Thessaloniki Eats: "You really should just eat Greek food"
On one of my first days in Thessaloniki, I was on a walking tour with our other American staff members. Christina, one of the local staff members with whom we would be working was giving an excellent tour, and I asked about local restaurants. After giving some ideas, I asked if there were any non-Greek options, and she said: "you really should just eat Greek food." At first, I was taken aback - seriously? I've tried Greek food in the USA, and I like it...but there is so much more to eat, and surely Thessaloniki must have other options! Fast forward nearly four months, and I found that Christina was right - I should have only eaten Greek food in Greece because it's impossible to find excellent Greek food in the USA!
To give you some context about my time in Greece, I knew next to nothing about Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city, and it seemed that most people outside Greece had never even heard about this city with roughly 1 million people. The only thing that I really knew were that two books of the Bible were named for it (1st & 2nd Thessalonians), so I knew it must be old. However, looking back on the experience, I could now write heaps and heaps about Thessaloniki, and what I discovered over three months was that Greece’s second largest city is buzzing and proud – filled with some truly welcoming people (including Christina and her Greek-food-only advice).
Rather than going in depth on my daily meals (feel free to thank me – I was there for quite a long time), I’m going to give you an idea of some of my favorite places in the city, and maybe it will inspire you to eat your way through Thessaloniki!
If you’d rather not read my lengthy suggestions, here’s a quick and dirty itinerary: Stop at any of the random convenience / coffee stores (4 All, todaylicious, etc.), and order a Frappe: a Thessaloniki original of whipped up Nescafe, with sugar and milk if you want – it’s so much better that way! Then find a hole-in-the wall gyro place and load it up with tzatziki and seasoned fries (I never had a bad one, but there are some that are better than others – Grillo is a great option)! End your day in a traditional taverna, starting out with some Tsipouro (you can specify with or without anise, but I think it’s better with, and pop in an ice cube, so you can see it get cloudy!) and appetizers (I suggest Greek salad, spicy cheese dip, and tzatziki). Then order all the mains and sides (roast pork in lemon, calamari, etc.) you can handle with some house retsina (a chilled, pine resin flavored white wine). And you’ll be treated to a dessert on the house – it happened every time in the tavernas! That’s the way to live your best life in Thessaloniki! Plus, it’s what made this Wayfaring Stranger feel right at home in Greece.
For those who are wondering: where did I like to eat?
So many places! I lived south of the city’s center, along Vasilissis Olgas, one of the busiest streets in the city, so many of the options that I enjoyed were in this part of the city.
Most mornings, I would start my day at the neighborhood pastry / bougatsa / coffee shop on Vasilissis Olgas, at the Casa Bianca bus stop (the name is long and Greek, but it has Bougatsa in the title). Andy, who runs the shop along with his brother, father, and sometimes mother, greeted me every morning, spoke fantastic English, and became one of my favorite people in Thessaloniki. I would order an Americano with milk (milk in your coffee was a bit of a novelty for Greece), and every coffee is a double! Andy was patient with my daily indecision, explaining all of the pastries in the window: varieties with meat, cheese, spinach or any combination of the three; or sweet varieties with cream or honey. Andy soon learned my go-to: a buttery, flaky pastry that is similar to a pasty or beautifully brown pie crust filled with a sharp, white cheese from Crete and some ham (I believe it was called a kaltsounia). Sometimes Andy would also convince me to indulge with a bougatsa cut into bite-sized squares with some cinnamon and sugar. The creamy filling of the bougatsa is a just-sweet-enough custard in the middle of flaky phyllo dough – it’s divine! With my Americano, the entire breakfast was typically about 5 Euros – a perfect (and inexpensive) way to start my day.
Some mornings, I would opt for an easier take-away coffee, and I would stop at MIKEL – a local chain. MIKEL is an acronym meaning “maybe it’s knowledge entering life.” I don’t really get what the acronym means, but the coffee is good and reminds me of Starbucks. They also have muffins and donuts, and many of the stores have a theme (the MIKEL Cantina along the waterfront serves you out of a large bus window).
There were other mornings that we would prefer a more sit-down café experience. Café Passion (off Papandreou, near the Vafopoulos bus stop) was one of my first coffee experiences in Thessaloniki, and I thoroughly enjoyed the milky, creamy latte, along with the free cookies that are typically served on the side – think something like a ginger snap. Mon Frere on Vasilissis Olgas, near Botsari, is a charming café with delicious coffees and delicate pastries. The ambience and French-inspired décor is warm and inviting.
For other meals, it felt like every restaurant served nothing but Greek food. I know that seems obvious, but seriously, it’s difficult to find food that isn’t Greek. BUT when you’re visiting Greece, isn’t that what you want? These were some of my favorite spots.
Burned Corner (this is the English translation) located off Vasilissis Olgas, north of the Botsari stop – this local spot would be considered cafeteria style in the USA. There are multiple types of Greek dishes in windows at the front. I tried many different things, but the pastitsio (ground lamb and pasta with creamy béchamel and tomato) and the fork tender roast pork with lemon was Greek comfort food at its finest!
Kati Ap’ Ola located on Vasileos Georgiou, near the Evzonon stop is a fine example of a Greek taverna. You could order loads of food with retsina or beer, and rarely spend more than 20 Euros. The calamari is fresh and perfectly fried; the Greek salad of tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, olive oil, olives, and spices is flavorful, a necessary compliment to any meal. The tzatziki is tangy and rich, perfect with the light, crusty bread. There was one particular waiter who typically served us – he was a young blonde guy, and he was always friendly, helpful, and spoke very good English.
