Looking for an olive oil tasting experience in Athens? The Pallada Urban Olive Mill is a place unlike anything else in the city. Just a few steps from the Acropolis Museum, the myth of the goddess Athena meets the Cretan olive oil we’ve been producing since 1980, in a 90 minute experience that combines history, tasting, and a hands on Cretan cooking class.
If you’re after something different to do in Athens, this is it.
The Urban Olive Mill is our new space in Athens, dedicated to the history and philosophy of olive oil. At Pallada, we believe olive oil isn’t just a product, it’s the way Crete understands life, food and the land. That’s exactly what we wanted to bring to Athens: the whole journey of olive oil, from our groves in Akrotiri, Chania, all the way to the tasting table, right in the heart of the city.
Inside, you’ll find genuine olive mill equipment, including an Alfa Laval decanter, showing you step by step you step by step how olives become oil. You’ll also see the same type of equipment we use at our mill in Crete up close, and get a real sense of how the whole production process works.
We begin in one of the quietest spots in Athens: the shaded courtyard of Agia Fotini, next to the ancient Ilissos river, with the Acropolis rock rising above. Here, beneath real olive trees, we talk about the Koroneiki olive we grow in our groves in Akrotiri, Chania, and about the land and the people behind every drop. This is also where the myth unfolds, the moment the goddess Athena gifted the olive tree to the city and won her contest with Poseidon.
From the courtyard, we head back to the Urban Olive Mill, where you can see genuine olive mill equipment up close. You’ll watch how the olives arrive, how they’re washed, crushed, and turned into the olive oil you’ll taste a little later, a process we’ve followed at Pallada for decades in Chania, Crete.
Next, we guide you through a tasting of four different olive oils. During this part, you’ll learn to read their aromas and recognize bitterness and the peppery finish, just like a professional taster would. You’ll discover how much variety, harvest time, and production method can radically change the flavor of the oil.
After the tasting, the experience continues with something new: a hands on Cretan dakos workshop. Guided step by step by our expert, you prepare your own authentic dakos using traditional barley rusks, freshly crushed tomatoes, feta cheese, olives, oregano, sea salt flakes, and the Pallada olive oil of your choice. It’s a simple, hands on way to see just how much a single ingredient can change a dish. The same dakos tastes completely different depending on the olive oil you choose, and it’s a trick you can easily bring home with you.
At the end of the tour, you’ll taste the Pallada Spread on fresh bread with Cretan Pallada honey. The spread is vegan, has a rich buttery flavor, and it’s one of our most loved products.
Duration: approximately 90 minutes
Price: €35 per person (free entry for children under 12)
Schedule: Monday to Saturday, at 10:00, 12:00, and 14:00
Languages: Greek and English
Meeting point: Outside the Pallada Urban Olive Mill
Parking: Free
The experience includes an experienced guide, a tasting of 4 olive oils, a hands on Cretan dakos workshop, Pallada Spread with Cretan honey, and water. Reservations are required.
To sum up, the Urban Olive Mill in Athens is more than just a tasting experience. It’s the way we chose, at Pallada, to bring what we’ve done for decades in Crete to the capital. An experience that starts with a myth, moves through flavor, and leaves you with a new perspective on olive oil. After your olive oil tasting in Athens, you can browse and buy our products right before you leave.
Feel free to book this olive oil tasting tour in Athens on our page or reach us on WhatsApp.
1. What is the Pallada Urban Olive Mill?
The Pallada Urban Olive Mill is a tasting and education space for olive oil in Athens, a few steps from the Acropolis Museum. It offers a guided 90-minute experience.
2. Where is the Pallada Urban Olive Mill located in Athens?
A few steps from the Acropolis Museum. You’ll find the exact meeting point in your booking confirmation and on the map on our page.
3. Is the experience suitable for children?
Yes, and children under 12 can join for free.
4. Do I need to book the Pallada olive oil tasting experience in Athens?
Yes, reservations are required. You can book online or through WhatsApp.
5. What languages is the tour available in?
Greek and English.
6. What’s included in the price?
The price of our olive oil tour includes an experienced guide, a tasting of 4 olive oils, a hands on Cretan dakos workshop, a taste of Pallada Spread and Pallada honey and water.
7. Do I get to cook anything myself?
Yes. As part of the experience, you’ll prepare your own Cretan dakos in our workshop guided by our expert.
