| Places to eat and drink in Thessaloníki | |
You don't need to go hungry here as there are cake/biscuit shops and nice cafes/tavernas everywhere. (There is even a McDonald's!) The regional food is delicious, slightly more spicy than in the south, with a distinctly eastern influence.
Just opposite our hotel through an arch is an alley leading to a little square where there are several nice bars and restaurants (it is very lively after 10pm!). One of these is called the Selina, an ouzerie, where we enjoyed dolmades (stuffed vine leaves), small fish and crab mayonnaise. The menu is in Greek but the owner speaks English.
Another we liked very much is the MIT PAZAR in a little square off Olymbou. We had meat balls, tomato croquettes, chicken Kashmir, retsina (served in pretty green bottles) and metaxa for €25 for two.
The cafe overlooking the ruins of the Galerius complex does excellent fruit salad with yogurt and honey and huge chocolate mousses!
We had a good lunch at ta adelphia in Plateia Navarinou, which is near the palace of Galerius. It cost 20€ for two but I didn't record what we had!
The Kreolideis tel 031 020 6006 is in the upper town by the kastro with a superb view over the town, the city wall and the sea. We had souvlaki, beefburger stuffed with cheese, anchovies, sweet red peppers and tomato salad (no wine) for 18€.
The area known as Ladádika,the old olive oil market, is now full of tavernas and bars; its cobbled streets and squares have old buildings interspersed with 60's flats. (While there take a look at the fine 1910 railway passenger terminal building on the sea front.) We ate in Plateia Katouni where there are several restaurants (some look rather smart and pricey), at 'Me to Kommati' where you watch the food cooking on a spit, and had a good meal of souvlaki and village sausages (served on wooden platters) with fried cheese and tomato salad and a glass of local wine each for 20€
As you approach the Rotonda there are some nice looking coffee places, and we had excellent filter coffee at Verdi (Silk Cut) Jazz cafe at the junction of Angelaki and Svolou.
The Sea front on Sunday afternoon was packed with young people drinking coffee and listening to loud music! There are cafes and bars all along the front and also in the elegant Plateia Aristotelous at the Western end. It is a good place for watching the sun set.