Ouzou Melathron located in a small alley near the corner of Venizelou and Egnatia is a fantastic restaurant with a kitschy ambience. When seated outside in the alley, there are traditionally dressed figures and mannequins looking down from the eaves of the building. Besides the traditional offerings, we also tried items like the Arabic pie (a thin pastry stuffed with minced lamb, aromatic spices, raisins and cheese) and a risotto dish, much like a pilaf or fried rice, but in Greek form, with meats, spices, peppers – absolutely delicious!
Another spot for down-home traditionally Greek comfort food is Mpachtses (pronounced Bach-says) located on Vasilissis Olgas, near Vafopoulos. The meat sampler is served on a wooden tray with every kind of meat from the spit – so flavorful, greasy, and delicious.
For a quick meal, I would sometimes pop around the corner to the local gyro spot, on the corner of Lamprou Porfira and Alexandrias. This hole-in-the-wall served gyros stuffed with pork from the rotating spit, seasoned French fries, tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard, and tzatziki. I would customize mine and opt for the spicy cheese dip rather than tzatziki and NO mustard and ketchup. (This was sometimes hard to explain, as the employees spoke no English!) The result, however, was a savory delicacy, loaded with flavorful meat; an incredible lunch or dinner for only 2 Euros.
I worked with American university students who were studying at the American College of Thessaloniki, but they were living at the Queen Olga Hotel. Grillo (located adjacent to the Metropolitan Hotel, and across from the Queen Olga Hotel, on Vasilissis Olgas) is a hole-in-the-wall with incredibly tasty Greek food. The owners are a husband and wife, and Anka (the wife) builds strong relationships with the students and staff who participate in the University program. On my first visit, she welcomed me, feeding me every kind of meat and side dish imaginable, and gave me a run-down of all of these delicious options. While there is limited seating, you can eat in or grab a gyro to go.
Perhaps my favorite restaurant in Thessaloniki was a place called Devido, located just around the corner from my apartment on Vasilissis Olgas. With its trendy, light wood interior, the restaurant is modern and inviting, and it looked like restaurants I’ve been to in Germany or Norway. They also play extreme sports on all the televisions, so it’s quite an interesting décor! On our early visits, we ordered by looking at pictures, as they did not have English menus. Toward the end of our time in Thessaloniki, they upgraded to new menus with an English version! Some of the wait staff spoke English, and they welcomed us every time, saying that it was a great opportunity to use their English. Each and every meal at Devido was delicious, from the club sandwiches (interestingly, you can find a club at nearly every restaurant in Greece), to the arugula salads, to my favorite, the chicken gyros. A chicken gyros plate was served with a silver shovel tool used to portion out the gyros. It was always a mound of deliciously seasoned meat from the rotating gyro cone. Served with a small side salad, fries, and a dipping sauce (spicy creamy cheese dip was my go-to), you did NOT leave hungry. I would typically order a large Fix Hellas beer (a Greek brewery) as well. The best part was that they loved when we would come in, so they would give us a free waffle dessert. That’s right, Devido also served hot, fresh Belgian waffles. Topped with Nutella and a creamy strawberry drizzle, these hot waffles were divine!
While finding non-Greek options is sometimes a challenge, following are a couple places where I ate regularly when I needed to switch it up.
Casa Bianca located on Delfon at Alexandrias, is a small, family run pizza and pasta shop. The chef cooks, and his wife serves. The simple pasta dishes are covered in loads of cheese and baked in a pizza oven. You can select your type of pasta (spaghetti or penne) with a variety of sauce choices (the bolognaise and creamy chicken sauces were both delicious). They also have inexpensive beers and a simple, filling Caesar salad. The owners are kind and very welcoming, and even we typically communicated in broken English, my order was always correct!
Domino’s. Yes, I hear you groaning already, but Domino’s was a great option for delivery, and it was a taste of America with a twist. The pizzas were far better than what is typically available in the USA, and they load on the cheese. With options like a gyro pizza (gyro meat, tomato, onion, and tzatziki), Quiche Lorraine pizza (with caramelized onions, creamy Greek cheese, and bacon), and Cretan pizza (with ham from Crete, sauce, gruyere, and mozzarella), the pizza choices put American Domino’s to shame! Tasty cheesy breads were the perfect appetizer to any meal, and it was the only place I could find Ranch dressing in Greece.
Goody’s is a Greek chain, and they are known for their burgers. During our time in Thessaloniki, we ate at roughly four different Goody’s locations. The burgers are big and quite sloppy (imagine a Whopper but with a thicker patty and far more sauce), and they give a huge portion of fries. My favorite menu item was a club sandwich with the toasted bread, ham-like bacon and chicken. If you’re craving something American-like, it’s worth a try.
At the end of the day, I love a tasty treat...aka something to satisfy my insatiable sweet tooth. There were two bakeries that had an incredible selection and were open reliably late. Maraschino, located on Vasilissis Olgas and 28 October, is a beautiful store. With its friendly employees and warmly lit décor, you could obsess over the choices for days. Intricately decorated cookies and pastries line the glass cases, but I couldn’t resist the chocolate soufflé cake. Served in a ramekin to take with you, the chocolate cake on the top and sides is rich and gently spongey, while the inside is a decadent, thick pudding. It’s hard to eat all of it, but it’s even harder to not finish! I also enjoyed La Fratzoli off Delfon. While not as showy as Maraschino, they had very nice glass cases with pastries and sweets. The chocolate cake was typically my go-to (you can see a trend).
Honestly, I could go on and on about my food experiences in Thessaloniki. From first glance, it might seem that there is nothing but Greek food, but upon further investigation, there is variety if you knew where to look – but as Christina told me when I first arrived in Greece: "you really should just eat Greek food," and after eating my way through Thessaloniki, I have to agree!
