THE COOL FACTOR

LOCALS

THE COOL FACTOR SIX CITY INFLUENCERS OFFER TIPS AND SHARE SECRETS

TEXT: VLASSIS KOSTOUROS,

VANGELIS LIAKOS co-founder of Beetroot

1. It’s always the outsider, and yet it has the people with the best ideas. Because so much starts here, even though nothing stays in the city. Because we can easily get together here. 2. Verges Lagies (63 Venizelou) for country-style gourmet sandwiches like the one with pulled pork or the other with liver. 3. Gelato e Amore (44 Alexandrou Svolou), otherwise known as the Italian gelateria on Svolou: half a kilo of coconut, tiramisu or pistachio, listening to Phil Collins. 4. Hunting for lost treasures of all kinds at the antique and vintage stores, and haggling with the owners. 5. Koulouri with feta from Giorgos and Konstantino at Proino Sou, at the start of Tsimiski. 6. Cycling from Kalochori to the Axios Delta. The views of the city are simply amazing.

ILLUSTRATIONS: PHILIPPOS AVRAMIDES

1. I love Thessaloniki because...

2. Favorite food delivery 3. Guilty pleasure 4. Shopping therapy 5. My secret is… 6. In the open air

OLGA DEIKOU photographer

1. You can walk across the city from the side to the other in an afternoon. 2. The shrimp pasta from Glykanisos in Pylea (46 Megalou Alexandrou) that arrives at my door when I’m craving some really good food. 3. The yoghurt pannacota with a white chocolate coating from Ergon Agora (42 Pavlou Mela), made by Constantinos Symeonidis. 4. Bookstores. All of them, from the small local ones to the big chains. 5. The little known Railway Museum (128 Monastiriou) with the Orient Express restaurant car, like something from a Wes Anderson movie. 6. The walk to Vafopoulou – a magical street, in my opinion – and then on towards Sofouli and Aretsou Beach.

TOLIS KOUMPAROS owner of 2nd Floor, Tom Dixon Thessaloniki & The Trilogy House

1. It affords you the time to work, run to the airport, take your kid out for a walk, come back home and pop out for a drink, all in a single day. 2. I’m obsessed with the noodles from Wen Zhou Specialties (16 Grigoriou Palama). When my sweet tooth is acting up, it’s ice cream from Moca (10 Kyrimi) or cheesecake from Bombolo (88 Mitropoleos). 3. Basque cheesecake with an Americano coffee at Tom Dixon Thessaloniki (6 Chrysostomou Smyrnis) 4. Sprucing up my wardrobe with short forays to Hionidis Mankind (32 Pavlou Mela) and sometimes to Noma (1 Aristotelous) or Grigio (51 Proxenou Koromila) 5. Dimitra’s antique shop, which recently moved (19 Alexandrou Svolou), because you’ll always find a treasure 6. Anywhere on the waterfront promenade or an excursion to Mt Hortiatis, where my parents live.

KATERINA DAIOU general manager of Daios Luxury Living Hotel

1. Its people are warm, sincere and, most importantly, have a sense of humor. Because it has a distinct identity and a cosmopolitan feel that's hard to find in any other city. 2. Brothers in Law (30 Pavlou Mela) for its delicious burgers. It uses good ingredients in so many unexpected combinations that it’s hard to know what to choose. 3. A meal with sea views at the Daios Bar Restaurant (59 Nikis). And, in particular, their Black Angus Rib Eye with a delightful red wine, and music selected by London’s Playlister Ltd. 4. Mag Jewellery (68 Mitropoleos) for its stunning items, selected or designed by the amazing Iris Angistrioti. 5. A new discovery, Le Cercle de Salonique (7 Vasileos Irakleiou) is a great bar, with a vintage vibe, a good selection of premium spirits and interesting music. 6. Arkochori, a traditional village on Mount Vermio, is just a two-hour drive from Thessaloniki; it's a favorite destination of mine.

1. I love Thessaloniki because...

2. Favorite food delivery 3. Guilty pleasure 4. Shopping therapy 5. My secret is… 6. In the open air

VASILIS MOURATIDIS executive chef of Danai Beach Resort & Villas

1. It’s the most beautiful and romantic city in the world. 2. The Food Plaza (16 Skra) in Kalamaria for traditional gyros in a pita and dishes that remind me of my mother. Also, Taperaki (ThermisPanoramatos) in Thermi for great homestyle food. 3. Themis Ice Cream Shop (59 Nikolaou Plastira) in Kalamaria. 4. A walk around the center, with a stop for some shopping at my all-time favorite Device One (19 Paleon Patron Germanou). 5. The café-bar 51 (51 Komninon) on the Kalamaria pedestrianized strip: it’s the most stylish bar in town and has a great vibe. 6. As everyone across the breadth and depth of Greece knows, there’s nothing like Halkidiki.

VOULA PAPADOPOULOU artist, owner of Ypsilon

1. It’s a city that allows you to focus on its people and invites you to create your own small world inside it. 2. Mikraki (2 Proxenou Koromila), a typical Greek eatery that never lets you down. 3. The Mama Tereza (15 26is Oktovriou) food truck. It has great pancetta, but don’t tell anyone! 4. The toy store Anemi (35 Pavlou Mela), where you find all these amazing little things to keep you company. 5. My secret is the stretch of small shops tucked away on Frangon Street. You'll find whatever you need there – as long as you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for! 6. A quick fix of fresh air walking along the port with a view of the cranes, to the architecturally fascinating Church of Aghios Nikolaos.