Kali Orexi!

Mix fix - Eating out

The ultimate food guide to taste the city, one bite at a time

by Giovanni Stanislao & Yusuf Taskiran

After several months living here in Thessaloniki, we have come to a conclusion. Thessaloniki is culture, art, history but above all it is food.

Nothing represents this city like an iced coffee sipped while strolling along the seafront or a warm summer evening spent at a table in a taverna, eating good food and drinking good wine in good company. There is something special that inextricably links Thessaloniki to the Greek culinary tradition. In every corner of the city there are small bars, tavernas and restaurants of all kinds, so many that choosing is sometimes really difficult. There are also those who say that to find a good place to eat in Thessaloniki you need to cover your eyes, stretch out your hand pointing a finger in front of you and do a few pirouettes. Good food here is everywhere, wherever the finger points. To make things easier for you, we have decided to offer you our personal food guide to discover the city one bite at a time.

By scanning this QR code you will have access to a map that will show you our favorite places to enjoy a bite of pure magic. From breakfast to dinner, from desserts to international cuisine, here you will find the best restaurants, bars and tavernas we have had the pleasure of exploring, savoring Greek and international culture in every dish.

To give you some more tips, we have also thought of suggesting typical dishes that you can taste to dive into the world of Greek cuisine. Here they are!

Bougatsa

Let’s start from the beginning. Breakfast!

The bougatsa is a phyllo dough dessert filled with cream, with a dusting of icing sugar and cinnamon on top. Here in northern Greece the sweet version is the most popular, but in the south, like in Athens for example, savory versions filled with cheese and meat are also very appreciated.

We can’t imagine a better breakfast than this: a warm, freshly baked bougatsa and a nice take-away coffee, all savored on a bench along the seafront, looking towards the Gulf of Thessaloniki and enjoying the view of the splendid Mount Olympus, already covered in snow.

Mezes

Do you want to enjoy good traditional Greek food but there are so many options on the menu that you can’t choose? Here’s a solution. Instead of ordering one dish each, the Greeks have the habit of ordering a multitude of small portions of different dishes, to be shared with all those seated at the table, perhaps accompanied by a few glasses of Ouzo.

These mini portions are called mezes, which literally means “bite”. The typical mezes are a mix of cold and hot dishes, in small portions, which allow you to taste a little bit of everything.

Here are some examples:

- keftedakia: small meatballs

- saganaki: fried hard cheese

- tiropitakia: puff pastry filled with feta cheese - olives

- dolmadakia: the super popular grape leaves rolls filled with zesty rice and herbs

- any type of spread, such as taramosalata (fish roe-based spread), the timeless tzatziki or the more aromatic melitzanosalata (the Greek version of Baba Gannoush, a cream made with smoked aubergines).

And many more!

Revani

Are you a sugar lover? Sweetness is never enough for you, especially if in the form of a cake?

Then this is the dessert for you. Revani is a typical Greek dessert that is also very common in Turkey: the list of ingredients is very simple but the mix is a bomb of sweetness.

Semolina, sugar, flour, butter and eggs, with the addition of vanilla, rose water or orange/ lemon zest are all that make this cake the sweetest you have ever tried. With a delicate aroma, this semolina-based cake is completely soaked in sugar syrup and is perfect if accompanied by a dark coffee.

Moussaka

The Greek comfort food par excellence, the one that reminds you so much of the dishes that your grandmother used to cook. Moussaka is a mainstay of Greek cuisine: eggplant, potatoes, ground beef, cheese, all stacked in a layered dish full of flavour. There are also vegetarian and vegan versions, to satisfy all palates!

Dakos Salad

Dakos salad is one of the best known and most popular Cretan dishes in all of Greece.

The ingredients are few but very tasty: starting with the dakos, i.e. hard barley croutons that usually form the basis for the rest. Fresh cherry tomatoes, feta or mizithra (a traditional Cretan cheese), capers, oregano and lots of olive oil. Perfect to enjoy in the summer!