Dining room filled with circular tables with white tablecloths, nearly every table filled with people at the Greek Food Bazaar in Reading, PA.

For 55 years, Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Reading has been hosting the annual Greek Food Bazaar. And for the last decade, it’s been a can’t-miss date on our calendars.

We first visited in 2014, in the early days of our blog. Berks County Eats looks a lot different now, the Greek Food Bazaar is still delivering delicious meals, unique entertainment, and those amazing desserts.

white tent filled with vendors at the Greek Food Bazaar in Reading, PA.

The event is a three-day celebration of Greek culture held each October. The Bazaar spreads out throughout the church building and its various classrooms and social areas. A temporary tent not only marks the entrance but is also home to multiple vendors and limited seating.

table covered with a white tablecloth with a yellow floral centerpiece from the Greek Food Bazaar in Reading, PA.

But the main dining area is the social hall inside. Large white streamers hang above the rows of round tables with black tablecloths. At the front of the room is a stage and small dance floor. We missed out on the live music this year; instead, a DJ played Greek pop music for all those enjoying their dinners.

styrofoam plate with half a chicken, a helping of pasta, and a side of green beans from the Greek Food Bazaar in Reading, PA.

The main dining area is also where you’ll find fish and chicken dinners, each served with a choice of pastitsio, rice pilaf, and green beans with a side salad and dinner roll. That’s not a bad value for $15.

The chicken is excellent, and they don’t skimp on the portions with guests getting half chicken with every order. The pastitsio with its bechamel sauce is delicious, and even the rice and green beans exceed expectations.

Inside the Taverna, guests will find even more dinner options, including moussaka (eggplant and potatoes), spanakopita, stuffed grape leaves, and more. I’ve tried nearly every item on the menu over the years, and I usually gravitate back to the moussaka.

Gyro in aluminum foil next to a styrofoam clamshell filled with fries from the Greek Food Bazaar in Reading, PA.

But this year, I went for a gyro. There is a whole team of men and women gathered around a table in the kitchen as they assemble the pita, meat, and vegetables into the traditional Greek street food.

The same $15 gets a gyro with a side of fries and a drink. Our seven-year-old called the fries the best around, and I have to admit, they are addictive. They’re generously seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano.

rows of cylindrical pastries drizzled in chocolate from the Greek Food Bazaar in Reading, PA.

Make sure to save room for dessert, though. The bakers are busy in the weeks leading up the festival, churning out thousands of cookies, bread loaves, and other baked goods. The baklava is the best around.

styrofoam clamshell with six donut holes rolled in honey and almonds.

Of course you can take those home with you, but you’ll want to enjoy the loukoumathes fresh. Loukoumathes, or honey balls, are fried donut holes covered in honey and almond pieces. It’s not something I’ve found at restaurants or bakeries nearby so it’s a must-have every year.

Wall filled with frames with four to six photos in each frame at Sts. Constantine & Helen Church in Reading, PA.

Other rooms in the church are filled with vendors selling jewelry, artwork, books, and other gifts. There’s also a room dedicated to the history of the church. The walls are lined with frames filled with black-and-white photos with displays of artifacts from the church’s past.

Room full of people sitting at round tables watching children dance in traditional Greek garb.

The future of the church was also on display during our visit. The children’s dance group came out as we were getting ready to leave, and the young boys and girls showed off traditional dances as they twirled around to the delight of everyone in the main dining room.

With free admission, reasonable food prices, and traditions to taste and see, we have made the Greek Food Bazaar an annual tradition in our family.

Original Post: October 24, 2014

cover of a program book for the Sts. Constantine & Helen's church Greek Food Bazaar

It’s not uncommon to see a Berks County church hosting a food festival.

Throughout the year, you can find peach festivals, strawberry festivals, blueberry festivals, and more.

At the very least, just about every church will host a public dinner at some point throughout the year.

At Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, they just do things on a much larger scale.

Now in it’s 44th year, the Greek Food Bazaar is not your typical church function. Thousands of patrons walk through the doors of the three-day event, which is why some of the area’s largest corporations and businesses—including Redner’s Warehouse Markets, the Reading Fightin’ Phils and 69 News Berks Edition—are advertising in the 50-page program book.

musician playing traditional Greek music

And this year’s festival is larger than ever with the addition of an outdoor market and “Opa Tent” with plenty of space for dining and dancing.

Great food can be found throughout the church grounds, every room offering something different than the previous.

There is the Taverna, probably the most in-demand room in the building, where patrons enjoy traditional Greek tavern food, served with ouzo and wine. A gyro window serves a variety of sandwiches. Gyros and other appetizers were also available inside the Opa Tent. The kafeneio serves as an on-site coffee shop.

For hungry food bloggers, light fare and appetizers are just not enough. That’s why you will find me in the Estiatorio.

The church’s social hall is transformed into a sit-down restaurant where they are serving full dinner plates, like their Athenian chicken.

takeout container with a half chicken, rice pilaf, green beans, side salad and a slice of bread

Served with rice pilaf (or pastitsio), salad cup, and green beans cooked in tomatoes, the half chicken is more barbecued than baked. The lightly salted skin is reminiscent of the chicken I had at Kauffman’s, but a little crispier and not quite as spicy. And the spices are more than skin deep (pun intended), giving the meat a nice flavor of its own.

The pilaf and green beans are the perfect compliments to the meat. The beans are swimming in a sweet tomato sauce that’s much thinner and sweeter than an Italian marinara, while the pilaf was the necessary starch that balanced it out.

plate with triangles of spanakopita atop a pita cut into four pieces

I took my dinner into the Opa Tent where Julie was waiting with her spanakopita. The spinach and feta were mixed in bite size filo dough pockets and served atop a full pita. Even with the lightness of filo, it was heavy enough that the pita was unnecessary, and we ended up bringing most of it home with us.

Of course wherever there is a church festival, there are always desserts, and Sts. Constantine and Helen does not disappoint. A classroom is converted into the zaxaroplasteio, or Greek bakery.

white board with a list of items available at the Greek Food Festival

On the whiteboard is a tally of all the baking done for this year’s bazaar: 3,840 baklava, 1,539 loaves of bread, and 7,080 twist cookies. At $2 each, we picked out five of their most appealing options: two floyeris, one baklava, one finikia, and one kataifa.

assorted pastries in a takeout container from the Greek Food Festival

Greek pastries generally revolve around two ingredients: filo dough and honey. All but the finikia, which is a honey dipped cookie sprinkled with nuts, were made with the thin dough, while all were sweetened with the honey syrup.

The most unique of the four had to be the kataifi, a honey and walnut filled pastry that is made with shredded filo. Having only bought one, we had to cut it in half, at which point the honey began oozing out, leaving us with what looked like piles of angel hair pasta that was doused in gooey sweetness.

In all, we spent about $30 on food. The only thing we missed out on this year was the loukoumades, the church’s famous Greek honey balls. Every year, the deep fried, honey flavored dough balls are a big hit with the crowds. This year was no exception, and by the time we got to the window on Friday night, the day’s batch was already sold out.

That sounds like a good reason to return next year.

Check out the details for the 2025 Greek Food Festival