Detailed Gluten-Free Restaurant Card — Greece

The taverna was built for you — mostly

Greek cuisine has strong naturally gluten-free traditions: grilled meats, fish, salads, olives, feta, rice-stuffed dolmades, gigantes, fava. Awareness is growing in Athens and on the tourist islands, the Hellenic Coeliac Society publishes resources, and supermarkets in Athens have free-from sections. Casual tavernas may not understand cross-contact, though — I confirm preparation every time.

What’s on the card

• A clear explanation of κοιλιοκάκη (celiac disease) in Greek, so the kitchen treats it as medical
• What I can’t eat and where gluten hides: moussaka’s wheat-flour béchamel, dolmades that are often made with bulgur instead of rice, tzatziki that’s sometimes thickened with flour, avgolemono soup sometimes made with orzo
• What’s usually workable: souvlaki on a stick without the pita, and horiatiki (Greek salad)
• The kitchen questions — including “Are the dolmades made with rice or with bulgur?” and “Is the sauce made with flour béchamel?”

What’s in the travel companion (page 2)

• How I choose: “Χωρίς Γλουτένη” on menus, the question “Έχετε επιλογές χωρίς γλουτένη;”, sticking to grilled dishes in casual tavernas — and skipping street-stand gyros in pita entirely
• Six dishes worth ordering (grilled octopus, lamb chops, Santorini fava), shopping notes (Schär widely stocked; well-supplied free-from sections at large supermarkets in Athens and tourist areas), and where options cluster — Athens around Kolonaki, Thessaloniki, Mykonos and Santorini, Crete
• If you get glutened: the φαρμακείο phrase “écho kiliokáki,” with most pharmacists speaking English, and 112 EU-wide or 166 for an ambulance

The honest certification picture

Greece has a patient association — the Hellenic Coeliac Society — with eating-out resources. On packaged foods, look for the crossed-grain mark and the EU-regulated “χωρίς γλουτένη” claim (max 20 ppm). Neither reaches into the taverna kitchen, which is exactly the gap this card covers, in Greek.

Format

Instant download. Two-page PDF — print it or show it from your phone.

This card helps communicate your dietary needs. It does not guarantee a gluten-free meal or eliminate cross-contact risk. Always use your judgment, and when in doubt, do not eat. Not medical advice.