FOODIE GUIDE

TASTE

Eat, drink & be merry

Above: Tarantino on Ernestou Emprar Street, a fast-food haven. Right: These local treats are called Vomvidia, and so is this eatery. Below: An egg dish at Haroupi, a modern Cretan eatery.

EVEN ATHENIANS WILL ADMIT that Thessaloniki boasts an outstanding gastronomic scene, and everyone agrees that it’s easy to eat well here without going over budget. In addition to the rich culinary traditions of the many different ethnic groups that called the city home over the years, Thessaloniki’s gastronomic identity has recently benefited from the contributions of a number of creative young chefs. Here’s a quick look at just some of what the city has to offer.

Sebriko (2 Fragon) was one of the first places in Thessaloniki to explore beyond the city’s culinary roots, using traditional ingredients and creative cooking techniques. Here you’ll find a variety of Greek cheeses and many handmade mezes, such as smoked eggplant with yogurt, tahini and mint sauce, or savory pastourma mini pies with yogurt and quince jam. It also has a very good Greek wine list and a selection of beers from Greek microbreweries. Another representative of this new gastronomic culture is Sin Trofi (7 Doxis), where you’ll find a menu with dishes meant for sharing – the idea is that everyone tastes as many different flavors as possible, from the goat stew to the seafood tartares and ceviches made with a variety of fresh fish. The vegetables are mostly organic, and even the olive oil is special; an early-harvest extra virgin olive oil, served with hand-kneaded bread, is the first thing they serve you, and it’s so good you’ll ask for more. Try a version of the traditional braised rooster with pasta served with arseniko cheese from Naxos, or the black pork steak served with naan bread. It’s not all innovation, however, and there’s always room for the classics, too. The signature Thessaloniki dish is soutzoukakia, oblong beef patties, made according to recipes brought here more than a century ago by refugees from Asia Minor. These wonderful meat treats are usually made from ground beef with some pork or lamb mixed in, and can be flavored with many different spices, with cumin a particular favorite. You’ll find one of the city’s best versions at Vomvidia (35 Vasileos Irakleiou), where the patties are served on parchment paper with fries and warm bread. At Haroupi, (4 Doxis) chef Manolis Papoutsakis draws inspiration from his home island of Crete and sources nearly all his ingredients from there to create delicious dishes.

The bougatsa, a pastry item from Asia Minor, at Giannis. Sin Trofi sources its organic ingredients from across Greece.

In the kitchen at Pizza Hood.

THE GROCERY OF ASIAN CUISINE

From his freshly baked sourdough bread to the traditional gamopilafo (traditional Cretan wedding rice) with hogget meat and goat milk yogurt, everything here is genuinely Cretan, even if it’s a few hundred kilometers from home.

Thessaloniki is heaven for those who love street food, too, with dozens of places offering their items to go. Had your fill of souvlaki? Try the great burgers and sandwiches at Tarantino (5 Ernestou Emprar), or cross the street for delicious thin crust pizza at Pizza Hood (2 Ernestou Emprar). For a great local version of bao buns, head to Thess Bao, in two different locations in the city center (3 Kalapothaki, 11 Lori Margariti). For brunch, try Caravan (1 Rebelou) and choose from a large variety of egg-based dishes, as well as a selection of sandwiches and pancakes. The city is also known for its desserts; the bougatsa, perhaps its most famous one, is made with very thin filo pastry and custard cream, and served with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Giannis (106 Mitropoleos) specializes in them.The nearby pâtisserie Trigona Elenidi (13 Dimitriou Gounari) serves up a triangular dessert made with syrupy filo pastry and fluffy cream. For something more chocolate-based, Choureal (9 Paleon Patron Germanou) offers freshly made profiteroles "constructed" according to your preferences, with the choux pastry baked every few hours to ensure ultimate freshness.

The residents of Thessaloniki have a well-earned reputation for enjoying a good time out throughout the year. The city is full of cafés with outdoor seating to take advantage of the many sunny days. Café Palermo (4 Romanou) is a Sunday-morning meeting point. Ypsilon (5 Edessis) is an all-day café that becomes a vibrant bar at night, hosting DJ parties. For cocktails, head to Vogatsikou 3 (3 Vogatsikou), with its extremely well-stocked bar featuring almost every kind of rum, whiskey and gin imaginable. For beer, classic drinks and soul jazz music, head down the steps to On the Road (61 Nikis), a perfect hangout near the waterfront. At La Doze (1 Vilara), you can dance till dawn to electro music selected by well-known DJs, while at Enola (19 Valaoritou), the LGBTQ+ crowd turns it all the way up.

Ready to serve at Sebriko.

Above: Ypsilon is the spot for coffee and drinks. Below: The Caravan Café is an ideal brunch option.

