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If you’re not in the mood for sitting and waiting to be served, but just want to grab a bite on the go and keep exploring, check the following cheap, fast, convenient, and tasty options for a quick meal. 

Let’s see down below what traditional bites you can have as well as which are the best places for a quick lunch in Chania.

Top Street Food in Greece: Gyro or Souvlaki?

Souvlaki or Gyros, depending on where in Greece you come from, is the same thing. Souvlaki is the most popular kind of street food you can get in Greece.

The dish is made of small portions of meat (usually pork or chicken… but if you find lamb gyros, definitely go for it!).

The meat is grilled on a vertical rotisserie and cut at the moment to be served inside a pita. (Pita bread is a traditional Middle Eastern soft and flexible flatbread, very popular in Greece).

Other than the grilled meat, traditional souvlaki usually comes with onions and tomatoes, yogurt or tzatziki, and sometimes with fries too.

However, there are all kinds of wraps around, you can find gyro wraps with lettuce, bacon, cheese… and many more original ideas that not many locals support.

In most places they will also you what sauce you prefer inside, the two more common choices are plain Greek yogurt (they will call it yaourti) or tzatziki. But if they don’t ask… expect yogurt.

If you don’t find a souvlaki wrap fulfilling enough, it’s also possible to order a gyro or souvlaki dish.

In this case, you’ll need to trade the “to go” comfort for a table or a bench at a souvlaki place. The gyro plate has the same ingredients as the wrap, but it is usually more abundant.

Kalamaki

One more tasty and traditional bite in the streets of Greece is kalamaki. It can be enjoyed on the go provided you ask for it to be wrapped in a pita.

A kalamaki is a stick (basically a skewer), with delicious chunks of meat (the same varieties as with gyro) that have been grilled.

Kalamakia (the plural of kalamaki) can also be served on a plate and is especially delicious accompanied by lemon juice and yogurt.

Some places serve both souvlaki (or gyros) and kalamaki. In many places, they come with a side dish of French fries.

Skepasti

Does a gyro wrap tempt you? Then picture two pita pieces of bread that not only have all the delicious ingredients of a gyro but a generous amount of melted cheese too. It can be made with chicken or pork and it’s also known as plakotyri.

This is a perfect sandwich for when you’re really hungry and one gyro is not enough.

Many places will serve it with a side portion of golden fries (often wedges) that can be covered in melted cheese, crispy bacon, and what locals call ros sos (yes, that should be rose sauce!), a mixture of ketchup and Greek yogurt.

Where to Eat the Best Gyros in Chania Town

In my opinion, these are the best places for a gyro in Chania.

Oasis Souvlaki

• Where: 4 Vouloudaki Street, Chania.

If your goal during your trip to Chania is to check every single landmark in town, then you can’t skip a visit to this souvlaki place.

According to both locals and visitors, Oasis Souvlaki prepares the best souvlaki in town. And it’s been doing so for the last 50 years.

This souvlaki joint first opened to the public back in 1967, and they must be doing something well if they’re still one of the hottest spots in town.

Don’t get there late, when the meat is over, this shop closes until the next day (usually this happens at about 3 pm).

So even if it’s still a bit early according to your inner clock, listen to me and head there to taste one of Chania’s best-known secrets, Oasis Souvlaki.

Forget French fries or any other fancy ingredient, inside the wrap there’s only meat, tomato, and onion.
There are no places to sit, so it’s better to buy and take away.

Ladi & Rigani

• Where: 21 Apokoronou Street, Chania

Or Oil and Oregano (in English), that’s the name of this souvlaki shop just a few steps from the Public Market of Chania.

I like their late hours, their pork gyros, and some of the best fries I’ve ever had in Chania (here, I always order a side portion of French fries, they are delicious, with the right quantity of oregano sprinkled on top).

Their tzatziki sauce is to die for.
Delivery service available.

