It is said that in the future we will travel more, but aim for closer destinations; that travelling even within our city will be a detoxifying experience like a far-away getaway.
Those who have already tried to “become tourists in their city” have seen the city in a different light. Perhaps one of the most wonderful opportunities we have during the year to have such an experience is Valentine’s Day. Our suggestion? Thessaloniki lends itself to rediscovery, offering fine food and moments of fun and relaxation.
Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki
13th km Thessaloniki – Peraia highway, +30 2310 401234
Now, if there is one hotel that can make this experience even better, it is the Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki, located away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. And if there is one hotel that can offer its guests a relaxing escape in Thessaloniki, while enjoying some privacy, that is the Hyatt Regency again.
The value-for-money and comfort-for-price ratio at the Hyatt Regency is among the most tempting to be found in the country’s finest hotels, which is evident as soon as one enters one of its rooms.
Ambrosia restaurant is an acclaimed and award-winning fine dining restaurant helmed by Chef Apostolos Altanis, who creates dishes that break new ground and highlight ingredients in a way that bridges tradition with haute cuisine. Especially for Valentine’s Day, Ambrosia restaurant has prepared an exceptional gustatory experience.
Here is the menu:
-Red apple velouté with shrimps & hibiscus
-Twin salmon with beetroot, avocado & quail egg
-Mushroom risotto with truffle, chocolate & chestnuts
-Tangerine sorbet, absinthe jelly
-Beef fillet, sweet potato & marsala sauce
-Namelaka chocolate, dulce ice cream & forest fruits
-A bottle of wine per 2 people
-€ 60/ per person
The next day you can enjoy your breakfast in your king size bed and try a couples yoga session at Harmonia Spa & Wellness that promises to bring you even closer together through an exciting spiritual experience.
Regency Casino Thessaloniki
12th km Thessaloniki – Airport highway, +30 2310 491234
This Valentine’s Day, try your luck as a couple and enjoy the best casino experience in Greece, in a unique setting that you will never forget. Neatly laid out, meeting the highest hygiene standards and fully compliant with Covid-19 protection measures, in addition to its amazing slot machines, Regency Casino Thessaloniki holds many hard to find surprises – even in well-known European casinos- just waiting to be discovered.
One of the most beautiful bars in Thessaloniki, Ian’s Bar is located within the casino premises, as well as the Alfredo’s restaurant, which miraculously maintains a high level of consistency, expertise and top quality ingredients.
Back to the games, Regency Casino has received rave reviews for its new area dedicated to the world’s most popular poker game, Texas Hold’Em, which is staffed by dedicated personnel. The tables are open daily (19.00 – 04.00) with Blind/Ante 2/5. Every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday a total of €1,000 in cash is drawn in jackpot draws at 21.30 and 23.30, while every Friday, Saturday and Sunday Up & Go draws up to €5,000 in cash per draw. And don’t forget, your transportation to the casino is provided by luxury shuttles in and out of town. And, finally, every Saturday, beloved Thessaloniki artists perform live favourite songs in the main hall. On Monday 14 February, the live music performance in the main hall will be followed by an extra draw for a 4-day trip to Rome.
Mia Feta Bar
14, Pavlou Mela street, +30 2310 221120
It is modern, innovative, with a European look and flair. The products in its refrigerators and racks are 100% Greek, each with its own story to tell. Dedicated to feta cheese, as its name suggests, Mia Feta Bar in recent years has managed to gain the trust of the public, of both the locals and the numerous visitors of Thessaloniki, thanks to its refined flavours. Behind the project is the Kourellas family, based in Grevena, who, in the midst of the economic crisis, dared to open their flagship store in the heart of the gastronomic capital of Greece. Here, customers have the opportunity to taste and buy the fine products that the family has been producing since 1960, in a very elegant space. In the refridgerators you will find a variety of organic and non-organic dairy and cheese products such as PDO feta (goat, sheep, barrel), PDO kefalograviera, cheese snacks, milk-based drinks, organic strained yoghurt with or without fruit flavours, kefir, while the shelves are full of fine products from small Greek producers (mushrooms, handmade pasta, pulses, trahanas, sauces, spoon sweets, herbs, etc.). And of course you will find a wide variety of cheeses – spread, hard or semi-hard cheeses, soft goat cheese– and a unique truffle gruyere to accompany a glass of Greek wine. Open daily, except Sunday.
°Fahrenheit Gelato
3, Kalapothaki street
A fresh arrival in one of the pedestrian streets in the centre of Thessaloniki that have recently become a big hit in the catering sector and beyond; an authentic gelateria appeared in the midst of winter. “I want ice cream to become a mentality, to stop being associated in the minds of Thessalonians and Greeks in general exclusively with summer”, says to travel.gr the creator and co-owner of °Fahrenheit Gelato George Vayonas, an accomplished chef, known in the restaurant business since 1998 and in recent years executive chef at Porto Sani in Halkidiki.
Shades of pistachio dominate the shop, as pistachio is considered the cornerstone of a gelateria. °Fahrenheit, named after the temperature measuring scale, has set the quality bar very high. The concept is completely innovative, as it features twelve 2.5 kg tubs each, essentially an ice cream machine and a storefront at the same time. “There is no ice cream display,” says Vayonas.
Twelve ice cream flavours, including pistachio from Bronte (Sicily) – the main pistachio producer in Italy- Piemonte hazelnut – one of the best in the world- Belgian Callebaut chocolate and Madagascar vanilla, two sorbets – mango and strawberry- for this season, low glycaemic index (no added sugar) and dairy-free ice cream made from rice or soy milk. Twelve different flavours served in coconut oil cones (gluten-free also available) or in cups, with a choice of different toppings and extra chocolate coming from the special tap.
Belgian waffles, ice burgers, milkshakes with fresh milk, soft drinks and desserts (walnut pie, chocolate pie, cake) complete the menu of the brand new gelateria, the sibling of which is located in Nea Fokaia, Halkidiki. And if you’re wondering what the wall says, well, it briefly tells the shop’s history and explains the difference between gelato and ice cream. “Welcome to the world of °F”, a world that came about when George Vayonas and Vassilis Vassamis joined forces to offer us an authentic gelato experience 365 days a year.
Vergina Theatro
12th km Thessaloniki – Airport highway, next to Regency Casino Thessaloniki, +30 2310 491291
Vergina Theatre, next to Regency Casino Thessaloniki, returns along with the city’s vibrant nightlife scene. Two enterprising performers share the stage of Vergina Theatre and offer a spectacular show featuring beloved Greek songs by performer Melina Aslanidou and the caustic humour of actress Sofia Moutidou. Do not miss the fiery collaboration of two such passionate women joining forces to present an unforgettable performance. Vergina Theatro has introduced a new kind of entertainment in the city of Thessaloniki. Only there one can enjoy the biggest names of the Greek music scene, in a non-smoking area, which observes all safety measures.
Thessaloniki Walking Tours
Info@thessalonikiwalkingtours.com , +30 2310 424916
Travelling through time, space and ideas, attempting a deeper connection with Thessaloniki and the city’ s history; Evi Karkitis, initiator and coordinator of the Thessaloniki Walking Tours activities, and her team have designed some very special walks in the city, such as the Roman or Byzantine walk, the Jewish walk, the “tower to tower” or the “streets of fire” walk. Moreover, they have designed some really interesting thematic city experiences, which are, of course, addressed to both visitors and locals, whether they focus on “Flavours and aromas”, “Rebetiko in Thessaloniki” or the city’s cinematic memories.
But what does Thessaloniki Walking Tours propose this winter – under the guidance of Tasos Papadopoulos, PhD candidate in Byzantine Archaeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, in collaboration with Evi Karkitis?
“Statues, visions, kitsch and works of art” is the theme of the guided tour that will take place on Saturday 5 February, seeking the aesthetic footprint of the public space of Thessaloniki.
Strolling through the centre of Thessaloniki, you will approach various sculptures and works in a walk that is not devoid of emotion. Meeting point: the statue of Pavlos Melas (Tsirogianni Square, opposite the White Tower), starting at 10.30 am. Reservations: info@thessalonikiwalkingtours.com. Participation fee: €15.
Allegro Concert Hall
25th Martiou street, +30 2310 895895
Designed by the famous architect Arata Isozaki, Allegro New Horizon is located on the 5th floor of building M2 of the Thessaloniki Concert Hall and boasts one of the most beautiful terraces of the city, from where you can gaze at the endless blue, the Thermaikos Gulf, the imposing Mount Olympus in the distance and the unsurpassed sunsets when everything around you is bathed in mauve shades. The geometric lines, the large glass surfaces and the metal elements of the building that hosts the café-bar create an image of imposing simplicity. Although it is open from 9 am, you can combine a glass of good wine or a drink with delicious snacks such as club sandwiches, burgers, toasts, pizza, salads from 2 pm to 10 pm (kitchen opening hours). With your visit to the café bar, you also get a free parking space in the underground parking lot in the M2 building of the Thessaloniki Concert Hall.
Falaifel
21, Apostolou Pavlou street & 12, G. Drosini street (Analipsi), +30 2315 535755, +30 2316 011220
A flavourful journey to the East, Egypt or Lebanon, in the form of wrapped falafels or kebabs or marinated chicken with authentic oriental spices and Greek vegetables; delicious oriental cuisine is prepared daily in the kitchens of the two Falaifel shops, one in the area of Agios Dimitrios, near the Turkish consulate, and the second one east of the city, near Petros Syndikas Park.
Small but miraculous spaces with Moroccan tiles in shades of blue. Try Egyptian falafel with tahini sauce and garlic cream, tomato, cabbage, parsley and hot spices in a wrap or as a serving; sis taouk, i.e. pieces of chicken breast marinated with oriental spices, mustard sauce, garlic cream, tomato, cabbage, parsley and hot spices wrapped or as a serving; Jamal kebabs with ground beef and lamb, latif kezebe (chicken livers with spices, peppers and everything else), aromatic beef or mushroom meatballs with bulgur and pine nuts and of course lahmacun. The menu also includes some vegan and vegetarian options, such as organic soya gyros, hummus, salads (tabbouleh, fattoush, falafel, etc.) and a new option, i. e. eggplant, tabbouleh, hummus, cabbage, pickles, vegan mayonnaise in Cypriot pitta bread. The menu also includes a few desserts, which are available daily, except Tuesdays at the shop in the city centre and Mondays at the shop located in Analipsi.
Le Cercle de Salonique
7, Vasileos Irakleitou street, +30 6986 501244
It is one of the most unique bars in the centre of Thessaloniki, featuring a 1920s and 1930s atmosphere. Besides, that was the dream of its owner, George Doras, who, having travelled all over the world, decided to open Le Cercle de Salonique in the centre of Thessaloniki, at Vasileos Herakliou street, above the famous Emporio square and Ano Ladadika. Le Cercle de Salonique is housed on the first floor of a 1931 building, the work of the Italian architect Vitaliano Poselli, who has left his imprint on the most important public buildings of Thessaloniki, such as Villa Allatini, the Yeni Mosque, the Bank of Greece building (Stoa Malakopi), the Administration building, etc. It is named after the club Le Cercle de Salonique, which operated in the area a century ago and was frequented by Thessaloniki’s multicultural elite. Chandeliers, velvet sofas and comfortable armchairs, personal items belonging to the owner’s grandparents, treasures from his travels around the world, as well as items sourced from various markets and antique shops complete the decoration of the sophisticated bar. At Le Cercle de Salonique you will enjoy premium versions of classic drinks and signature cocktails to the sounds of mainstream music, as well as favourite songs from the 80’s and 90’s and jazz. In addition, there is another bar on the newly renovated second floor of the building (Friday and Saturday), which is ideal for private parties and events. As for Le Cercle de Salonique’s dining options, be patient until the end of the month, when the restaurant, on the ground floor of the building, with its Mediterranean influences and French bistro atmosphere, will be ready. Opening hours: Wednesday – Sunday 19.00 – 02.00, Friday and Saturday 20.00 – 03.00.
