If you follow a ketogenic diet and love flavorful, colorful Greek food, you may wonder what to order at a Greek restaurant while following a low-carb diet?

The carb counts of popular Greek dishes may vary wildly, but keto-friendly Greek main dishes include gyro (without pita), souvlaki (skewers of lamb, beef, chicken, or shrimp), kleftiko (slow-roasted lamb) or lamb chops, fresh fish and seafood, kotopoulo riganato (chicken oregano) and stifado (Greek beef stew). For a low-carb side, order a Greek salad, roasted, stewed (horta), or marinated vegetables, tzatziki sauce, and even appetizers like tirokafteri (feta and roasted red pepper spread) and melitzanosalata (roasted eggplant puree).

Beware of obvious high-carb Greek fare like potatoes, rice, pita bread, anything wrapped in phyllo dough, desserts like baklava, cookies, or rice pudding. Popular Greek dishes like moussaka, pastitsio (Greek lasagna) dolmathes (rice-stuffed grape leaves), and falafel are high in carbohydrates and should be avoided on a ketogenic diet.

Some Greek restaurants, particularly fast-food places, have online menus so you can prepare in advance, check out the nutritional information (if provided), and go into the restaurant confident in your keto choices. But many Greek sit-down restaurants are family owned and do not have nutritional information available on their website.

Keep reading to discover:

Keto-friendly foods to enjoy at a Greek restaurant!
Greek restaurant menu items that may be ok in moderation on a keto diet.
What not to eat at a Greek restaurant when you follow a low-carb diet.

Be a carb detective…Investigate a Greek restaurant’s online menu.

Almost all restaurants post their menus online, so definitely take a peek at the menu before dining if possible. If your local Greek restaurant provides the nutrition facts, you’ve struck gold! Chain Greek restaurants usually publish nutrition information, but local mom-and-pop Greek restaurants will not.

When dining in, don’t hesitate to ask questions of your server. If they don’t know if an ingredient contains sugar or flour, potatoes or rice, politely ask them to consult the chef.

Even without a breakdown of carbs, fat, and protein, you will often get a sense of whether a Greek dish is keto-friendly by its ingredients.

What to eat at a Greek restaurant when you follow a keto diet.

There are certain Greek dishes that are not only delicious, but also keto-friendly. Here are tasty Greek dishes to order if you follow a ketogenic diet:

Cava is a fast-casual Greek restaurant where you can customize keto-friendly bowls to your own personal taste. See how: How to Eat Keto at Cava: 10 Greek Bowls with 15 Grams of Carbs or Less

Keto-friendly Greek appetizers.

A Greek meeze (or meze) platter is sort of a Mediterranean charcuterie board. Its ingredients will vary from restaurant to restaurant but expect to find a selection of olives, fresh, roasted, or marinated vegetables (like cucumber, tomato, and pepper), feta cheese, seafood, sausages, or meatballs, dips, and pita bread. Enjoy the vegetables, cheeses, seafood, and olives. Look for whole ingredients you can easily identify, like Kalamata olives, tomato wedges, walnuts, and sardines.

Don't eat the pita bread, falafel, domathes (rice-stuffed grape leaves), spanakopita, or hummus which may be a part of a meze platter. Avoid dolmades (rice-stuffed grape leaves), falafel, spanakopita, or any foods wrapped in phyllo dough.

Many restaurants have a version of a savory feta cheese dip, usually made with crumbled feta, Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, and fresh herbs. This is typically a very low-carb appetizer minus, of course, pita bread.

Melitzanosalata is a roasted eggplant puree seasoned with garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. Carbs will vary according to the recipe but expect about 3 grams of carbs per serving.

Tzatziki sauce is a tangy cucumber sauce made with yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, and fresh dill. It is served with many Greek dishes or alone with pita as a dipper. Tzatziki is keto-friendly, with about 2 grams of carbs per 2 tablespoon serving. Just avoid the pita bread.

Tirokafteri (sometimes called htipiti or ktipiti) is a Greek spread made from feta cheese and roasted red peppers. Enjoy with cucumbers, tomatoes, or other fresh veggies and avoid the pita. A typical serving of tirokafteri has about 2 grams of carbs per 3 tablespoon serving.

