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Eat & Drink at Thessaloniki

In a nutshell

Thessaloniki is well-known for never having a shortage of cafes, bars, restaurants, etc. Walking down the streets, you are pulled in every direction by the aromas of grilled meats, strong coffee, fresh bread, savory pies, and the sweet smell of bakeries pumping out tray after tray of syrup-laden desserts. The local cuisine is widely known for its quality and variety, formed as a wide array of ingredients from all over the Mediterranean and Asia.

Professionals in Thessaloniki are renowned for their courtesy and hospitality. Whether one chooses a restaurant with many stars or a traditional little taverna, or whether one wants a snack whilst enjoying a walk, complete satisfaction is guaranteed.

Street food and local specialties

You can have the first taste of Thessaloniki through its street food, delighting yourself with dishes like koulouri, bougatsa, pies (pites), or gyros. Koulouri is made with wheat flour dough, shaped into a ring, and coated in sesame seeds. Modern varieties are often filled with chocolate spreads, tahini, or cheese. Bougatsa is a traditional, rustic Greek pie consisting of a phyllo pastry layered with a filling of minced meat, cheese, or semolina custard. Another variety of Greek pies (pites) come with many choices of savory, also sweet fillings, and many regional variations. Easily recognizable by a surface of haphazard folds of golden crisp dough and cut into squares or wedges, they are sold in bakeries. A spanakopita or spinach pie, sweetened with a little sautéed onion and sometimes enriched with the tang of crumbled feta, is a classic choice. Gyros is roasted meat, cooked on a vertical rotisserie, served wrapped in a pita. It comes in chicken, and pork versions. Classic additions include yogurt-based tzatziki or the spicy cheese sauce “tirokafteri”, onions, tomato, mustard ‘sauce’ and fries – but you can get them anyway you like.

Street markets are a big part of Greek culture. The Modiano market named after its architect Eli Modiano was built in 1922 with obvious architectural references to the corresponding covered markets in Paris. It is located in the proximity of Tsimiski Street and is currently closed for renovation. The chaotic and colorful Kapani Market is a joy for all senses. It has been operating since 1889 and now a part of it is covered, while the other part stretches under the Greek sun.

Don’t miss the chance to try the legendary local desserts like Trigona Panoramatos, Tsoureki, and Kazan Dipi. Trigona in Greek means triangles, and the dessert is named after the triangular shape of the phyllo crunchy cones, which are filled with cream. Tsoureki is a Greek version of sweet plaited brioche bread. According to tradition, Greeks used to prepare it during Easter celebrations and eat it on Easter Sunday. Nowadays, it is so popular that you can find it throughout the year in every pastry shop. Kazan Dipi is a traditional dessert from the Byzantine ages that came to Thessaloniki along with the Asia Minor refugees. It is actually a milk pudding with a very interesting story. When the Sultan asked his pastry chef for a dessert, the pastry chef burnt the milk. As an excuse, he introduced it to the Sultan as a kazan dipi. Kazan dipi actually means “the bottom of the cauldron” and nowadays it is referred to as the Creme Brulee from the Balkans.

Taverns and Restaurants

There is no shortage of dining options in Thessaloniki: Tavernas, both large and small, whether in the city center or in the surrounding districts, offer incomparable delights. Traditional, authentic flavors from Pontus, Asia Minor, Constantinople, excite the senses. Succulent salads and imaginative desserts complete a perfect meal.

Traditional plates like musakas (a pie of minced meat potatoes and eggplants), the roast lamb, and souvlaki (small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables grilled on a skewer, usually eaten straight off the skewer while still hot) are excellently paired with local wine and aperitifs. Other interesting dishes to try are tigania, tender pork or chicken fried with peppers and onions, or stuffed with spicy feta and tirokafteri, or spicy feta dip, a combination of feta, spicy peppers, olive oil, and sometimes paprika. This tangy dip is always found on menus and on tables throughout Thessaloniki as a starter. The influence is clear in the hot peppers and paprika, which aren’t commonly used in other Greek cooking. The cuisine of Thessaloniki is known to have more spices due to all previous occupations and influences.

