Athens

Athens doesn't just feed you — it seduces you with food at every turn. Start with souvlaki, the city's great equalizer: skewers of smoky pork or chicken wrapped in pillowy pita with tomato, onion, and a swipe of garlicky tzatziki. Monastiraki Square is ground zero, where joints like Kostas and Bairaktaris have been perfecting the art for decades. Pair it with a paper cone of freshly fried loukoumades drizzled in honey and you've nailed the Athenian street food trifecta.

Sit down for a proper meal and the city reveals another layer entirely. Tavernas tucked into Psiri and Koukaki serve slow-braised lamb with orzo baked in clay pots — stifado, moussaka layered with béchamel, and gigantes plaki, giant beans swimming in herby tomato sauce. Don't skip taramosalata or melitzanosalata as starters — they arrive with warm bread and immediately tell you this kitchen cares. Seafood lovers should make the short trip to Mikrolimano in Piraeus, where the catch of the day arrives at your table practically still glistening.

Vegetarians and vegans fare surprisingly well here, particularly during Orthodox fasting periods when nistisima — plant-based dishes — dominate menus naturally. Spanakopita (spinach and feta phyllo pie) and tiropita are everywhere, cheap and golden. The Central Market on Athinas Street is a sensory overload worth every minute: olives in a hundred brine variations, wheels of graviera, mountains of dried herbs. Pick up a jar of thyme honey before you leave — you'll spend the rest of your life trying to find it back home.