AESTHEA

ANTIAGING BODY SLIMMING NAIL ART

SPA means “Sanita per Aqua” – health through water! Aesthea is the only beauty institute in Greece which helps bring real results when it comes to beauty and youth without pain, the use of needles or any other machines. Aesthea offers unique anti-aging and slimming services based on marine body treatments by the French company PHYTOMER- the only company with two research centers in the world based in Saint Malo. These marine body treatments are combined with the effectiveness of VIE to bring visible and long -lasting results. Banti Katerina, who is the aesthetician and manager of the institute, has been a member of the Switzerland- Zurich based Beauty Academy since 1999. Since then, she has kept up with the amazing evolution of medical aesthetics and has decided to stay loyal to natural beauty in order to help women believe in themselves and their natural beauty while working to help them be a better version of themselves and delay the first signs of aging.

GREECE HAS

THE POWER

The prospect of relocating to Greece, at least for the winter months, has become more attractive due to the international energy crisis. A series of initiatives and policies have kept the cost of electricity at levels lower than many other European countries, while at the same time offering incentives for energy-saving upgrades.

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GREECE IS ONE OF THE LEAST EXPENSIVE European countries as regards electricity prices. With the resources contributed by energy providers – in particular the Public Power Corporation (ΔΕΗ), which holds the largest market share – Greek consumers are enjoying low prices, despite the global energy crisis.

At the same time, electricity suppliers are helping households prepare for what’s to come with “smart e-consultants” such as those available at ΔΕΗ, offering customers personalized and practical advice on how to access incentives for switching to more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly heat pumps and for installing photovoltaics.

So, if the cost of energy is a deciding factor in choosing a place to live on either a permanent or temporary basis, Greece holds an advantage over other European countries. In a highly volatile environment, consumers in Greece can count on price stability for the next several months, and can look forward to opportunities for energy upgrades and other measures, including assistance in the replacement of energyconsuming appliances as well as targeted investments that will guarantee savings without making customers change consumption habits.

With all this to offer, how can we best convince an ex-pat – or even a skeptical Greek – of the energy advantages this country holds over other nations? We’ve assembled some strong arguments, including a state-supported mechanism for households and businesses that’s likely to be adopted by other European countries, as well as actions ensuring power sufficiency and clear incentives to make energy-saving investments provided by both the Greek government and by electricity suppliers.

01. pricing policy

THE EU HAS YET TO BUILD a mechanism acceptable to all its member states to keep down natural gas prices and, by extension, electricity prices. In Greece, the government and power-generating companies introduced in July 2022 a mechanism that guarantees stable – and comparatively low – electricity prices for households and businesses. According to the Household Energy Price Index (HEPI) for September, the final price (with all individual charges included) of one kilowatt-hour of electricity in Athens was 0.2952 euros, compared to the 0.3461-euro average of the 27 EU member states. London, Helsinki, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin, Brussels, Rome, Prague, and Vienna are European capitals with significantly higher prices than Athens. Moreover, the short-term forecast is that Greece will improve its ranking compared to other European countries.

02. efficiency measures

GREECE HAS NOT BEEN CUT OFF from the supply of Russian natural gas, but it has prepared for this eventuality. Lignite units are operating, and natural gas units can, if necessary, be converted to produce electricity using oil, while the Revythoussa facility has already doubled its production capacity in terms of liquefied natural gas (LNG) conversion. The uninterrupted supply of electricity to Europe was not guaranteed a few months ago when Russia permanently cut off the flow of natural gas via the Nord Stream pipeline under the Baltic Sea. Now, however, energy security is no longer in question.

03. favorable taxation

ELECTRICITY IN GREECE is subject to a VAT rate of only 6%. While Belgium, the United Kingdom, Malta, Poland, and Spain enjoy a similar rate, most European countries have chosen to apply the standard VAT rate on electricity. For example, in Austria, Latvia, and Lithuania, the rate is 17%; in Denmark, 20%; and in Hungary, 21%. Of course, electricity is also subject to excise duty in addition to VAT. Again, the sum of all charges in Greece amounts to 19% of the final price, half that of Denmark (38%) and significantly lower than the UK (33%), Germany (26%), and Finland (24%).

04. more initiatives for less consumption

THE GREEK GOVERNMENT AND PPC have introduced a set of incentives and disincentives to encourage consumers to save energy. ΔΕΗ charges households that exceed a certain consumption level more for their electricity, while the government subsidy calculation mechanism does the same thing but with a difference: in addition to the counter incentive, there is also an incentive. Anyone who manages to reduce consumption by 15% compared to last year receives a significant discount on their bill. Thus, energy savings are compensated twice: the bill goes down, and the charge per kilowatt-hour is reduced.

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