At a glance
4 March 2027
Tsiknopempti. Changes every year with Easter.
Varvakios
Grills and music from 11:00, a 20-minute walk.
Booking
Tavernas fill up. Book a table days ahead, especially for the evening.
Working day
Shops, the metro and services work as normal.
What is Tsiknopempti
Carnival lasts three weeks. The second is called Meat Week, because it is the last one in which meat is eaten; in the next, Cheese Week, only cheese and dairy are eaten, and from Clean Monday the Lenten fast begins. On the Thursday of Meat Week Greeks eat meat on the coals: pork chops, souvlaki, sausages, burger patties, lamb chops. They grill at home, at schools, at offices and on the pavements outside tavernas. Many go out in costume, and in the evening the tavernas with live music fill up.
Where to go, starting from Ioulianou 50
1. In the neighbourhood: souvlaki around Victoria
You don't need to go far. The souvlaki places and grills around Victoria Square grill all day, and on Tsiknopempti the smell reaches Ioulianou. Two nearby options, less than 5 minutes on foot, are To Kalamaki tis Kyra-Sofias and «Tylixe to». How to order, what «kalamaki» and «pitta gyros» mean and how much they cost are in the guide to souvlaki in Victoria. In the afternoon you will also see grills on the pavements.
To Kalamaki tis Kyra-Sofias
📍 Cheyden 15, Athens 104 34
A small place with authentic souvlaki — chicken or pork, on a skewer or wrapped. Cheap, tasty, worth trying. Open daily until late.
2. Varvakios market: the city's celebration
The Central Market on Athinas Street is the heart of Tsiknopempti in the centre. Grills are set up under tents in the square in front of it, and the smoke covers the street from the morning. In 2026 the City of Athens started at 11:00 with the Philharmonic, followed by traditional dances and a concert of popular Greek songs. At the same time a carnival procession set off from Syntagma and ended at Kotzia Square, next to the market, with the Naxos custom of the Kordelates. Inside the market the butchers have their biggest day of the year: if you want to grill yourself, this is where to buy the meat.
Big grills under tents, from the morning.
Souvlaki and sausages in trays, for anyone passing by.
Tsiknopempti 2024 at Varvakios. Photos: C messier, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
🍢 From Ioulianou 50 to Varvakios
On foot, 1.5 km and about 20 minutes: Fylis, all the way down Aristotelous, Sokratous and left into Armodiou, which leads to the Varvakios square. By metro: Line 1 from Victoria to Omonia (one stop) and 5 minutes downhill on Athinas.
3. Psyrri: tavernas, music and Telis
Psyrri, between Monastiraki and Evripidou Street, is the neighbourhood for an evening party. Around Iroon Square the tavernas put grills out on the street, many have live music and people dance between the tables. Without a booking it is hard to find a table after 20:00. For the squares, the lanes and the meze places of the area, see the guide to Psyrri.
A little further up, at Evripidou 86, is Telis, a simple grill house known for decades for its pork chops. The menu is almost only chops, chips and salad. On Tsiknopempti there is a queue; go early at midday.
🍖 From Ioulianou 50 to Psyrri and Telis
Line 1 from Victoria to Monastiraki (two stops). Exit onto Ermou, take Miaouli to Iroon Square, continue on Aristofanous and turn left onto Evripidou. From the station, 600 m and 8 minutes. On foot from Ioulianou to Telis: 1.5 km, about 20 minutes, via Acharnon and Menandrou.
4. Monastiraki: kebab next to the metro
On Monastiraki Square, as soon as you leave the station, are two of the best-known grill houses in Athens, both on charcoal: Thanasis, since 1964, with its kebab, and Bairaktaris, since 1879. It is the fastest plan if you have no booking: tables outside, quick service and a kebab pitta in your hand if you don't want to sit down. Psyrri is 5 minutes further up.
Thanasis · Kebab Monastiraki
📍 Mitropoleos 69, Monastiraki, Athens 105 55
Since 1964 — one of the best-known kebabs in Greece. Grilled over charcoal, with tomato, pitta and onion. Thanasis is next to Monastiraki Square, usually full, and worth a short wait if you are there.
Bairaktaris · Fagopotion
📍 Monastiraki Sq. 2, Athens 105 55
Since 1879 — one of the historic restaurants of Athens. Kebab, souvlaki, pork gyros and Greek dishes at the little tables right on the square. Open daily until late.
What to order
- Brizolakia: pork chops on the coals, with lemon and oregano. The dish of the day.
- Kalamakia: pork or chicken skewers, as a portion with pitta and chips.
- Village sausage and biftekia (burger patties), for the big mixed platter of the group.
- Paidakia: lamb chops, the most expensive, usually by the kilo.
- Kebab: minced meat on a skewer, with tomato, onion and yoghurt.
On the side: tzatziki, Greek salad, chips, bread toasted on the coals and house wine or tsipouro. If you don't eat meat, tavernas have halloumi, mushrooms and vegetables on the grill, but the smell of the day doesn't change.
With pitta, chips and tzatziki, in an Athens taverna.
Sausage, burger patty, souvlaki and chicken: a bit of everything.
Schools and offices light their own grills.
Photos: Miyagawa (CC BY-SA 4.0), pastitio (CC BY 2.0), NikosLikomitros (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.
In the rest of Greece
Tsiknopempti is celebrated all over the country. In Patras, the city of the biggest carnival, carnival bands play next to the grills of the Upper Town. For the Patras Carnival, the Athens parades and the customs of other towns, see the guide to Carnival in Athens.
Practical: book a table days ahead, because from the afternoon you won't find a seat without a booking. Wear clothes you don't mind smelling of charcoal. The metro runs as normal, but around Varvakios and Psyrri the pavements fill up: keep your wallet in front. Eleven days later comes Clean Monday, with kites and lagana: see where to fly a kite.
Frequently asked questions
When is Tsiknopempti?
In 2027 on Thursday 4 March 2027. It always falls 59 days before Orthodox Easter, on the Thursday 11 days before Clean Monday.
Is it a public holiday?
No. Shops, banks, museums and the metro work as normal. The party happens at midday and in the evening.
Why is it called Tsiknopempti?
From «tsikna», the smell and smoke of meat grilling on the coals, and «Pempti», Thursday. It is the last Thursday before meat stops for the fast.
Do I need a booking?
For a taverna, yes, especially in the evening and in Psyrri. For souvlaki to go or for Varvakios, no.
Can children come?
Yes. Midday at Varvakios is family-friendly, and many children go out in costume. In the evening Psyrri is very crowded with loud music.
What if I don't eat meat?
Tavernas have vegetables, halloumi and mushrooms on the grill, salads and pies. See also the guide to vegan and vegetarian food in Athens.
— Kathy
