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Vegan’s Survival Guide to Vassiliki

Richard Strange
Apr 19, 2017
3 min read

As a vegan, I am often asked what I eat while living in Vassiliki, Greece for the summer. From the harbour-side and beach-side restaurants to the supermarkets, mini-markets, take-aways and bakeries, there are numerous tasty and nutritious options for vegans to enjoy in Vassiliki. There are even some opportunities for seasonal roadside foraging from fig trees and blackberry picking later in the summer.

EATING OUT

There are several great dishes to try at some of the harbour-side restaurants, many of which are normally starters or side dishes. These include lentil soup (Fakes), lentil salad, giant beans in tomato sauce (Gigantes Plaki), stuffed vine leaves (Dolmades – check no meat), Greek Salad (Horiatiki – without the feta), aubergine salad (Melitzanosalata), shiitake mushrooms, pastas with a Neopolitan sauce, boiled greens (Horta Vrasta) and green bean stew (Fasolakia – a personal favourite). Hummus is readily available throughout peak season, but with fewer visitors in early and late season, restaurants make less as it does not store well.

You can order a mix of starters as a main course but should take care to clearly communicate that you wish them to be served at the same time as others’ main courses. Otherwise, they will assume to bring it to the table with other starters.

Next to the small square at the harbour, Yannis will sell a fast-food vegan option of a normally vegetarian gyros flatbread wrap containing chips, tomatoes and onion (“no sauce”) to take-away or enjoy there. Not healthy, but great, cheap, comfort food.

SUPERMARKETS & MINI-MARKETS

Most of the supermarkets (Nikos and Euromart are the two largest) and mini-markets in Vassiliki and Ponti stock a wide array of fresh and tasty fruit and vegetables, and the selection changes with the season. With Greece being the world’s 4th largest per capita consumer of pasta, 100% durum wheat varieties are readily available (along with ready-made sauces if you don’t wish to make your own). Nuts, dried beans and pulses also have their own shelves.

The one surprising aspect is that although it is available, hummus is not as widely available as might be expected. A couple of the locations stock medium-sized tubs through the peak season but early season can see less stock. Dried chickpeas and tahini are available in the supermarkets for making your own.

With olive oil being the ‘liquid gold’ of Greece, there are many oil options along with vegan tapenades and the olives themselves (both in jars and at the small deli counters). One supermarket even supplies its own locally-produced olive oil.

BAKERIES

Dangerously addictive, two of the bakeries stock non-cheese, vegan spinach pies (spanokopita) and potato pies (patatapita). They supply a wide range of breads and confectionary. Most products are not baked locally, but rather, are delivered early. Stocks are limited so get there early!

ALCOHOL

Fortunately, Lefkada Earth (a winery only 12 kilometres from Vassiliki), is vegan and only uses Bentonite for finings (to remove the sediment in the production process). Generally, the jugs of wines offered in the local restaurants are unlikely to be vegan. However, other Greek vegan wines (which may possibly be available in some supermarkets) include: Douloufakis (Crete), Semeli Feast and Sant’or (Patras). The most common lagers, such as Amstel and Alpha, are vegan.

RECOMMENDED HIGHLIGHTS

Lentil Soup (Kavvadias Restaurant at Wildwind)

Veggie Burger (Club Vass) – this was vegan in 2016

Vegan Pizza (Alex’s Pizza)

Pasta with tomato sauce and mushrooms (Taverna Dolphin)

Hummus, Greens and Chips (Alexander's)

Watermelon Sorbet (ice cream parlour along the harbour)

Fresh Peach Juice (Vass Bar at the harbour)

FOOD LANGUAGE REFERENCE

In Vassiliki, all the managers and head waiters speak good English. However, some of their staff may not, so these phrases may prove helpful:

Excuse me Signomi

Do you speak English? Miláte angliká?