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De gerestaureerde wijk Ladadika, vol taverna's en mezedopoleia

Waar te eten

Thessaloniki wordt algemeen de culinaire hoofdstad van Griekenland genoemd — van taverna's aan zee en mezedopoleia tot bougatsa-bakkerijen en de overdekte markten Modiano en Kapani. 82+ restaurants om te ontdekken.

Wat te eten in Thessaloniki

De tafel van de stad is gevormd door de vluchtelingen van 1922 uit Klein-Azië en de Zwarte Zee — dit zijn de gerechten die je moet opzoeken.

Bougatsa

De emblematische filotaart van de stad — zoet met griesmeelvla, poedersuiker en kaneel, of hartig met kaas of gehakt. Een ontbijtinstituut meegebracht door vluchtelingen uit Klein-Azië.

Koulouri

De sesambroodring die op elke straathoek wordt verkocht sinds de Byzantijnse tijd — de originele grab-and-go van Thessaloniki.

Soutzoukakia

Langwerpige gehaktballetjes in tomatensaus, gekruid met komijn en knoflook — het erfgoed van Smyrna en Constantinopel op een bord.

Bouyiourdi

Een borrelend ovengerecht van feta, tomaat en paprika, warm geserveerd met brood — een taverna-meze gemaakt om te delen.

Trigona Panoramatos

Knapperige driehoekige filo gedrenkt in siroop en gevuld met banketbakkersroom, uitgevonden in de buitenwijk Panorama — het kenmerkende zoetje van de stad.

Tsipouro & meze

De lokale manier van eten: een fles tsipouro en een doorlopende stoet kleine gerechten, het hart van de tsipouradiko-cultuur van de stad.

Lees de volledige Wat te eten gids →

Fine dining & middenklasse

Verfijnd dineren met moderne Griekse en mediterrane smaken, verse vis van de kust en geraffineerde Macedonische keuken.

Vine-leaf 'sushi' topped with seabass and edible flowers on a long plate at Iliopetra, Thessaloniki

Creative Greek-Mediterranean

Iliopetra

The city's most talked-about kitchen of the moment, hidden down a quiet upper-town alley near the Turkish consulate. Chef Giorgos Zannakis writes the menu fresh each day around whatever the morning market gives up, sending out precise, playful Greek-Mediterranean plates — vine-leaf 'sushi' draped with seabass, sea-fennel tarts scattered with edible flowers, fish cooked just-so in bright sauces. The room is tiny and the kitchen open, so you watch the cooking happen; book ahead, because word is well out.

Eschilou 5, upper old town€€€
Colourful plant-based plates at rOOTS vegan restaurant in Thessaloniki

Plant-based Greek

rOOTS

A bright, welcoming kitchen near Aristotelous that proves Greek cooking translates beautifully to fully plant-based plates. Familiar tavern flavours get reworked with vegetables, pulses and herbs into dishes that satisfy committed vegans and curious omnivores alike. One of the city's most reliable spots for a creative meat-free meal.

Near Aristotelous Square, city centre€€
Cretan dishes and rusks served at Charoupi in Ladadika, Thessaloniki

Cretan

Charoupi

Manolis Papoutsakis, a philosophy graduate turned award-winning chef, brings refined Cretan cooking to Ladadika. Expect rusks heavy with ripe tomato, slow-cooked pork, wild greens and Cretan cheeses, all paired with island wines and raki. It manages to feel both authentic and quietly elegant.

Doxis 4, Ladadika€€€
Cosy dining room at Sebriko restaurant in Thessaloniki

Modern Greek

Sebriko

An all-day spot near the port end of Fragkon that treats simple Greek ingredients with real craft, from breakfast through to a long dinner. The cooking is seasonal and quietly creative, with plenty for vegetarians and a thoughtful wine list. The warm, slightly bohemian room makes it as easy to linger over coffee as over a full meal.

Fragkon 2, city centre€€
Bare-brick interior of Mourga restaurant in central Thessaloniki

Modern Greek seafood

Mourga

A tiny, bare-brick room down a side street where the menu is a blackboard rewritten around the morning's catch and whatever the market gave up. Chef Yiannis Loukakis cooks with a light, fearless hand, and the all-Greek list leans heavily on small natural producers. Book ahead, because the locals already know.

Christopoulou 12, city centre€€

Casual dineren

Ontspannen mezedopoleia en buurttaverna's die royale borden huisgemaakte Griekse gerechten serveren.

