Popular Greek street foods,
explained by a Greek chef in Birmingham.

I grew up in Thessaloniki, the northern capital of Greece and, if you ask anyone Greek, the home of the best street food in the country. Every evening after school I'd walk to the kiosk on the corner of my street. An old gentleman called Kostas ran it. He'd been making souvlaki on that corner for over forty years, the way his father taught him.

Everything was cooked fresh in front of you. The tzatziki had been strained that morning. The pitta was warmed on the grill. The pork had been marinating overnight in lemon, oregano and garlic. A proper souvlaki pitta cost me 120 drachmas, about 35 pence.

Simple, honest, perfect. That's the taste I've carried with me, and it's exactly what I bring to every event I cook in Birmingham today. So when people ask me "what are some popular Greek street foods?", this is the answer I give.

Souvlaki vs gyros: they are not the same thing.

Most people in the UK use the two words interchangeably. They're different dishes.

Here's what drives me mad about most "Greek" takeaways in Britain. The gyros is bought in frozen: a compressed cylinder of meat that goes onto a gas-powered rotisserie, exactly like a doner kebab. It was never marinated by the person serving it. It was never near a flame.

At Aretsi we don't do that. Every event gets its own fresh marinade, prepared specifically for that booking. Nothing pre-made, nothing sitting around. The skewers are grilled over wood charcoal, and the flavour that gives you is something a gas burner will never produce.

It's marinated, it's cooked over flame, it's served. That's it. Simple. Proper. The way it should be.

Six Greek street foods most British people have never tried.

Souvlaki is the headline, but every Greek grows up on these too.

Bougatsa

Layers of crisp phyllo filled with warm, creamy custard, or sometimes minced meat. Eaten for breakfast, usually standing up. Thessaloniki is famous for it.

Koulouri

A golden ring of bread covered in sesame seeds, crusty outside and soft inside. People grab one from a street cart on the way to work. It costs almost nothing and it's perfect.

Tirokroketes

Crisp, golden balls of melted feta and herbs, deep-fried and salty. The ideal thing to eat with a cold drink while you wait for the grill.

Patates fournou

Potatoes roasted slowly in olive oil, lemon, garlic and oregano. Not chips. This is how Greeks do potatoes, and once you've had them you'll understand why we don't bother with anything else.

Pastitsio

Layers of macaroni, spiced beef and creamy béchamel, baked until golden. This is the dish that turns a street food menu into a feast, and it's why my bigger packages include a proper meze table alongside the grill.

Galaktoboureko

Phyllo soaked in honey syrup, filled with silky custard, eaten cold after dinner. Light, sweet, and the thing guests ask me about most.

What makes it taste Greek: the ingredients.

Some things I source here in Birmingham. Some things simply have to come from Greece, and there's no compromise on that.

My pork and chicken come from trusted farms in the West Midlands. Fresh, traceable, and it keeps money with local farmers. That matters to me and it matters to the people I cook for.

My feta, olive oil, oregano and phyllo come from Greece. The feta has to be genuine Greek feta, not an imitation. The olive oil comes from family groves near Thessaloniki, rich and golden. The oregano is wild-harvested from the mountains. The phyllo you can taste the difference in. These things don't have an equivalent here.

If it says Greek on the tin, it ought to be Greek. That's the promise I keep.

The one thing I will never compromise on is authenticity. I'd rather cook for fewer people and do it properly than cut corners to save a few pounds. Your food tastes like what goes into it. If an ingredient costs more but makes the dish what it is, I pay it.

Greek street food for events in Birmingham: what I actually serve.

Every section of what I do is a different service with its own rhythm and its own price. For Greek street food, there are three ways to book me, from 30 guests up to 1,000, and smaller groups are welcome to ask. All prices include my time on site, staff, crockery, cutlery, setup and delivery. There's no VAT added and there are no hidden extras.

The prices reflect what goes into them: a fresh marinade for every event, wood charcoal cooking, everything homemade, delivery, setup and my full time at your venue. Different service, different value, different price point.

