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Traditional Thracian and Macedonian cooks adapt to the seasons: in winter, rich game such as boar and venison is served; in summer, there are mussels and other seafood from the Aegean, as well as fruits and vegetables from the fertile plains. The relatively cooler climate here is reflected in rich chicken soups, roast chicken, s
Traditional Thracian and Macedonian cooks adapt to the seasons: in winter, rich game such as boar and venison is served; in summer, there are mussels and other seafood from the Aegean, as well as fruits and vegetables from the fertile plains. The relatively cooler clima
Traditional Thracian and Macedonian cooks adapt to the seasons: in winter, rich game such as boar and venison is served;
Traditional Thracian and Macedonian cooks adapt to the seasons: in winter, rich game such as boar and venison is served; in summer, there are mussels and other seafood from the Aegean, as well as fruits and vegetables from the fertile plains. The relatively cooler climate here is reflected in rich chicken soups, roast chicken, stuffed vegetables, and stewed lamb and pork.
Small plates (mezedes) are a fundamental part of the Thessaloniki dining experience. Specialties include medhia (mussels), which come from farms outside the bay and are served in styles that include saganaki (sauted in a pan with tomatoes, peppers, and feta) and achnista (steamed in broth with herbs). Also look for soutzoukakia (Anatolian-style meatballs in tomato sauce, seasoned with cumin). Peinerli (an open-faced boat of bread filled with cheese and ham) is a Black Sea specialty brought here by the Pontii, Greeks who emigrated from that area.
Meals are complemented by generous amounts of wine, ouzo, and tsipouro, the local version of grappa. Try the excellent barrel or bottled local wines, especially reds under labels such as Naoussa or Porto Carras or a little bottle of Malamatina retsina, considered the best bottled version in Greece. Throughout the city, little shops and cellars specialize in a Macedonian treat called a submarine (or ipovrihio), a spoonful of sweets such as visino (black) cherries in syrup, dipped in a glass of ice water. As for dinnertime, you can arrive around 8, earlier than most Greeks like to eat dinner (many places do not open before then)—but it's much more fun to come at 9 or 10 and mix with the locals.
One of the better and most creative seafood restaurants in Thessaloniki offers a menu that maintains the delicate flavors of its ingredients but also manages to add a modern twist. For instance, the marinated sea bass tartare, seasoned with fleur de sel, lemon, and olive oil, is then covered with a sprinkling of roe, bringing to mind a wave gently breaking against your tongue. The only thing better than the delightfully light scallops in saffron sauce with caviar and mushrooms may be the restaurant's signature dish, mithopilafo (mussels with rice), an old favorite. As for the desserts, try its take on halva, with loukoumi (Turkish delight) ice cream, toasted pine nuts, and marinated raisins or the sumptious toasted almond millefeuille. It's a perfect way to end one of the memorable meals here. The attractive dining room is breezily decorated in light blue and gray hues, with exposed chrome accents and cream-color wood tables and chairs.
Kalapothaki 8–10, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54624, Greece
A gourmet dining experience based on fresh, seasonal ingredients with an ever-changing menu, Duck offers the opportunity to sample an array of local seafood prepared in contemporary ways. You might be served fish carpaccio or shrimp kritharoto (barley pasta cooked risotto-style); as it should be, the duck with a fig sauce and carrot puree is exceptional. Desserts are indulgent and inspired, including the chocolate biscuit log, chocolate ganache, or strawberry mille feuille. In summer dine in the decked garden and in winter inside where the decor is reminiscent of a French country house. This place offers an intimate dining experience, with only 40 guests per night. Reservations are required.