Fresh and marinated vegetables like Kalamata olives, artichokes, cucumber, tomatoes, or red roasted peppers.

Saganaki is pan-seared Greek cheese. It is generally dredged in flour before frying, but the carbs will be minimal (1-3 grams of carbs per serving). Skip this if you avoid gluten.

Feta sto fourno (oven-baked feta) is slices of feta cheese baked with bell peppers and sliced tomato, and topped with extra-virgin olive oil and Greek oregano. Avoid the crostini or pita bread it will likely be served with.

RELATED: My favorite keto cleanse features lots of great Mediterranean flavors and recipes. You can check it out here… I did Dr. Kellyann's Cleanse and Reset - My Review and Results

Keto-friendly Greek main dishes.

When ordering a main dish, be mindful of the side(s) it is served with. Request vegetables or a salad instead of rice, Greek potatoes, pita bread or (heaven forbid) French fries which are absolutely NOT Greek but are often served at Greek fast food restaurants.

Gyro (order without pita). Gyro fillings (typically lamb or beef, but sometimes chicken), tomatoes, onions, tzatziki sauce are all keto-friendly.

Souvlaki skewers of lamb, beef, chicken, or shrimp. Souvlaki is marinated meat or seafood grilled on a skewer. It is typically served with a side of rice and pita bread, so skip the carbs and enjoy with tzatziki and a Greek salad.

Kleftiko (slow cooked lamb flavored with garlic, lemon, and olive oil). Some restaurants will offer rack of lamb, lamb chops, or lamb riblets. These should be low-carb (ask your server if you have any questions) and just be mindful of the side dishes.

Steak. Steaks are not traditional Greek fare, but you may find a strip or ribeye steak on the menus of some Greek restaurants. Steaks, particularly a fatty cut like ribeye, are perfect for a keto diet.

Marinated pork tenderloin.

Seafood such as shrimp, octopus, fresh fish, prawns, clams, and mussels)

Kotopoulo riganato (broiled chicken oregano). This is a delicious chicken dish flavored with lemon, oregano, and extra-virgin olive oil. Be mindful of any sides, like rice pilaf, Greek potatoes, or pita bread.

Grilled vegetable platter. Many restaurants offer grilled vegetables as a side or appetizer and are often served with cheese and Greek yogurt. Low-carb choices are eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, and fennel. Avoid potatoes which have about 20 grams of carbohydrates in a small 4-ounce serving.

Oktapodi sta karvuna (grilled octopus).

Stifado (Greek beef stew) is a comforting traditional dish with slow-cooked beef and pearl onions in a tomato-based sauce.

Keto-friendly Greek side dishes.

Horiataki or choriatiki (Greek salad) is a perfect choice for a keto diet. Greek salads typically feature lettuce, Kalamata olives, red onion, tomato, cucumber, with a large piece of feta cheese and a tangy olive-oil vinaigrette.

Quick keto-meal tip: Ask for your Greek salad to be served with chicken, beef, lamb, or shrimp to create a main-dish salad.

Maroulosalata (Greek lettuce salad), typically romaine hearts, scallions, toasted pine nuts, Kalamata olives, cucumbers, and feta.

Horta is boiled greens and is perfect for a keto diet. Be careful if the greens are served with a feta sauce which likely contains carbs from milk and flour.

Fresh, roasted, or marinated low-starch vegetables. No potatoes allowed.

Greek coffee (black or with cream)

RELATED: Greek recipes feature lots of fresh produce and high quality meats and seafood. I love to purchase local produce and meats from Market Wagon, an online farmer’s market that may be in your area too. Check out my review: Market Wagon Review 2022: Is this Online Farmer's Market Worth it?

Be careful when choosing these foods at a Greek restaurant when you are on a keto diet.

Some foods served at Greek restaurants may be ok eaten in moderation if you follow a keto diet. Just be mindful of portion sizes and know that it is difficult to gauge exact carb counts without detailed nutrition information (not often found at local dine-in Greek spots) or knowing exactly what ingredients are in the recipe.

If you definitely want to stay in ketosis, it's best to avoid these foods.

