You might be Greek, married into a Greek family, or just love good feta. No matter the case, there are many great Greek stores and shops in the Boston area.
Before I moved to Boston, my knowledge of Greek food was slim to none. After moving here, I married into an Albanian family. Much of Albanian cuisine uses ingredients best purchased at Greek stores, and many of their pastries overlap. So part of my initiation into my husband’s family included learning where all the great Greek stores are in Greater Boston! Nearly two decades later, I have favorites that my mother-in-law introduced to me, as well as a few I’ve discovered on my own.
If you need good feta, or if your kids (or you) dream of kourabiedes, here are five places you need to try!
Greek International Market
5204 Washington St., West Roxbury
Owned by Katerina Iliades, a Boston mom of two, Greek International Market is one of the best-stocked Greek stores in New England. They even have imported Greek baby cereal! Also of note: If you need a frappe but can’t have caffeine, the market carries Nescafé Decaf in their coffee section. Can’t make it to West Roxbury? Many of their items can be shipped or delivered via online ordering.
Eva’s Pasteries
139 Lynnfield St., Peabody
Eva’s was the first Greek store I found without my mother-in-law’s help, and now she visits more than I do. They also make my favorite koulourakia, which is a braided cookie. Eva’s is perfect because not only do they make outstanding Greek pastries, they also make amazing Dominican food. They are famous for their Jamaican beef patties, which are cornbread-style pockets filled with spiced ground beef. In college, my friends taught me a fair amount about Jamaican and other Caribbean food, and Eva’s beef patties bring back amazing memories of them!
Sophia’s Greek Pantry
265 Belmont St., Belmont
479 Market St., Lowell
Several of my Greek friends swear by Sophia’s, which has two locations. They have outstanding Greek baked items. We had their tsoureki (Greek Easter bread) for Easter this year, and I had to keep my sons from eating it all in one sitting. Sophia’s also has an impressive olive oil selection and sells personal care items from Greece as well.
New England Meat Market
62 Walnut St., Peabody
Not just a Greek store, New England Meat Market is a great stop if you need to pick up some non-Greek items as well. They offer several types of feta in the deli department. (Make sure you get the brine with it, as I learned the hard way when I was new to feta shopping; once you get home, put the feta in the brine to keep it fresher.) They also have a ton of shelf-stable Greek items.
New Brothers’ Deli
31 Maple St., Danvers
Technically a cafeteria and deli, New Brothers’ Deli recently added a fair amount of Greek baked items, coffees, and grocery items for sale. On a recent visit, they had packaged biscuits and fresh koulourakia, great olive oil, and Kalamata olives. If you stop by, make sure to get a large iced coffee — it is some of the most underrated iced coffee on the North Shore.