Shrimp saganaki — prawns in a tomato-feta sauce — on a plate at Kanoula taverna, Thessaloniki

Greek taverna

Kanoula

A perennially packed neighbourhood taverna in the upper old town, and one of the highest-rated places to eat in the whole city — the kind of unfussy spot locals quietly send you to. The cooking is honest, generous home-style Greek: slow-braised beef over silky puree, prawns in a tomato-feta sauce, baked feta with honey and sesame, and a properly dressed village salad, all at fair prices. The room is small and cosy and the service warm; come early or book, because it fills most nights.

Taskou Papageorgiou 4, upper old town€€
A long plate of sesame-crusted salmon-avocado maki with a bowl of karaage on an Empire Sushi Bar napkin, Thessaloniki

Japanese and sushi

Empire Sushi Bar

One of the highest-rated sushi kitchens in the city, tucked into the buzzy Valaoritou quarter where the tables spill onto a cobbled lane under paper lanterns. The rolls are the draw — generous, colourful maki dressed with spicy mayo, tempura crunch, chilli threads and torched salmon — alongside karaage and a short list of Japanese small plates. It fills fast after dark, so book or come early.

Oplopiou 3, Valaoritou district€€
The pavement terrace of Kritamos Meze-Bar in Toumpa — a wooden 'Kritamos' sign, green rush-seat chairs and set tables, Thessaloniki

Creative meze and seafood

Kritamos Meze-Bar

A much-loved meze-bar out in the eastern neighbourhood of Toumpa, named for the sea-fennel (kritamos) that flavours the coast. The best tables are on the green-chaired pavement terrace under the awning, where a rolling spread of small plates arrives with ouzo and tsipouro — grilled sardines, cured and raw fish, sea-bream carpaccio and seasonal vegetables, plated with more care than the neighbourhood average. One of the highest-rated tables away from the tourist centre.

Tirolois 38, Toumpa€€
A plate of whipped feta topped with cherry tomato and olive, served with a fried-pastry cracker at Stafylos Gi, Thessaloniki

Mezedopoleio and grill

Stafylos Gi

A warm, brick-walled meze-and-grill spot up towards the eastern edge of the centre, its name — 'Grape Earth' — glowing in neon over a room strung with festoon lights and lined with shelves of local products. The format is the familiar northern-Greek one: ouzo and tsipouro with a rolling spread of small plates, from whipped feta with a fried-pastry cracker to charcoal-grilled skewers. It stays reliably busy, which is exactly what you want from a mezedopoleio.

Apostolou Pavlou 24, upper town€€
A plate of vegan beetroot keftedes (patties) dusted with herbs at Tarantoúla, Thessaloniki

Vegan Greek taverna

Tarantoúla

A fully vegan taverna near the Athonos market doing something rare — traditional Thessaloniki comfort food made entirely plant-based, and convincingly so. The menu reads like a proper taverna's: spetsofai, pastitsio, bougiourdi, beetroot keftedes, the famous mushroom nuggets, all generous and fairly priced. The room is cosy and sometimes hosts live music. A genuine find for vegans, and a happy surprise for everyone else — a world away from the usual burger-and-bowl vegan fare.

Olympou 127, upper market quarter€€
A pan of seafood rice with mussels and prawns at Ouzerie Lola, Thessaloniki

Seafood ouzeri

Ouzerie Lola

A much-loved, classic ouzeri serving the full Thessalonian seafood-meze repertoire to a packed, cosy room — grilled octopus in oil and vinegar, fresh squid, fried gavros (anchovies), smoked mackerel and mussels saganaki, all built for sharing over ouzo or tsipouro. The quality is consistently high, the service warm and the prices fair, which is why it stays among the city's most popular tables. Order a spread, keep the carafes coming, and settle in.

Agapinou 10, city centre€€
A green salad with shaved cheese and cherry tomatoes over a balsamic-drizzled plate at Kati Ap' Ola, Thessaloniki

Greek taverna and meze

Kati Ap' Ola

A big, characterful Greek restaurant southeast of the centre near the university, its name — 'a bit of everything' — a fair description of both the menu and the decor. The high, beamed room is crammed with brick, wagon-wheel chandeliers, shelves of tsipouro and preserves and an open kitchen, and it turns out honest home-style cooking and meze at a generous pace. Thousands of reviews keep it near the top of the neighbourhood's tables, so it's worth booking at weekends.

