Greece is Heaven on Earth and satisfies even the most difficult people when it comes to amazing places and mouth watering foods.
If you love variety (a mix of cosmopolitan and relaxing ambiance), and you have a few days at your disposal, we suggest you combine Rhodes, Halki, Symi and Kalymnos in one trip.
We visited these islands in August and took notes on places, food and other useful information for your (vegan) holidays đ. Stay tuned for our next articles!
RHODES
It is impossible not to fall in love with the Island of the Knights, its medieval buildings and its fascinating history. It is no coincidence, after all, that the Medieval Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
For all these reasons, there are many tourists, especially during July and August. The good news, however, is that it is a very big island, so you have many options and things to do.
If you have enough time, you can also take a day trip to nearby islands, such as Halki and Symi.
Food
In general, we didnât have any problems finding vegan options as Greek cuisine has many vegan appetizers and dishes.
Sometimes, we were however surprised to find non-vegan versions of usually vegan foods, like koulouril! So just to be sure, remember to ask about everything! đ
Try specialties of the island, such as greens beans with garlic (fasolakia me skordalia), chickpeas (rebithia), pitaroudia (Rhodes chickpea fritters), capers, as well as the local beer Zythos VAP.
Make sure you read the whole article, as we managed to find one of the best hidden gem on the island đ€!
What to eat in Old Town and Niohori (the new town, very close to the Old Town)
Breakfast
Although we preferred eating fruits, we had breakfast once at the Old Town Corner Bakery CafĂ©, a very nice place where we enjoyed a nice koulouri – a sesame bagel (you can find the delicious recipe in our digital cookbook!) – and a Greek frappe coffee.
I highly recommend the frappe with almond milk, it was really delicious! If you don’t want koulouri, there are options like hummus, vegan cheese toast, etc.
Prices: reasonable.
Address: Omirou 88, Rhodes
Do you like fresh juices and smoothies? Then, go to RubisCo and try the cold-pressed juices they make. You will find a wide variety with interesting combinations.
We tried the Summer Knights with watermelon, mango and pineapple, as well as the award-winning Pineapple Express with pineapple, spinach, apple, lemon and mint.
Prices: might look expensive for a fresh juice but theyâre reasonable for the quality and location.
Address: Sokratous 67, Rhodes
If youâre a bit tired and you want to be close to the port, enjoy a smoothie at the Juice Bar of Il Borgo.
Prices: reasonable (for the quality and location)
Address: Platia Evraion Martiron 49, Rhodes
Lunch/Dinner
If you want to try a more modern version of Greek food, donât skip Paneri (we recommend you make a reservation).
It may not be a 100% vegan restaurant, but it had super interesting vegan foods like their appetizer consisting of salty loukoumades & seaweed with tomato mousse, beans sprouts and maple syrup as well as their vegan ravioli with beetroot dough, stuffed with chickpeas and vegetables, peppers, and coconut sauce. Just divine!
Every bite was truly an exciting culinary journey.
Prices: reasonable (for the quality and location.)
Address: Pithagora 22, Rhodes
If you want to eat traditional Greek dishes at very reasonable prices, check out Augoustinos restaurant.
At first, to be honest, I thought it was going to be a tourist tavern but I was very pleasantly surprised.
The style of the restaurant consists of a few cooked dishes of the day, which means that many options on the menu are not available, but the ones you will get are very fresh.
We tried yemista (stuffed peppers & tomatoes), mpamies (okra), beetroot salad, bread and everything was tasty.
Address: Sofokli Venizelou 52, Rhodes
Ice cream
And now for the hidden gem. Don’t leave Rhodes without visiting at least once Gelateria Dei Greci!!! Without any doubt the best ice cream parlor in whole Rhodes!
Although we discovered it early and enjoyed its delicious flavors three times, we would have loved to have stayed longer in the island, just to try them all!
The owner, Michalis Kostakis, is not only very kind, but very professional as well.
With a lot of love, imagination and very good quality ingredients (and as much local as possible) he creates vegan ice creams that are made in the Italian way. Which means you are not going to eat the usual sorbets that are fruit & water, but ice cream that is very similar in texture to the non-vegan.
They also contain less sugar than processed ice creams.
His products won not only our hearts but also the ones of the global organization GREEK TASTE BEYOND BORDERS GTBB, managing to get the AUTHENTIC TASTE OF GREECE – GOLD AWARD 2022 & 2023 – AWARD OF AUTHENTIC GREEK TASTE!
Even though the gelataria is not entirely vegan, Michalis always makes 6 (at least) vegan flavors which are constantly renewed. So itâs impossible to get bored!
We had the opportunity to try watermelon, melon, peach, grape & melon, almond, kanelada (cinnamon), forest fruits, and grape, peach & orange. Every single flavor was exquisite and unique and we really hope you have the opportunity to try as many as possible!
Prices: reasonable (for the quality)
Address: Ippodamou 40-42, Rhodes
