Nobody goes to Meteora for the food.
They go for monasteries perched on top of rock pillars that shouldn’t be able to hold anything at all. For the sunset that turns the whole formation gold. For the feeling of being somewhere that looks like it was built for a different planet. The food is not the point.
Which is useful framing for vegans, because the food situation in Meteora requires a bit of strategy. Not a lot. But some.
Here’s what actually worked.
Where you’re actually staying
The monasteries themselves aren’t a town. You’ll be based in either Kalambaka (bigger, more infrastructure) or Kastraki (smaller, closer to the rocks, quieter). Most accommodation sits between the two, and walking distance to both is easy.
My base was Dellas Boutique, between Kastraki and Kalambaka, which had spectacular views of the Meteora formations from a wrap-around balcony. Breakfast was a different story.
The hotel breakfast situation
Traditional and local, which in practice meant breads, cold meats, cereal, and fruit. Apples and oranges. We stuck to the fruit and sorted everything else ourselves.
If your hotel is similar, which in this part of Greece is likely, go to the shop I’m about to describe first.
The actual best thing that happened to me: Market IN
I’ve listed Market IN on Happy Cow for you so you can find it easily. You’re welcome. It’s a shop rather than a restaurant, and it turned out to be the most useful vegan find in Kalampaka.
I walked in expecting not much and found vegan mayo, vegan cheese, vegan cookies, vegan snacks, the full spread. Enough to make sandwiches, to supplement a mediocre hotel breakfast, to not have to negotiate with restaurant menus for every single meal of the day. (I bought enough for two breakfasts and a quick lunch and didn’t once regret it.)
Find it on Happy Cow here. It’ll take the pressure off.
Eating out: what to look for
The dishes worth looking for in any taverna in the Meteora area:
Gigantes plaki (pronounced yee-GAN-tez PLA-kee): giant white beans baked in a rich tomato sauce. Hearty, rich, completely delicious, and vegan by default. (Sometimes pork gets added. Ask.) A proper traditional Greek dish, found everywhere.
Dolmades yialantzi: stuffed vine leaves with rice and herbs. The vegan version, not the meat-stuffed one.
Horta: boiled wild greens with olive oil and lemon. Simple, always available, always vegan.
Fava: a creamy yellow split pea dip, similar in spirit to hummus. Usually vegan.
Briam: a roasted vegetable casserole. Worth checking whether feta has been added on top, but often fine.
Most of these aren’t labelled as vegan on the menu. You have to look at the ingredients, ask questions, and sometimes trust what the staff tell you. (A tip I’ve seen floating around: ask if a dish is “nistisimo”, that’s the Greek Orthodox fasting word, which covers food free from meat and dairy. Results may vary, but it’s worth a try.)
Patisserie Robos
Worth a stop. The traditional vegan biscuits are made to a recipe that predates anyone needing to label things as vegan, and they’re genuinely good. Nice to taste something local and traditional that didn’t require any negotiation.
The honest verdict
Meteora is one of the most extraordinary places I’ve ever been. I don’t say that lightly. The rock formations at sunset, the monasteries that somehow exist at the top of them, the hiking trails where you’re the only person for a stretch, Delphi on the way back to Athens which surprised me by being even better than I expected… the whole thing was worth it several times over.
Go. Just go.
But bring snacks. Stock up at Market IN when you arrive. Know your gigantes plaki from your dolmades. The trip takes care of itself after that.
Also in this series: Vegan in Athens: The Honest Guide and Vegan in Santorini: What I Actually Found.