Se Anammena Karvouna

• Where: 20 Chatzimichali Giannari Street, Chania

Another staple souvlaki restaurant on the same street, Se Anammena Karvouna is known for quick service and convenient prices. If you’re not so much into grilled meat, go for the grilled halloumi cheese.
There are just a few places to sit and the friendly is friendly.
Crazy tasty French fries.
Delivery service available.

Thraka

• Where: 34 Chatzimichali Giannari Street, Chania.
• 77 Anagnostou Gogoni Street, Chania.
• Dikastiria (Court area).

My second favorite place for souvlaki in town is Thraka. The delicious grilled meat smell coming out from this place is one good reason to stop and order a wrap.

You can also check their potato salad and their huge gyros on a plate. They also serve good traditional kalamakia. Thraka never disappoints with its friendly staff, fresh ingredients, and super convenient prices.
Delivery service available.

Pork to Beef Wild

• Where: 68 Daskalogianni Street, Old Town Chania.

Close to the backstreets of the old Venetian Arsenals and the main square of Splantzia, Pork to Beef Wild, as the name says, has pork and beef sandwiches, but also chicken wraps, hot dogs, and grilled sausages on their menu.

Taste the unique wraps made with a fresh and fragrant handmade pita and add as many ingredients as you can get from their vegetable selection.

O Kostas

• Where: 51 Daskalogianni Street, Chania (Splantzia)

Right across Plateia 1821, in the heart of Splantiza, there is a little souvlaki shop serving traditional gyro wraps.
If you have time, sit at one of the tables in the open and enjoy the simple tastes and the friendly service.
And if you’re really hungry, go for the meat platter, a Cretan salad, or grilled feta cheese.

Add freshly squeezed orange juice, and then head for a walk in the neighborhood.

More than Gyros: Where to Grab a Bite Fast in Chania

Are you in the mood for trying something different? These are my fav cheap eateries in the city, take a look!

Funky’s

• Where: 76 Chatzimichali Giannari Street, Chania
• 6 Sarpidonas Street, Arsenals, Old Town

Are you in the mood for pizza? Funky’s serves the best Italian-style pizza in Chania. Classic flavors in their menu include

• Margarita
• Carbonara
• Solemio
• Philadelphia cheese

Fresh Point

• Where: 24 Zampeliou, Chania

I love this place for refreshing juice, a smoothie, or a bowl of fresh fruit. Everything is made right in front of you and you can even sit and enjoy the heart of the old town.

My favorite combination has banana, orange, watermelon, and a bit of ginger!

They also make sandwiches and pies and prepare delicious cold coffees to go. The place is run by one of my favorite families in town (well, they are from Thessaloniki, originally) and they are so friendly!

Aladdin Arabic Street Food

• Where: 91 Chalidon Street, Chania

Are you a sucker for Middle Eastern street food? Are you in the mood for some awesome shawarma? Would you love to taste some falafel, hummus, or taboule? Do you fall for spicy spices?

Check out this family-run street food place in the center of Chania.

Then this is a new place in town that will conquer you! A very small, almost hidden food stain in the center of the always busy Chalidon street has my kids begging me for a trip to town!

The food here is fresh, made right in front of you, really delicious, and very convenient.

Hans & Gretel

• Where: 91 Chalidon Street, Chania

Another new place that kids …but not only!) love in Chania is Hans & Gretel, resembling more to a fairy tale than a food place, this shop sells colorful candy, delicious donuts with incredible toppings, and ice cream!

Their chimney cakes (inspired by the Czech Trdelnik) are a top best-seller as well as the unique warm waffles filled with ice cream and delicious chocolate or strawberry sauce!

Meat Box

• Where: 31 Andrea Papandreou Street, Chania

If you’re looking for a great burger or are in the mood for a hot dog, this is the place to hit. Also, open until late in the night, check their Chili Burger if you like spicy food.

I love their PacMan sandwich, it comes with double meat, double cheddar, double bacon, onion, and a fried egg on top.

They have menus with fries and a drink too. They have a menu sauce that is crazy delicious.

Meat Box’s Cheesus burger is the apotheosis of burgers: Three burgers, Jack Daniel’s sauce, triple everything, and fries with local cheese grated on top.

