Athens dinner theatre: how to book

What the evening is

Around Greece in 5 Dishes is a dinner and a piece of theatre played out at the same time, in a room in central Athens. You sit down to five regional Greek dishes, each paired with a wine or a spirit, while professional actors and live folk musicians tell the stories of the regions the food comes from. The ticket gives about two hours and an English-speaking host. It is neither a dinner followed by a stage show nor a taverna with a dance floor. Guests describe it as interactive, with a host who presents the food as a series of characters, and the organiser built the performance to happen around the tables rather than far away on a stage.

Five dishes, five corners of Greece

The organiser's idea is that no single menu can stand for Greek food, because the cooking changes from region to region. Each of the five dishes is a staple of a different corner of the country, so the evening moves from the mountains of the north towards the islands of the south. That matches how Greek cuisine works. Wikipedia's survey of it lists separate regional traditions, from filo pies in Epirus and Thessaly to the Italian-influenced cooking of the Ionian islands and the dishes of Crete. The menu is the organiser's to set and can change, so this guide does not list dishes. Your confirmation is the place to check what is served.

Read next: Greek regional cooking, explained

Why theatre and food belong together in Athens

Athens is the city where Greek theatre took shape. According to Wikipedia, plays were institutionalised there as part of the City Dionysia, a festival honouring the god Dionysus, and tragedy, comedy and the satyr play all emerged in the city. Myth was the raw material: tragedies drew on mythological subjects, and satyr plays treated the same myths comically. A dinner that tells stories about Greece's regions is not an ancient play, and nobody claims it is. But it carries on the old habit of telling legends in a shared space, and that makes the format feel at home in the city. The history guide on this site goes through how theatre began.

Read next: Athens and the birth of theatre

How the evening runs

A member of the team waits at the entrance of the building to welcome you, and the room is on the first floor, served by an elevator. You are seated and the five dishes come in turn, each with its own pairing and each a staple of a different region. Professional actors weave the legends and local customs of those regions into the meal, and folk musicians play traditional instruments live. The exact order of dishes, scenes and songs is the organiser's to set and can differ from one date to another. Your confirmation names the start time, so read it before you fit anything else around the evening.

Wine, spirits and non-alcoholic pairings

The ticket includes a wine or spirit pairing for each dish. If you do not drink alcohol, non-alcoholic pairings are available on request, and the ticket wants your preference at booking time, not on the night. That matters because the team plans the drinks in advance. Allergies and dietary restrictions need the same notice, at least 24 hours before you arrive. The pairings are part of the set evening, so you are not choosing from a drinks list dish by dish. Tips are optional and extra, and they are not part of the ticket price. If you are driving or avoiding alcohol for any reason, the non-alcoholic route keeps you at the same table, with the same courses and the same stories.

Which date to pick, and what guests say

A ticket is per traveller, and every date you can pick has its own start time. Reviewers give the evening 4.5 out of 5 across 102 ratings, with 4.7 for the guide and 4.5 for value. They praise the food, the live music and the storytelling. Some mention small groups, and one counts about four tables on her night. That is one guest's view of one date, so choose by your travel plans, not by guessing which night will be quiet. The description on the ticket speaks to solo travellers and groups alike, and the reviews include families with children.

What the ticket includes

The ticket covers the evening itself: the five dishes, their pairings, the storytelling and the live music. Anything beyond that is yours to arrange, including the way to the building and any extra drinks you might want beyond the pairings. Tips are optional. Read your confirmation for the meeting details and keep it on your phone, because the team works from the booking. If you want something that is not in this list, such as a particular menu, ask the organiser before you pay, since the answer decides whether this is the right evening for your party. The ticket does not cover your journey to the building or anything you choose to buy beyond the pairings.

• Five traditional Greek dishes from different regions
• A wine or spirit pairing for each dish
• Storytelling and live character performance
• Live traditional music
• Tips are optional and extra

Dietary needs: ask before you book

The ticket asks for notice of dietary restrictions or allergies at least 24 hours ahead. The organiser's own site goes further: it says vegetarian and halal menus can be accommodated, and that vegan and gluten-free menus cannot be at present. The two statements fit together, because notice is how the team decides what it can do. If vegan or gluten-free applies to you, ask the organiser before you pay, and choose a different evening if the answer is no. This is the single biggest reason to read before booking and not after. Quote the exact restriction, such as coeliac disease or a nut allergy, because a general request is harder for a kitchen to act on.

Compared with other theatre evenings in Athens

Athens has other live-theatre evenings that skip the dinner. One is an English-language performance of Greek myths on a terrace in the Plaka district, and another stages the whole Odyssey in 75 minutes with a small bottle of Greek wine for adults. This dinner is the one that joins a full seated meal to the theatre. If you want food, music and stories together, choose it. If you want the stories alone, the other two are shorter and can sit either side of a separate dinner. The comparison guide sets the three out side by side. Both of the others are listed as cards further down the home page of this site.

Read next: Athens theatre evenings compared

Who this isn't for

Skip this evening if you are vegan or need gluten-free food, unless the organiser confirms in writing that it can cater for you. Skip it if you want a loud dance show with a stage and a dance floor, because the performance here is built around the tables. Skip it if you want to eat quickly: it is a seated evening of about two hours. And write first if you use a wheelchair, because the organiser says the toilet is not wheelchair accessible, although the ticket is marked wheelchair accessible and the building has an elevator. Anyone who wants to pick their own dishes will be disappointed too, since the menu is fixed.

Booking and cancelling

Booking runs through GetYourGuide, which takes the payment and issues the confirmation. A cancellation made at least a day beforehand is refunded in full, and the ticket can be reserved now with payment later, so you can hold a date while other plans settle. Buttons on this site are affiliate links, so bookings earn it a modest commission without raising your fare. Athens Living Museum runs the evening and is separate from this guide, so menu, cast and access questions belong with the booking page and the organiser.