Leoforos Vasileos Georgiou 22, southeast of the centre€€
A cast-iron dish of Georgian khinkali dumplings with a pot of sour cream alongside at Assorti, Thessaloniki

Georgian

Assorti

A rare thing for the city — a dedicated Georgian restaurant, up towards the upper town, serving the hearty cooking of the Caucasus to a devoted local following. The draw is the classics done properly: soup-filled khinkali dumplings eaten by hand, cheese-filled khachapuri and slow-cooked meats, in a calm, softly-lit room. A genuine change of pace from the Greek tavernas, and one of the higher-rated tables around.

Apolloniados 63, upper town€€
The pavement terrace of Zeme tsipouradiko on Olympou street with wooden chairs and shelves of preserves, Thessaloniki

Tsipouradiko and meze

Zeme

A lively tsipouradiko on Olympou, at the market end of the centre, where the format is the Volos one — rounds of tsipouro or ouzo, each bringing another small plate. The cooking leans on seafood and seasonal meze, served on a leafy pavement terrace lined with shelves of house preserves. It's one of the higher-rated meze spots in town, so it fills up fast in the evenings.

Olympou 1, city centre€€
A bowl of coconut prawn curry topped with a grilled prawn and microgreens, with a side of rice and chopsticks, at Ikigai, Thessaloniki

Pan-Asian and dumplings

Ikigai - The Dumpling Experience

A small, design-led pan-Asian kitchen behind Valaoritou, done out with pale timber, cherry-blossom murals and an open counter where you watch the cooking. Dumplings are the headline — steamed and crisped, filled and folded to order — but the kitchen ranges wider into cold noodle bowls and rich coconut curries scattered with microgreens. A polished, contemporary change of pace from the tavernas.

Veroias 5, city centre€€
A chargrilled beef fillet over parsnip purée with baby carrot and asparagus at Marrone, Kalamaria, Thessaloniki

Modern Mediterranean

Marrone

A stylish, buzzing all-day restaurant on Kalamaria's main Sofouli avenue, done out with a sculpted timber ceiling, a glass-roofed atrium and tall potted palms. The kitchen turns out polished modern Mediterranean plates — chargrilled meats over silky purées, that kind of thing — to a young, packed room that fills from brunch through to dinner. A sleek, contemporary option out in the southeastern suburbs.

Themistokli Sofouli 111, Kalamaria€€
The bright, terrazzo-floored dining room of Trygetes taverna hung with framed photographs, Pilea, Thessaloniki

Greek taverna

Trygetes

A neighbourhood taverna out in the eastern suburb of Pilea, with a bright, terrazzo-floored room hung with old photographs and a plant-filled front terrace warmed by heaters into the evening. The cooking is honest, home-style Greek — grills, seasonal plates and meze — served without fuss to a mostly local crowd. Away from the tourist centre, it's the kind of spot worth the short hop uphill.

17is Noemvriou 12, Pilea€€
The glass-roofed terrace of Kioupia set among the brick buildings near Valaoritou, Thessaloniki

Modern Greek

Kioupia

A small, creative modern-Greek kitchen tucked into the streets behind Valaoritou, spilling onto a glass-roofed terrace among the old brick buildings. The cooking takes familiar Greek ingredients somewhere more playful — think slow-cooked meatballs bedded on spiced pumpkin purée — and the room is tiny, so a near-perfect review score comes off a small but devoted following. Book ahead for an evening table.

Paggeou 4, near Valaoritou€€
A golden-topped baked pastitsio in a terracotta pot at The Rouga, Thessaloniki

Modern Greek

The Rouga

One of the city's busiest tables — a lively, long-running spot in the Valaoritou nightlife quarter serving traditional Greek cooking with a light modern twist since 1999. The wide menu runs from grilled octopus, lamb and shrimp saganaki to baked classics like pastitsio, with vegan options too, and a complimentary custard pastry to finish. Quirky cosy decor, live music some nights, generous portions and fair prices; book at weekends, because the room fills fast.

Karipi 28, Valaoritou district€€
Shared meze plates and tsipouro at Mezen in Ladadika, Thessaloniki

Mezedopoleio

Mezen

A spirited meze-and-tsipouro joint pouring in the Volos style, where each round of drinks brings another small plate to the table. The mood is loud, warm and convivial, exactly what an ouzeri should be. Come hungry, order broadly and let the kitchen lead.

Ladadika district, city centre€€
The double-height dining room of Extravaganza with its red neon sign and surreal artwork, near Valaoritou, Thessaloniki

Modern bistro

Extravaganza

A design-led modern bistro near the Valaoritou nightlife streets, set in a dramatic double-height room with a red neon sign, surreal artworks and a mezzanine. The kitchen turns out creative Mediterranean plates — beetroot carpaccio, handmade pasta and the like — at a relaxed all-day pace that slides into drinks after dark. As much about the striking space as the food.