Chalkis 3, Patriarchika Pileas, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 57001, Greece
A successful cooperative venture that has been delighting locals with their delicious seafood and veggie innovations for a few years now. Apart from the regular table seating there is a stainless steel bar in front of the open kitchen where you can watch the chefs strut their stuff up close as you chow down. Every tantalizing dish is well thought out and is interestingly presented. Why not start with the cheeses, served with pickled fern and nettle, a myrtle jam and a sprinkling haroupi crumbs? Moving on, the black bean cassoulet with smoked swordfish and cod roe or the pan-fried crayfish finished with a garlic goat butter are outstanding. The house wine is fine but the drink of choice is raki.
Christopoulou 12, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54635, Greece
Diners at this side-street Thessaloniki institution rub shoulders with lawyers, students, out-of-towners, and workers from the Bezesteni market. Complete with an outside terrace, this family-run taverna sits opposite an old Turkish bath (loutra means "baths"). Try grilled koutsomoura (baby red mullets), grilled eggplant, mussels in rice pilaf, or smelt or shrimp sautéed in a casserole with cheese and peppers (saganaki). Do sample the owner's own retsina from the barrel and check if they have the exquisite kazan dipi, a marvelous flan with a slightly burned top, sweetened with a hint of rose water. For extra atmosphere, there's the bouzouki music every Friday and Saturday night.
M. Kountoura 5, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54624, Greece
Low-key and extremely popular, this ouzeri in the art-grungy Bezesteni neighborhood has good food, great service, and a friendly atmosphere typified by Thessalonians relaxing over lunch or dinner. The fish soup is highly recommended, as is the braised monkfish and any of the hearty salads. Wash it all down with the distilled spirit made from grapes called tsipouro, and top it off with the dessert or fruit that is offered on the house.
Kapodistriou 5, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54625, Greece
"Ouzo's Mansion," established as Greece's first ouzeri franchise in 1993, attracts a mainly young crowd. The chefs here are trained in a style that is essentially Mediterranean and focused on meat, with some French and Turkish influences. Pick from irreverently named items, such as "transsexual lamb" (it's chicken) or "Maria's breasts" (cones of fried phyllo filled with ground meat) on the exhaustive but inventively twisted menu. Don't forget to order from the eclectic choices of ouzo.
Karipi 21, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54624, Greece
The food may be costly, because as the name (which means "the islands") hints, fish is king here. However, when you discover the quality, Ta Nissia doesn't seem overpriced thanks to the freshness of ingredients and artful preparations by owner-chef Yiannis Alexiou. You're in the city here, but the lightness and decor of this place may make you feel as if you've been transported to some Cycladic island. Dishes can be exquisite: taste sensations include squid stuffed with cheese and herbs, veal with smoked eggplant puree, and artichokes in saffron sauce. On the extensive wine list, check out the very pleasing house rosé
Proxenou Koromila 13, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54622, Greece
2310-224477
Known For
Offering three decades of fine dining
Fish and meat with Mediterranean flavors
Good wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun. Closed Jul. and Aug., Credit cards accepted, Reservations essential
This casual, friendly place in the midst of busy Modiano Market is known for great garides (prawns), served in many different ways, and its humor: the name translates as "the meteoric step of the prawn." The locals also come time and again for the tamaras (white cod roe), butter beans with chestnut, and homemade dolmadakia (stuffed vine leaves). Order your ouzo and a selection of mezedes, and take in the bustle of market life.
Irakliou 31, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54624, Greece
2310-279867
Known For
Fresh seafood straight from the market
Charming old-school taverna atmosphere
Mezedes menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed mid-July–mid-Aug; dinner only on Thurs., Fri., and Sat., No credit cards
Crowded and lots of fun, this café in a converted 1920s-era Viennese-style coffeehouse has a good buzz and it offers a great view of the White Tower if you choose to sit on the terrace out front. Decent Greek and international bar dishes range from mushroom orzo with Cretan gruyere and truffle oil to homemade beef, pork, and red pepper sausages. There is also a selection of quality Greek micro-brewery beers. Another branch in Ladadika follows the same concept and is a fun place to hang out in the former warehouse district.
Tsiroyiannis Sq. 7, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, 54621, Greece
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