Halkidiki: Being Vegan on a Greek Island
Being vegan abroad is never one of the easiest things to do, options in the past have been chips, tomato pasta or salad. So when we visited Halkidiki, a peninsula in the northwest of Greece, I honestly wasn’t expecting much. At best, I thought we could maybe make our own salads, everywhere will do chips and we can always try and ask for a gyros without any of the meat. However, I was very pleasantly surprised with everything that we managed to eat during this holiday.
First of all, Lidl was an absolute saviour. We managed to pick up everything we would need for lunches and breakfasts. This included staples such as tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, freshly baked bread and fresh fruit. There was also a wide range of vegan alternatives such as coconut yoghurt, vegan feta, and vegan Spanakopita. They even offered a range of meals that we could heat up such as stuffed peppers, dolmades, and vegetable moussaka. It offered so much more than I expected and really gave us a good jumping-off point for the holiday.
I would like to highlight Ouzeri Balatsos in Kriopigi of Halkidiki. The staff were super accommodating and the chefs were more than willing to make any vegetarian option vegan for us. We ordered the grilled mushrooms which were covered in a balsamic glaze and served with rocket; freshly made dolmades; fried courgette; the biggest basket of chips I’ve ever seen; fava bean hummus; and baked bread with olive oil. This meal was delicious and exactly what we wanted when in Greece. We liked it so much that when we went back a second time a couple of days later. The staff remembered us and, before we even had the chance to mention it, they let us know that all our food would be made vegan for us. Ouzeri Balatsos is 100% somewhere you should make sure to visit when in Halkidiki.
The second place I would like to recommend is Gusto Italiano in Chaniotis. You can imagine my excitement when I saw the Italian restaurant touting a vegan menu offering vegan pizzas, vegan burgers, vegan feta cheese and a whole pasta section. We chose the garlic pizza bread to share as a starter and it tasted so authentic. The Greeks and pizza are not a combination I would put together but they don’t half know how to make a pizza. For mains we ordered the napolitana garlic mushroom pasta and the mushroom risotto, both were just as tasty as each other. I would highly recommend Gusto Italiano if you’re looking for that Italian kick in Halkadiki. The staff couldn’t have been happier to accommodate our vegan needs and the food was great.