Episkopou Amvrosiou 8, near Valaoritou€€
The modern industrial frontage of Marea Sea Spirit seafood restaurant lit up at night, Thessaloniki

Seafood and ouzo meze

Marea Sea Spirit

A sleek, modern seafood spot a short walk from the White Tower, built around impeccably fresh fish and a small raw bar. It reworks the Thessaloniki tradition of sea-meze with ouzo into something contemporary — oysters on ice, creative seafood plates and the daily catch, paired with ouzo, tsipouro and Greek wine.

Near the White Tower and the seafront, city centre€€€
The bougainvillea-draped terrace and blue sign of Atlantis Fish Restaurant in Nea Krini, Kalamaria, Thessaloniki

Seafood and fish taverna

Atlantis Fish Restaurant

A long-running fish taverna and grill on the Nea Krini side of Kalamaria, going since 1999, its bougainvillea-draped terrace a short walk from the little fishing harbour. The kitchen does the seaside classics properly — whole fish grilled to order, fried small fish, seafood meze and a well-made village salad — at fair prices for the neighbourhood. A short hop south of the centre and worth it for honest Thermaic Gulf seafood.

Atlantidos 19, Nea Krini, Kalamaria€€
A gyros cone roasting over charcoal at Ta Adelfia grill house near the Kapani market, Thessaloniki

Souvlaki and grill

Ta Adelfia

A busy grill house right by the Kapani market, turning out charcoal gyros, souvlaki and mixed grills at pace to a steady local crowd. It works equally as a quick takeaway — skewers and gyros wrapped in pita — or a sit-down meal in the plain, stone-walled room. Cheap, consistent and properly smoky, it's an easy market-side stop between the stalls.

Vasileos Irakleiou 37, Kapani market€€
Traditional taverna spread at Nea Folia in Ano Poli, Thessaloniki

Greek taverna

Nea Folia

A family-run taverna on the edge of Ano Poli, going since the 1960s and still cooking the dishes passed down through the generations. The menu runs to braised meats, cured kavourmas, seasonal greens and regional cheeses, all done without fuss. It is the kind of honest neighbourhood place worth the walk uphill.

Aristomenous 4, Ano Poli€€
Greek meze plates at To Elliniko taverna near the White Tower, Thessaloniki

Greek taverna

To Elliniko

A long-established taverna a short walk from the White Tower, serving the home-style Greek plates that anchor any first visit to the city. Think courgette fritters, stuffed vine leaves, saganaki and slow-marinated meats. Friendly and unfussy, it is an easy introduction to northern Greek cooking.

Stratigou Kallari 9, near the White Tower€€
The white-tablecloth dining room of Diagonios 1977, a classic souvlaki restaurant near the White Tower, Thessaloniki

Souvlaki, gyros and grill

Diagonios 1977

A Thessaloniki gyros institution going since 1977, a couple of blocks back from the White Tower. Unlike the takeaway counters, this is a proper sit-down psistaria — paper-and-tablecloth tables, ceiling fans and waiters — turning out charcoal pork gyros, kebab and mixed grills to a crowd that has come for generations. Honest portions, low prices and a slice of old Thessaloniki.

Plateia Fanarioton 2, near the White Tower€
A plate of charcoal-grilled whole fish at Psarotaverna O Giannis in Kalamaria, Thessaloniki

Seafood and fish taverna

Psarotaverna O Giannis

A third-generation family fish taverna in the seaside suburb of Kalamaria, the kind of unfussy psarotaverna locals drive out to for the real thing. The catch is whatever's fresh — grilled fish off the charcoal, mussels saganaki, octopus, prawns and fried small fish — with cold greens, ouzo and tsipouro to go round. It's a short hop from the centre and worth it for properly done Thermaic Gulf seafood.

Kountouriotou 25, Kalamaria€€
The vintage interior of Tsinari ouzeri in Ano Poli — yellow walls hung with old photographs, a checkerboard floor and gingham-clothed tables, Thessaloniki

Ouzeri and meze

Tsinari

One of the oldest surviving ouzeris in Thessaloniki, set in a pastel late-Ottoman house at the old Tsinari fountain in Ano Poli — the name comes from the plane tree (çınar) that once shaded the corner. It has traded on this corner since 1885, opening as an Ottoman-era café before becoming an ouzeri, and it survived the 1917 fire that levelled most of the lower city, and still serves classic meze with ouzo and tsipouro at gingham-clothed tables that spill onto the cobbles. The draw is as much the atmosphere — vintage photos, a checkerboard floor, the upper-town quiet — as the food.

