We took a week-long road trip around the Peloponnese in July 2022. We stayed in each town between 1 – 3 nights, so the locations of the gluten free restaurant options below will vary.
I contacted hotels with free breakfast ahead of time to inquire whether there would be gluten free options or not. Most were at least able to tell me what I could/couldn’t eat. The Nidimos hotel in Delphi adapted their breakfast to bring me something gluten free. Of special note is the Anthemion Suites and Villas in Nafplio, where we stayed 3 nights in a suite with a kitchenette. We tried the (paid) hotel breakfast on the last morning we were there. We had to request a gluten free option in advance. I received a bowl of gluten free bread, including 2 croissants that were delicious!
Greek food in general is fairly safe, with Greek salads and roasted vegetables…yum! My Legal Nomads restaurant card came in handy, even though in most towns we were able to find a restaurant that had at least some prior knowledge of gluten free. We did have one meal that wasn’t great, and one restaurant has since closed, so those two are not listed. Of course, do your own research, ask questions ahead of ordering, and reach out ahead of time when needed. We found many Greek restaurants outside of Athens did not have posted menus or websites. You may need to look them up on Instagram or Facebook to find contact information. I have included a map that may be helpful when looking for safe gluten free food during your trip to the Peloponnese.
Vakhos (Delphi)
Nestled on the (upper) main road of Delphi, Vakhos has a spectacular view of the valley. They had a labelled menu of vegetarian, gluten free, and dairy free options. We thoroughly enjoyed the stuffed tomatoes! We also had the lamb, Greek salad, and they brought fruit on the house (common in Greece). The highlight – when they brought the typical bread basket at the start of the meal, they brought me gluten free bread!
Ev-Oinos (Nafpaktos)
We were recommended to come here by our hotel staff, as we hadn’t had much success in our prior research for gluten free places to eat in the small town of Nafpaktos. They don’t have a website (just an outdated Facebook page). However, we found this to be quite common in smaller towns that have family-run restaurants. A lack of website shouldn’t dissuade you from trying them! Ev-Oinos had an extensive menu, and the server was very easily able to tell us what would be safe to eat. Everything we tried was delicious, especially the grilled halloumi! No website, as seems to be commonplace in the smaller town, family run restaurants.
Taverna The Garden (Olympia)
Located at the Hotel Europa, you do not need to be a guest to eat here. The restaurant is outdoors, and you are seated amongst olive trees. The sunset and view were spectacular. Seriously, just the location and view make it worth going here to eat. The food was excellent, and servers were able to help with gluten free choices. Sadly, no GF options for dessert.
Elysse (Sparta)
We drove into Sparta for dinner while visiting Mystras and came to this little hole in the wall owned by a Greek-Canadian family. It was the only place I had found in my research ahead of time that indicated they might have some knowledge of gluten free food. Again, no website here, but don’t let this dissuade you from eating here. It wasn’t busy, so we were seated immediately. Everything is homemade and the owner himself served us. He knew every ingredient and gave recommendations for local specialties to try. This was one of our more authentic meals, that was extremely flavourful, and inexpensive.
Pidalio (Nafplio)
We were recommended Pidalio by our hotel staff, and it did not disappoint! It was quite busy, and on the more expensive end compared to other meals we had during our 3 weeks in Greece, but the food was FANTASTIC. We had the sea bream, veal, and they even made me gluten free saganaki that was not on the menu. They don’t have foods marked gluten free on the menu, but the servers were knowledgeable and were able to help me choose safe foods.
Sklavenitis
A popular grocery store in Greece. There are several locations throughout the Peloponnese. We were able to find gluten free bread, crackers, biscuits, etc. This was a good spot to buy groceries and snacks for along the road. We also bought a biscuit called “Papadopolous”. They were thin, chocolate, gluten free biscuits that were divine with coffee. We ate multiple packages during our 3 week stay in Greece. Ahmed will happily pay you money if you are able to send him chocolate Papadopolous biscuits if you visit Greece.
Map of Gluten Free Options
If you want more options, here is the Wanderlog map I made of everywhere I could find that was still open post-COVID and had good gluten free reviews, labelled menus, and/or indications that gluten free was safe at their restaurants. Please note that I did not personally eat at all these restaurants, so do your own due diligence and reach out or check their websites/menus ahead of your visit.
HOW TO USE THE MAP: Click on the Wanderlog logo in the bottom right corner to open the full-size map up in a new tab. There, you can choose to just look at one location at a time or see all of the locations on the map at once (click the 3 squares in the top right to choose). You can also export the map to Google Maps, share the map with others, or save the map.