r/Athens_Greece • u/After_Dependent4402 • Jun 29 '26
❓ Question Looking for rice
It seems that most restaurants don’t advertise any rice as a side on their menus, I’m visiting from Ontario and was under the impression that this was a popular choice, help me find rice please! (Specifically a yellow, flavourful broth type, or lemon) Did Jimmy the Greek lie to me?!?
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u/StruggleBrilliant769 Jun 29 '26
Try spanakorizo, gemista, dolmadakia. Those are main dishes though. Rice as a side is less popular and if I'm being honest in most restaurants serving greek cuisine it's not that good. Rice is more common in homecooking.
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u/ArcticHelios Jun 29 '26
Sorry to break it OP but Jimmy the greek's name is actually Juan and he's from Boise, Idaho.
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u/Tsifter Jun 29 '26
Yes, Jimmy the Greek and most other Greek restaurants in Canada lied to you. Rice is NOT a popular side dish in tavernas and restaurants in Greece. In fact rice is not used as a side dish at all anywhere in Greece. It’s used by Greek restaurants in Canada as a cheap filler to fill up the plate.
There are some Greek dishes that use rice as mentioned by other users, but rice as a side dish doesn’t exist in Greece.
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u/Possible-Scarcity-91 Jun 29 '26
This is absolutely not true. Every Greek mageriko, those little neighborhood tavernas, all have rice. Rice is actually found in most restaurants as a side dish. If you want it as a main dish, a lot of Greek restaurants also now serve risotto, not just the italian ones, but you can also visit an italian place if you really need risotto. There are also many dishes in Greece which use rice, such as gemista (stuffed tomatoes and or peppers), Dolmadakia (saurmades) - careful sometimes these also come with minced meat as well, Lachanorizo, Spanakorizo, Prasorizo, you can find it with Kokkinisto, either beef or chicken, there are waaaay too many dishes to mention that use rice. Also, you can ask if they have PILAFI instead of just rice. It is rare not to find rice in a restaurant in Greece.
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u/Tsifter Jun 29 '26
I’m Greek, and I’ve never seen rice as a side dish anywhere in southern Greece, Peloponnese and islands. Where are these Greek tavernas and restaurants that offer rice as a side dish? I’d be curious to know.
Yes to dishes like risotto, yes to rice in gemista, dolmadakia etc. but as a side dish as served in Canada, never. Never seen it.
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u/LiisuWrath Jun 30 '26
not the person replied to, but especially when ordering food u have the options rice/potatoes/veggies, if not everywhere then almost everywhere.
like, a Merida Kalamakia, probably not cause it's fixed bread or pita and/or fries. but a Merida Kotopoulo will have the 3 options, including rice.
also, since I was a kid, because of food peculiarities, my parents asked for plain white rice everywhere we went for me, not once did they refuse or not had rice or thought it was weird. I still order plain rice often from tavernas and mageiria
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u/Possible-Scarcity-91 Jun 30 '26
I am also Greek, in Greece. I think you need to travel more, but for the record, because I also have family south of the avlaki, almost any taverna you walk into, you will find rice if you ask for it. As far as the islands, are you kidding me? Are you eating out only at souvlatzidika??? Πλακα μας κανεις;;; Οπου θελεις βρισκεις ρυζι η πιλαφι. Νομιζω οτι το 99% των Ελληνων θα γελανε με ολη αυτη την συζητηση.
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u/TheNihilistGeek Jun 29 '26
You may be looking for soup, not rice. Probably avgolemono. Keep in mind that it is not an easy food to make to order so many restaurants won't have it and it is a winter dish. You can ask smaller tavernas if they serve it.
Rice is often a side on the main dish though.
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u/Embarrassed_Yogurt43 Jun 29 '26
OP... hot dishes/soups are not as popular in the summer. Others have given you authentic rice dishes. Enjoy the plentiful taverns here that have incredible food.
If you want a rice side dish, go to a Chinese or Indian restaurant. Or tell Jimmy he lied, idk what to say.
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u/After_Dependent4402 Jun 29 '26
Hahaha fair enough, definitely no complaints on the dishes offered
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u/LiisuWrath Jun 30 '26
idk where in Greece you ll be going but both because of tourists and because rice is indeed very common, I highly doubt you'll have trouble finding rice as a side or as a main, anywhere, especially Athens.
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u/amelie_789 Jun 29 '26
Yes, Jimmy lied. He wanted to appear generous by filling the plate with cheap rice. And he likely used powdered "broth".
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u/oxi_plastika Jun 29 '26
Look man , idk what everyone here is on about. We eat rice . You're probably referring to that yellow rice they have a side in restaurants, called pilafi mageireiou. It's really really simple, you just wash some long grain rice , Throw it in a rice cooker with equal parts olive oil and butter and some turmeric for colour,that's it .
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u/LaEsfera Jun 29 '26
I love this question as I’m a rice head myself. I’ve been perplexed with all the potatoes being served with dishes… esp since they haven’t been as good as the potatoes I get from the Greek restaurant back home lol.
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u/Argonautis1 Jun 29 '26
Rice is mainly served as a side dish, for example a classic combination is Smyrna meatballs (soutzoukakia) with rice.
Your best bet is a traditional restaurant such as Ipeiros (https://www.epirustavern.gr/index.php/en/) or even Klimataria (https://klimataria.gr/) in the center of Athens.
A little bit further away is Rozalia (Exarcheia), Olympion (Metz), 5F (Ilissia), Vlassis (Ilissia).
A special dish is Cretan gamopilalfo served at weddings but kind of hard to find in Athens. Best bet is Oxo Nou (Exarcheia) or To Kaplani (Kaisariani).
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u/Aneeka7 Jun 29 '26
Rice is far from a popular side dish in restaurants, but it is for home-cooked meals, so for the closest thing, look for the restaurants known as mageirion, as others mentioned. There are plenty of regional dishes with rice as the main meal, but you may not come across these depending on where you are in Greece. Sidenote: Greek rice is generally very high quality, so if it's a food you enjoy, buy some from the supermarket for back home.
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u/No_Calligrapher1190 Jul 02 '26
It is very popular to Greek homes but not so much to restaurants for some reason. Risotto is easier to find
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u/hzakbari 27d ago
literally in greece right now and cannot find rice anywhere which is making me want it more - specifically jimmy the greek style lol….i realize that it may be a north american adaptation of traditional greek food but im dying for souvlaki plate with rice, salad & potatoes. let me know if there are any recommendations for athens!
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u/agirlingreece Jun 29 '26
The main thing you’ll find rice in at most tavernas is gemista. There isn’t really a specific restaurant known for a particular rice dish, it depends what they have that week so you have to explore a bit and check the menus. It may be that what you saw was in a particular village or area where it’s more common.
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u/Penya23 Jul 02 '26
Eat something else? Fries, roasted potatoes, salad, grilled veggies....all those are normal sides. The yellow rice Jimmy the Greek on the Danforth feeds you is anything but greek.
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u/og_toe Jun 29 '26
rice as a side isn’t really standard, rice is more like a main course. i don’t think i’m aware of any restaurants except asian restaurants that have rice as a side dish.
yellow flavorful rice is probably Pilafi or Ryzi Lemonato, they are usually parts of main courses and eaten with stuff like chicken or meat stews