Don’ forget to try soutzoukakia smyrneika, meatballs in rectangular shape instead of rounded, cooked in tomato sauce and accompanied by rice, mashed potatoes and a slice of crusty bread to dive it in the sauce. Its name, meatballs from Smyrna in English translation, reveals the origin of the dish, which is Asia Minor.

If you are more of a fish-lover, then choose bougiourdi as a starter and a great match to a glass of ouzo: a generous portion of feta cheese (crispy on the surface but still melting on the inside), slices of fresh tomato and fresh green peppers, topped with olive oil, boukovo (chili flakes), salt and oregano baked in a terracotta dish. Extra tip: dive some crusty bread in the small terracotta pan so you can taste it properly like a local. Another delicious dish is shrimps saganaki, fresh shrimps cooked in a hot red pepper sauce.

Perfect after you had a few extra drinks on your night out in Thessaloniki, patsas is considered to calm an upset stomach. It is a soup made of boiled calf hooves, belly, and tripe and is usually served with garlic, vinegar, and sometimes even with hot red pepper.
Vegetarians have their slice of paradise as well since the Greek cuisine includes many salads and delicious spinach pie.

Throughout the city, there are plenty of areas well known as hubs of taste and recreation.
The popular Ladadika quarter was one of the most important commercial districts in Thessaloniki. For many decades the quarter housed food stores mainly selling wholesale goods. The area was unharmed by the famous fire of 1917. It resembles a small state within the city with a Byzantine stamp. Small, cobbled alleys, mysterious dead-end streets, and charming facades make up one of the most picturesque neighborhoods in the city. The area was restored at the end of the 1970s. The old shops were turned into tavernas, restaurants, and bars. Every night the quarter is inundated with people who love good food and the feel of old Thessaloniki.

Don’t forget to visit Athonos Plaza for its taverns next to Aristotelous Square, the arcades of Venizelou St., and Bit Bazaar, especially if you love tsipouro and retsina along with delicious small plates of mezedes. Each of these destinations will make your food-loving experience more rich and interesting!

If you love seafood you should definitely consider visiting Kalamaria (Aretsou) area and discover some of the best historic taverns of the city! You’ll have the chance to taste some delicious fish recipes by the sea.

Cafes, Bars and nightlife

Thessaloniki has a lot of bars and lounge cafeterias especially in the area close to the waterfront. There, during the day, you can get a taste of the coffee culture in Greece, a matter of great importance in everyday life. Coffee has acquired a ritualistic quality, a means of uniting people. Don’t rush; sip your coffee and find the time to appreciate your surroundings and your company. Besides the traditional Greek coffee, an all-time classic option, you can enjoy frappe and Freddo (cappuccino or espresso). Frappe is an instant coffee with sugar, water, and plenty of ice cubes in order to make it cool enough for the hot Greek summer days. Cappuccino Freddo is the cold version of a cappuccino with a small amount of cold-frothed milk atop it. Espresso Freddo is made out of espresso poured hot into a metal canister, then mixed with an electric blender using a couple of ice cubes.

Thessaloniki is one of the best nightlife spots in Greece, famous for its clubs that stay open all night long and for its cheerful atmosphere. The city gets really alive every sunset with young people strolling around the bars and cafeterias of the town. Warming up, for the night, with a few drinks doesn’t start before 10 pm and the parties start around 11 o’clock or even at midnight. But they also last longer, until 4 am usually. At the historical center of the town, the parties last shorter and the music is not as loud. The best and loudest places are on the eastern outskirts of the city, near the airport.

Bars in the Beach Promenade area are all in different musical styles, designs, and decorations. If you are looking for something more special go to Ladadika area and in the Valaoritou and Syggrou Streets where you will find more rock and alternative bars always full of people enjoying music and drinking lots of beer.
In summer, there are also bar-boats that depart from the port of Thessaloniki and make the tour of the gulf with a view to the night-lights of the town, adding something special to the famous Thessaloniki nightlife.