Feeding children well in Greece is surprisingly easy. Whether you’re deciphering a taverna menu in search of familiar favourites (our best swaps: pastitsio for Bolognese and fried red mullet for fish and chips), putting together a simple breakfast from the local bakery and grocer, or looking for a shortcut to dinner (skip to the end of this post), here are our favourite tips—and plenty of wholesome ideas—for feeding babies, toddlers and bigger appetites in one of the world’s great food destinations.
BREAKFAST & SNACKS
Greek Yoghurt – with honey, walnuts,”spoon sweets” (our favourite is quince), fresh figs, walnuts… TIP – instead of FAGE (a popular brand internationally), try local brands like Complet by Delta for a more luscious taste and texture. 
Spanakopita (spinach pie) from a local bakery. If spinach is too ambitious, try tiropita, a feta cheese-filled pastry. 
Bougatsa – A sweet semolina custard pie. Nice-to-know: Filo pastry, used in most Greek pastries, does not contain saturated fat. Just flour, water and olive oil. 
Kolouri – a sesame-sprinkled giant doughnut shaped ring of semi-sweet bread. Also available at bakeries. 
Fruit in Greece burst with flavour like nature intended. Forget packaged food.
TAVERNA SIDES & MAINS (MEAT)
Kolokithakia – lightly-fried zucchini chips that rival the potato chip. Also try: tomatokeftedes (tomato balls / fritters) and kolokithokeftedes (zucchini balls / fritters). 
Pastitsio – Greek lasagna topped with béchamel cream sauce . 
Burger and meatball equivalents: bifteki (a burger without the bread, pictured here), keftedes (fried meatballs) and soutzoukakia (long-ish meatballs in red sauce), 
Souvlaki – pork or chicken grilled and served on a stick. Often confused with pita gyros (shaved meat in a wrap). 
Meats in red sauce options: rooster in red wine sauce with pasta (pictured here). Moschari kokkinisto is a beef stew, again served with pasta, rice or fries. 
Kotopoulo lemonato (oven-baked lemon chicken and potatoes in foreground) – the Greek-take on the classic roast chicken. 
Gigantes plaki – giant sized white beans oven baked in a tomato based sauce with a creamy, buttery texture. Easy to mash for weaning babies. 
Fasolakia, a green bean stew, (especially delicious when cooked with a broad and flat green bean variety called Romano) is also good for baby purees.
SEAFOOD TAVERNA MAINS
Grilled sardines – full of omega-3 fatty acids, they also don’t accumulate as much contaminants as small fish and have one of the lowest mercury levels amongst fish. 
Looking for the Greek equivalent of Fish and Chips? Order Koutsomoura (red mullet) – a small fish type typically fried and sweet to taste. 
Fagri (when available) – delicately sweet and a winner for my fussy-with-fish children. Best grilled. How to pick the freshest catch? Look for bright eyes, shiny scales and red gills. 
Gavros (fried anchovies) – another small, oily and tasty fish rich in omega-3. Often fried and served as an appetizer. Again, try this in place of potato fries. 
Fried calamari is a seafood taverna staple for us. 
More pasta: shrimp pasta, crayfish pasta, or lobster pasta
MEALS OF ULTIMATE CONVENIENCE: THE MAGEIREIO & PITA GYROS SHOP
When everyone’s running on empty, skip the restaurant dinner-table meltdown altogether. Beyond the ever-reliable pizza, a pita gyros—warm flatbread wrapped around shaved meat, fries, tomatoes, onions and tzatziki—is a quick, satisfying meal from one of Greece’s ubiquitous grill houses or dedicated gyros shops.
Better still, seek out a mageireio, one of Greece’s best-kept culinary secrets. These humble eateries prepare home-style dishes fresh each day, with trays of moussaka, oven-baked meats, stuffed vegetables and slow-cooked stews ready to be taken away. Just be sure to visit early—they’re primarily a lunchtime affair, and the best dishes often sell out by mid-afternoon.