Hummus is on every Greek menu and it is a creamy spread made from garbanzo beans, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Garbanzo beans are not considered a keto-friendly food, but a little hummus in moderation is ok with about 4 grams of carbs per 2 tablespoon serving.

Keftedes are Greek meatballs, often made with a breadcrumb or stale bread binder to keep them moist. Carbs depend on the recipe and portion size, but a small portion may have 10 grams of carbs or fewer.

Soutzoukakia is Greek meatballs baked in a tomato-cumin sauce. Bread crumbs are used as a binder, so watch portion size.

Patzaria Salata (roasted beet salad) or roasted beet appetizer. Beets have about 10 grams of carbs per 1/2 cup serving.

Briam is a traditional side of layered vegetables that are roasted with tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil. It is usually made with potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and onions. Avoid the potatoes, or eat a small amount and you can keep your carbs to a minimum.

What not to eat at a Greek restaurant when you follow a keto diet.

Sadly there are many delicious Greek foods which are not suitable for a keto diet. If you don't mind cooking, you may be able to find low-carb versions of your favorite Greek recipes in one of these keto Greek cookbooks on Amazon.

Avoid these Greek appetizers on a keto diet.

Spanakopita is delicious but avoid it on a keto diet. It's made from flaky pastry (carbs!) with a spinach and feta filling. Recipes and portion sizes will vary, but Spanakopita typically has about 32 grams of carbs per piece.

Dolmades (or dolmathes) are grape leaves wrapped around a rice filling. One small piece (expect about 5 pieces per serving) has about 9 grams of carbs so they will add up fast if you eat more than one.

Tiropita is feta cheese wrapped in phyllo dough. Phyllo, as you might imagine, is a low-carb no-no.

Skordalia is a Greek garlic and potato dip and, as you know, potatoes are a high-carb food.

Tomatokeftedes (tomato fritters) use flour as a binder and are not keto-friendly.

RELATED: Check out the other keto restaurant guides!

Avoid these Greek restaurant side dishes on a keto diet.

Rice or rice pilaf.

Greek-style (lemon potatoes) or potatoes of any kind. You will sometimes see French fries on the menu at fast food Greek restaurants (eek!).

Pita is served with almost every Greek meal, but it is not suitable for a ketogenic diet. A typical pita has about 37 grams of carbs per serving.

Karpouzi salata (watermelon salad with feta or goat cheese, walnuts, and mint).

Kolokithokeftedes (fried zucchini balls) are made with bread crumbs.

Avoid these Greek main dishes if you follow a ketogenic diet.

Avgolemono (lemon and rice chicken soup) contains rice which has too many carbs to be considered keto-friendly.

Fasolada is a Greek bean soup. Because the beans used in the soup (white beans or cannellini) are high in carbs, the soup is not appropriate for a ketogenic diet.

Falafel are deep-fried chickpea fritters or patties. One typical restaurant serving has about 22 grams of carbs.

Greek rice bowls (usually souvlaki and vegetables served over rice pilaf) are not keto-friendly

Pastitsio is Greek lasagna and, while delicious, is very high in carbs from pasta and bechamel sauce.

Moussaka is layered eggplant, ground meat, and potatoes, with bechamel sauce. The carb count will quickly add up with milk and flour in the bechamel, plus starchy potatoes.

Papoutsakia (Stuffed Eggplant) is a dish with similar flavors to moussaka. It has eggplant, tomatoes, garlic which are totally fine, but usually has a bechamel sauce which is high in carbs from flour and milk, and often may be topped with bread crumbs.

Giouvetsi (Greek beef stew with orzo). This traditional beef/tomato stew has orzo pasta as an important ingredient which has too many carbs to be considered keto-friendly.

Gemista (stuffed vegetables with rice) is not a low-carb dish since the stuffing is made with rice.

Avoid these Greek desserts if you follow a keto diet.

Desserts of almost any kind are usually off limits for a keto diet. Greek desserts utilize phyllo pastry, nuts, honey, rice and are delicious but high in carbs. Steer clear of ALL Greek desserts.

Do not eat these Greek restaurant desserts: