Beautiful Thessaloniki faces out over the sea and the peaks of Mount Olympus and is embraced by hills. Its towers and priceless archaeological monuments bear witness to its long history. Founded in 315 BC by Cassander, General of Alexander the Great, it has been destroyed seven times and then rebuilt with pride and perseverance.

26

Today, it stands proudly over the Thermaic Gulf and is a pole of attraction for Greek and foreign visitors who flood the city to admire its monuments, museums and the architecture of its buildings, to experience the vibrant rhythms of its entertainment and to taste its unique delicacies, including those offered by its remarkable gastro tavernas.

They are firmly rooted in traditional Greek cuisine and add unique modern touches that do not alter the flavour canvas of the dishes. After a recent visit to the northern capital, we’re recommending here the five gastro tavernas that stand out the most. With their creative cuisine, stylish drinks, warm hospitality and relaxed, well-designed surroundings, they offer memorable experiences.

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Mourga

The café’s décor, with outsized glass windows, wooden tables, marble mosaic flooring, and especially the huge canvases on the walls, on which photos with ethnographic elements and a strong anthropocentric character are printed, alludes to the cultural identity of the place. Nothing, however, – even the open kitchen with its enticing smells – prepares new visitors for the exceptional delicacies coming from Yannis Loukakis’ kitchen. The famous chef and restaurateur, and according to many, the “father” of the Greek gastro taverna, has created a new wave of seductive tastes in Thessaloniki with Mourga.

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With an emphasis on fresh fish and seafood as well as organic products, the restaurant devoutly obeys seasonality and embraces the Athonite philosophy that demands flavours are simple, light and clean while aiming for zero waste and honours every ingredient that enters the kitchen. Carrot peels are made into chips and tomato and lemon powders are used to add an appetizing intensity to the cooking. “We want our food to be as pure as possible. We use only organic produce and make everything in-house, even the bread. The menu changes almost every day, depending on the fish and seafood brought in from the northern Aegean and the mood of the cooks,” says Lefteris Ioannou, Loukakis’s henchman in the kitchen, with a smile.

The mood of the kitchen and the sea are definitely positive. Swordfish tartare with fish soup and wild herbs, raw crayfish with white taramas and mandarin, flame-grilled eel with a soft-boiled egg and grilled yellow cauliflower and stingray with mussels and vegetables in the tava (a type of frying pan) are some of the excellent dishes, all with flawless textures and optimal balance, that we tried and found unforgettable. The desserts, curated by renowned pastry chef Spyros Pediaditakis, change according to the seasons, as do the wines, which combine perfectly with the tastes of the cuisine. “We serve wines from all over Greece, with the basic requirement that they must be organically grown. The modifications in our cellar go hand in hand with those in the sea and the land,” says Dimitris Paschalis, in charge of the wine list.

Info: Address: Christopoulou 12, Thessaloniki. Tel: +30 2310268826,  Instagram: mourga2016

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Haroupi

Manolis Papoutsakis, a well-known chef and restaurateur, planted his carob seed in one of the narrow cobbled streets of the legendary Ladadika area. In antiquity, its remarkable uniformity in size and, especially, in weight, made carob into a valid unit of measurement for gold. It was, however, its sweet aftertaste and health benefits that made it an indelible part of Crete’s food history. “At Haroupi we want to show how the simplicity of Cretan cuisine is a goldmine of taste and health,” the owners say.

Papoutsakis sources goodies from the mainland and delivers them to Thessaloniki in this simple and modern space, with traditional flavours from his hometown combined with creative elements, to which he gives a modern yet familiar interpretation of Crete’s traditional and authentic flavours and scents. The staka butter with gooey salted egg yolks, apaki (smoked, cured meat) chips, small cubes of salty meringue, roasted almonds and truffle is a divinely delicious dish that serves as a typical example of how he superbly marries a traditional Cretan recipe with creative elements. An excellent accompaniment to the staka dish are the homemade sourdough, carob and white breads, which are sliced, heated on the grill and slathered with aromatic butter before being served.

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The rustic phyllo pastry filled with sheep’s cheese, fresh mint, quince jam, thyme honey, lime zest and flaxseed is particularly special, while the gammopilafo (a rice dish traditionally prepared for weddings) with hogget and sheep’s yoghurt is more traditional. The sizzling lamb stew with carob skioufichta pasta, gruyere and cream of staka steals the show. In this dish, the slightly sweet aftertaste and a familiar scent of stifado stew are combined with the salty and buttery flavour of the cheese and the staka with unique mastery, resulting in a delightful and perfectly balanced dish. Xerotigano (fried, crispy dough) from Chania, black myzithropita (myzithra cheese pie) and galaktoboureko (milk cream pie) with a velvety cream and rose water ice cream are desserts that beautifully wrap up the dining experience. The Cretan vineyard dominates the wine list, including of course fine tsikoudia (Cretan grappa) and rakomelo (raki heated with spices and honey).

Info: Address: Doxis 4, Thessaloniki. Tel: +30 698 8526 262, Instagram: xaroupi_cretan_restaurant.

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Iliopetra

The sunstone (iliopetra), a mythical crystal that helped guide sailors to their destination, and the sunflower, which holds messages of hope and strength, are the themes that talented chef Giorgos Zannakis and his wife Vassia Gambrani connect to the identity of their gastro taverna. “For us, Iliopetra is the place where we bring out our feelings, ideas, thoughts and concerns,” says Giorgos. For guests, it is a warm, genuine and emotional place where they can live cherished moments accompanied by one of the most scrumptious cuisines of the capital. The atmosphere is particularly friendly and relaxed in the cosy place, with its marble mosaic floor, black and white photos that bring a smile to the lips, and a welcoming, wide-open kitchen. Respect for raw materials is the central pillar of the taverna’s philosophy. Along with spices, which he particularly loves, Zannakis seasons his dishes with plenty of creativity. He skillfully manages to conjure exquisite and perfectly balanced aromas, intensities and flavours that evoke memories but also create new ones.

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The menu, which changes seasonally and even several times a week, depending on the ingredients available, presents striking dishes that evoke sensation with their taste and appearance. Among them is grilled sea bass with leek and celeriac, guinea fowl pastitsada (a pasta and meat stew), a trilogy of mushrooms with pieces of cassopita (a cheese pie) and goat cheese cooked in the flames, lamb with trahanas (desiccated milk and wheat), and flame-grilled lamb with hummus and fried wild greens.

The excellent quality of their prime ingredients is easily perceptible in all dishes. The fish comes from the northern Aegean, while the meat, like for example the guinea fowls raised on a Serres farm, comes from carefully selected farmers. The wines come from the Greek vineyard and are also available by the glass because they want “people to try different varieties and labels and enjoy their food accompanied by a good, pairing wine,” says Vassia, who curates the wine list. In its two years of operation, Iliopetra has firmly established itself in its neighbourhood alleyway and has become a compass for memorable journeys to seductive tasting destinations.

Info: Address: Aeschylus 5. Tel: +30 2314 055553, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iliopetra_/

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+Trofi

At a corner in the famous Ladadika is Yannis Loukakis’ second gastrotaverna, which he co-owns with Alexandros Barbounakis, a long-time “loyal customer of Mourga”, as he told us. It was at Mourga that Barbounakis met Yiannis and became a fan of the creativity and the surprise of his cuisine. So they decided to open +Trofi (which means food), emphasizing with the name of the restaurant the concept of camaraderie around a table and the exquisite company that food provides. At +Trofi, apart from Loukakis’ great food, the clever kitchen setup is impressive. It occupies almost an entire side of the restaurant and its huge windows always remain open, sending wafts of enticing aromas out to the cobbled alley and turning the cooks into the protagonists of a culinary theatre performance. Also special is the shop’s “sala” – an open-air space with industrial elements embraced by folding glass windows. The ingenious chef here remains faithful to organic, pure products and serves up a genuinely mouthwatering and inventive cuisine, which is as edgy as it is balanced. The fine selections, mainly in meat, but also fish, always go according to the seasons.

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The menu changes almost daily, according to the available ingredients, the quality of which is consistently kept at a very high level. “Our fruits and vegetables are sourced from the area, our cheeses from meticulously selected Greek producers and our meat from suppliers who follow organic farming methods,” Alexander tells us. +Trofi’s exquisite dishes include large prawns in olive oil with aged beef sausage and runny eggs, the seskoulodolmades (Swiss chard leaves stuffed with liver and rice), the black pig schnitzel with white tarama and katsuobushi, which gives the dish an excellent smoky aftertaste, and beef ribs in the casserole with sour trahanas. The stunning desserts are dreamed up by Spyros Pediaditakis, who masterfully combines the earthy flavour of hazelnut with the acidic and fresh flavours of yoghurt and kefir. The wines are exclusively biodynamic and come from producers with whom they have developed a close collaboration. +Trofi is undoubtedly one of the best-tasting hangouts in the capital.

Info: Address: Doxis 9, Thessaloniki. Tel: +30 2310 540260, Instagram: sin_trofi

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Me Zen Salonica

The tsipouro-induced ecstasy experienced at Me Zen is accompanied by highly addictive snacks. The place was first opened in Volos by Andreas Diakodimitris and Grigoris Helmis, who is also the brand’s executive chef, and next travelled to Thessaloniki, with Marina Kontou at the helm. At Me Zen, a cosy hub with rustic and industrial elements, they approach traditional tsipouro-meze with a modern appeal, without letting their creative play alter the authenticity of the flavours. They offer 30 to 40 meze dishes that change almost daily, depending on the seasonality and availability of their ingredients.

The vast majority of their dishes are based on fish or seafood, which they source from the fish market of Michaniona, while there are also meze dishes with meat, seasonal vegetables as well as creamy spreads. “Inextricably tied to the philosophy of the tsipouradiko is the trust in the flavours chosen by the experts,” Marina tells us. So there is no menu. With every tsipouro order, the meze changes, trying to provide customers with a multifaceted variety – pickled, fried, cooked and creamed – in each selection. Pickled giant (gigandes) beans, crayfish with garlic butter, fried mackerel and saffron prawns, fried small fish, pan-fried or smoked mackerel, steamed lemon sole, potato with roasted tarama, saganaki (melted cheese) with padron peppers and unforgettable kopanisti cheese with smoked feta are just some of the delicious meze dishes we tried.

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Abstaining from tsipouro is not penalised and those who decide to do so have the option of choosing from the a la carte menu, where a creative surf n’ turf is played out, by and large. Special dishes include the shrimp, a kokoretsi (usually entrails and offal wrapped around a spit and fire-grilled) made with snapper instead of liver, the seftalies handmade pasta with minced cod and lamb bolia (a type of sausage) and the calamari carbonara, with the squid taking the role of pasta. The main menu is curated by Helmis while the daily appetizers are the creation of Nikos Angelis, chef of Me Zen in Thessaloniki. In the impressive list of 120 spirits, the sceptre is held by tsipouro, while the aged spirits are particularly interesting, acquiring amazing aromas and flavours from their time in the barrel. This popular tsipouradiko is an unmissable stop during anyone’s journey towards foodie zen.

Info: Address: Rogoti 3, Thessaloniki. Τel: +30 2310 232749, Instagram: mezen_salonica

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