved dishes. No previous cooking experience is required, making both options equally enjoyable for complete beginners and enthusiastic home cooks. Once the food is ready, gather around the communal table with your fellow participants and enjoy everything you have prepared, accompanied by local drinks and warm Greek hospitality.

If you select the Classic Cooking Class & Market Tour, your four-hour culinary experience begins with an approximately 30-minute walk through Athens Central Market. Take in the colors, aromas and lively atmosphere of this historic marketplace while discovering where generations of Athenians have shopped for fresh produce and everyday ingredients.

You will then return to The Greek Kitchen and roll up your sleeves for a fully hands-on cooking class. With step-by-step guidance from your local host, prepare a complete traditional meal beginning with dolmades, vine leaves rolled around a fragrant filling of rice and beef. Make a coiled spanakopita filled with spinach, feta cheese and herbs, as well as creamy tzatziki with Greek yogurt, cucumber and garlic. You will also prepare roasted eggplant topped with sauce and crumbled feta, a dish connected with an important chapter in modern Greek culinary history. For dessert, make portokalopita, an orange-and-cinnamon syrup cake prepared with shredded phyllo and served with sweet mastiha liqueur from Chios.

After the class, sit down to enjoy your multi-course meal with seasonal snacks, bread, olives, locally produced red or white wine and a traditional digestive drink.

If you select the Evening Meze Cooking & Dinner, spend three relaxed hours discovering the Greek tradition of meze: small plates placed in the middle of the table for everyone to share. Meze is closely connected with Greek ideas of family, friendship and filoxenia - the tradition of welcoming and caring for guests.

This evening option combines hands-on participation with an informal cooking demonstration, allowing you to set your own pace. Join in at every stage, or relax with a drink, watch your local host and participate whenever you wish. Begin with dakos, a crisp Cretan rusk topped with olive oil, tomato, herbs and creamy mizithra cheese. Prepare succulent keftedakia, traditional Greek beef meatballs, along with refreshing tzatziki and kolokythokeftedes, flavorful zucchini-and-feta fritters. Complete the meze table with feta cheese drizzled with olive oil and oregano.

Once the cooking is complete, share the dishes around the communal table with locally produced wine, standard local beer and a tasting selection of Greek spirits. Finish your evening with Greek coffee prepared in a traditional sand cooker, accompanied by spoon sweets, creamy Greek yogurt and loukoumi.

More than simply a cooking lesson, both options offer a warm, interactive and social introduction to Greek cuisine, everyday Athenian life and the pleasure of preparing and sharing food together. You will also receive the recipes after the experience, so you can recreate the flavors of Greece at home.