In Greece, baklava  comes in many regional guises, with different names such as samousades, zournadakia, and masourakia. Generally speaking, in southern Greece baklava is mostly made with chopped almonds and in the north with walnuts; although some recipes use hazelnuts, sesame or even raisins. Pistachio baklava is more of a Turkish, Middle Eastern and north African tradition, but it can be easily found in Athens if you know where to go. For the Greek take on baklava, head straight to Afoi Asimakopouloi in Exarchia, made with their own home-made butter. For a taste of samousades (baklava rolls with chopped almonds) pay a visit to Pnyka bakery. For the rarer baklavou from Lesvos island, cut into cubes and individually wrapped in paper, pay a visit to Mitropolitikon, a retro shrine to sugar in the Historic Centre. Over at Patission Street at the corner with Agiou Meletiou, Paradosiakon is one of the last places in the country where the baklava filo is stretched by hand. More than 50 sheets of dough are packed in each mouth-watering bite of baklava, which here is made with Aegina pistachios.

This variation of baklava is wrapped in a crispy nest of kataifi pastry, which looks like vermicelli. This tangle of thin strands of pastry is filled with chopped walnuts, almonds or pistachios, brushed with melted butter, baked and then doused in syrup. Kataifi can be sold by the piece or as a whole round cake. Rose or orange blossom water is often added to the syrup, which gives it a delicate fragrance. You can taste some of the best kataifi in Athens at Divan in Palio Faliro, Patsis in Peristeri, and Stani in Omonia. 

Greeks have been devouring this syrupy custard pie since Byzantine times. Layers of crispy filo are brushed with clarified butter then filled with a rich, milky custard thickened with semolina. Once the pie is baked, it’s baptised in syrup. The Athenian specialists of this comforting treat are Kosmikon, Varsos, and Galifianakis—three historic pastry shops that have kept their family recipes secret for decades. (For a decadent twist, try Kosmikon’s kataifi galaktoboureko.) Another of the best spots for galaktoboureko in Athens is Mastronikolas, a dairy and pastry shop keeping the residents of Piraeus sweet since 1909. If you can handle the high sugar intake, try their warm galaktoboureko with a scoop of Mastronikolas’ delicious sheep’s milk ice-cream. 

Deep fried batter, soaked in syrup that’s crispy on the outside and oozing inside. What’s not to like? Touloumbakia should be prescribed as antidepressants, especially the bite-sized ones: the moment you pop them into your mouth, there’s a juicy explosion of syrup. Sure, they are very, very sweet—but trust me, after a glass of ice-cold water you’ll be ready for another. Ice Cream Mustard Toula, an old-fashioned patisserie in Pangrati, is where lots of Athenians go for their sugar high and her touloumbakia are divine. Chatzis is particularly famous for kourkoubinia, bite-sized rolls of crispy filo (no filling here—just pastry soaked in syrup). They also make a giant touloumba, that looks like an ice cream cone, stuffed with buffalo clotted cream.