Mini Bites (small sandwiches) are ideal for kids, they also have Veggie versions.
The prices are very reasonable.
Delivery service is also available.

Bougatsa Iordanis 

• Where: 24 Apokoronou Street, Chania

Craving for something sweet? Reach the most classic place in town for a bite of the famous Chania staple, bougatsa.

Try this delicious phyllo pastry wrap with a filling of local myzithra cheese. Add sugar or cinnamon on top if you want to.

Bougatsa is a great bite to start the day many locals go to Iordanis in the morning and have a portion of this pie with a Greek coffee for breakfast. The shop closes at 2 pm every day, on Saturdays at 1 pm.

Jerry’s The Sweet Foodtruck

• Where: 77 Chalidon Street, Chania

Donuts, cakes, ice cream, tsourekakia (Curious? Come and try!)… but also crazy ideas such as the Sweet Burger, for instance, the Strawburger with fresh strawberries, cream, chocolate sauce, and more!

Where to Eat in Chania: Best Street Food in the Public Market

• Where: Plateia Agora, Chania

Locals know: The Municipal Market of Chania will be closed for renovations until December 2023 (or a bit more…).

Chania’s Municipal Market is a great place to eat if you’re on a budget or if you simply want to try fresh flavors, recipes of the Greek tradition, or Cretan specialties.

After a visit to the market, it’s a good idea to find (sometimes it can be a hard task) a free table and sit at one of the few food shops in the old market.

The food is very fresh and has a homemade taste that you’ll hardly find somewhere else. The Agora is also the place where many Cretans eat. And you won’t be disappointed at all.

Common dishes include gemista, moussaka, pastitsio, stifado, and kalitsounia, small veggie pies, sometimes stuffed also with local cheese which you can buy and eat on the go.

My Favorite Places to Eat in the Agora

O Michelas

Manolis, his mom, and his aunt get there early every morning and start cooking fresh dishes that are ready to be served sometime around midday. They serve grilled local fish, lamb with artichokes, grilled calamari, and wild greens (horta). My favorite dish is a traditional Chania pie, boureki (with potatoes, myzithra cheese, courgette, and fresh mint.

Here you can also taste snails, moussaka, and kalitsounia. They cook with their own olive oil.

Agapinis

Another favorite, ideal for those who want to try the forgotten dishes of Crete. Cretans love or hate patsas, a soup known for its high protein value, which according to locals helps cure a hangover and will give you all the energy you need to face the day.

Patsas is usually eaten for breakfast after a long night of partying or drinking. There are different recipes for this soup, its main ingredient can be kilia (tripe) or podarakia (feet).

On Saturdays, Agapinis also grills the traditional kokoretsi, a typical dish from the Balkans consisting of lamb or goat intestines wrapped around seasoned offal, including sweetbread, kidney, heart, or lung. Here you can learn more about this dish.

Stou Pissa

This small restaurant in the market serves incredible fish, snails, and grilled seafood. A favorite of mine in this place is their makaronia me xtapodi (pasta with octopus).

Here you can also try the stuffed calamari, horta with lemon, beetroot salad.

The service is incredible! As a personal note, one of my kids does not eat seafood at all!

They always offer to buy a few skewers from the butcher’s stall, right opposite the restaurant, and grill them at the moment for us. One of the best places in town.
Do you like street food?

Read more about Chania

• Best Historic Boutique Hotels in Chania’s Old Town
• 2 Fantastic Days in Chania: A Unique City Break in Crete
• Where to Stay in Chania: Great Accommodation Guide
• 52 Great Things to Do in Chania (Region) for an Unforgettable Holiday 

Pin This Delicious Guide to Street Food in Chania, Crete For Your Next Adventures!

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You might also want to read these posts about Crete’s regions:

• 52 Things to Do in Lasithi Region
• 52 Things to Do in Heraklion Region
• 52 Things to Do in Rethymnon Region
• 52 Things to Do in Chania Region

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