A recent wedding

A couple booked me for their wedding at Royal Forest after they'd visited the venue, seen my setup and decided on the spot. About 80 guests. I served souvlaki wraps, Greek salad, tzatziki and baklava.

Half of us have travelled all over Greece, and none of us have tasted anything this authentic outside of Athens itself.

That means more to me than any payment.

Vegetarian, vegan, halal and gluten-free: nobody gets an afterthought.

Greek food was vegetarian long before it was a trend, so this part is easy.

• Vegetarian: my grilled halloumi wrap. Salty, squeaky, charred just right, loaded with salad and tzatziki.
• Vegan: plant-based souvlaki of spiced chickpeas and herbs, chargrilled, served with hummus, salad and homemade oregano fries. It sits on the menu, not hidden at the bottom.
• Halal: chicken and pork are prepared at separate stations, so there's no cross-contamination. I can't claim halal certification, but I work with trusted local suppliers who provide halal meat options. Just ask at booking.
• Gluten-free: your filling served in crisp gem lettuce leaves instead of pitta. Fresh, sturdy and honestly delicious.

The dish I'm proudest of that isn't meat is my peinirli with roasted vegetables and melted halloumi. A handmade boat of soft golden dough filled with roasted peppers, red onion and cherry tomatoes, finished with olive oil, melting halloumi and fresh oregano. Meat-eaters order it too. That's how you know it's good.

If you're paying the same price, you get the same care and the same flavour. Simple as that.

The biggest mistake people make when booking street food.

Underestimating how long it takes to feed everyone properly. People think "it's just wraps" and allow 30 minutes for 80 guests. That's a queue, that's stress, that's hungry guests. Here's what I tell every client before they book.

1. Timing. For 60 guests, give me 45 to 60 minutes for everyone to go through. Don't squeeze the food between speeches.
2. Numbers. Give me your real guest count 7 days before, not on the morning. I make fresh marinades for your booking, so I can't magic up 20 extra portions at midday.
3. The venue. I cook over charcoal on site. I need a flat spot, shelter from rain and enough room for a comfortable queue. For bigger events we check the venue together before the date.
4. The weather. Greek food tastes brilliant rain or shine, but if it's pouring we need cover, for your guests as much as for me. I bring gazebo plans and a backup schedule.

Better to say what could go wrong before the booking than try to fix it on the day. Peace of mind is part of what you're paying for. Our Working With Us page walks through every step.

Where can I find Greek food in Birmingham city centre?

Honestly? That's why I started Aretsi.

When I moved here I couldn't find the standard I was looking for. There are places I'll go for a coffee or a meze platter with friends, and I won't knock anyone running a kitchen, because it's hard work and I respect it. But nothing served the food the way I know it can be: fresh, properly sourced, made with care rather than speed.

If you want Greek food that tastes like someone's actual grandmother made it, near the Bullring or anywhere else in Birmingham, that's what I'm building. Not a restaurant you walk into, but a Greek grill that comes to your wedding, your office or your party and cooks in front of you.

I'm still the biggest critic of my own food, because I know exactly what it should taste like. If I wouldn't serve it to my own family, I don't serve it to you.

How to book Greek street food for your event.

1. Get in touch. Message me through the website or Instagram, or call. Tell me your date, your numbers and the kind of event. No fancy form.
2. I reply fast. Usually within the hour, always by the end of the day. We have a quick chat, I answer your questions and give you the price, and if it works we lock in the date.
3. Site visit if you want one. For weddings and bigger events I'll come and see the venue: where I can set up, where the power is, where people will stand. Smaller events we talk through on the phone.
4. Booking confirmed. A small deposit secures your date, and the price I quote is the price you pay. Seven days before the event we confirm final numbers, timings and menu choices in writing.
5. Event day, 6am. I'm up. Marinades on, herbs chopped, bread checked, charcoal lit. Nothing frozen, nothing that's been sitting in a fridge for two days. Van packed, equipment double-checked.
6. Arrival and service. I get to you in plenty of time, set up the grill, and when it's time I start cooking in front of your guests. The smell hits, people see the flames, and they watch their wrap come off the grill hot. That's the experience, not just a plate of food.

I'm there until the last person is fed and happy.