Alexandrou Papadopoulou 72, Ano Poli€€
The storefront of Tsarouchas, the patsas (tripe soup) restaurant in central Thessaloniki, its sign reading ΕΣΤΙΑΤΟΡΙΟ ΠΑΤΣΑΣ

Patsas and traditional Greek

Tsarouchas

A Thessaloniki institution for patsas — the slow-simmered tripe soup that locals swear by as a winter warmer and a morning-after cure. Going for decades just off the market streets, Tsarouchas opens through the small hours and serves its famous soup (with the garlic-and-vinegar on the side) alongside honest magirefta and grills. It's plain, old-school and the real thing — the place to try a dish most visitors never order.

Olympou 78, city centre€€
The rustic brick-walled dining room of Stou Mitsou taverna in the Vlali market — vintage chairs, set tables and stacked firewood, Thessaloniki

Taverna and meze

Stou Mitsou

A bustling traditional taverna tucked right into the Vlali (Kapani) market, all exposed brick, vintage furniture and stacked firewood. The kitchen does honest, market-fresh Greek home cooking — meze like fava and wild greens, grilled fish, and slow-cooked dishes of the day — at fair prices, which keeps it packed with locals. Being in the middle of the market makes it an easy, atmospheric lunch between the stalls.

Vlali 11, in the Kapani market, city centre€€
A plate of chargrilled chicken souvlaki skewers with chips, pita and a yellow dip at Savvikos on Aristotelous Square, Thessaloniki

Greek grill and souvlaki

Savvikos

A perennially busy grill house right on Aristotelous Square, its sign billing it as a 'Great Greek Grill, est. 1947'. It turns out the Thessaloniki classics at pace — chargrilled chicken and pork souvlaki, gyros in pita, mixed grills and chips — to a constant stream of locals and visitors on the city's grandest square. With one of the highest review counts of any restaurant in town, it's a dependable, good-value stop rather than a quiet local secret.

Aristotelous Square 8, city centre€€
The colourful interior of Toixo Toixo with green rustic chairs and a red accent wall, Ano Poli, Thessaloniki

Mezedopoleio

Toixo Toixo

A relaxed mezedopoleio up towards Ano Poli, its colourful room built around a red accent wall, rustic green chairs and a bar that opens onto the street. The format is the familiar northern-Greek one — ouzo or tsipouro with a rolling spread of small plates and grills — in an easygoing, neighbourhood mood a little above the busy centre.

Stergiou Polidorou 1, Ano Poli€€
The white-tablecloth dining room of Gialos fish tavern with blue accent lighting, on the Kalamaria seafront, Thessaloniki

Seafood and fish tavern

Gialos Fish & Seafood Tavern

A big, buzzing fish tavern out on the Kalamaria seafront, set by the little harbour at Mikro Emvolo where the Thermaic Gulf opens up. It draws crowds for the simple things done well: whole fish off the grill, mussels and shellfish, fried small fish and cold meze, with ouzo and tsipouro to match. It's a short drive or bus ride south of the centre, and the sea-facing tables are the ones to book.

Mikro Emvolo, Kalamaria seafront€€
The lit night storefront of Kazaviti taverna in Ladadika, its cursive sign over the awning, Thessaloniki

Greek taverna and meze

Kazaviti

A warm, long-standing taverna on Katouni in Ladadika, its cursive sign a fixture on the cobbled strip. The kitchen keeps to honest Greek cooking — grilled meats, a well-dressed horiatiki, fried and baked meze — poured out with ouzo, tsipouro and beer at tables that spill onto the street. It's an easy, dependable choice in a part of town where the tourist traps sit right alongside the good ones.

Katouni 9, Ladadika€€
A spread of grilled meats and modern small plates on kraft placemats at Deka Trapezia, near the White Tower, Thessaloniki

Modern Greek meze

Deka Trapezia

A small, design-led spot near the White Tower whose name — 'ten tables' — is a fair warning about how quickly it fills. The kitchen sends out modern small plates built on good Greek produce: grilled meats, cured and raw bits, seasonal vegetables and a short, natural-leaning wine list. It's an intimate, contemporary take on the meze table, so booking is wise.

Stratigou Kallari 4, near the White Tower€€
A pergola-shaded seafront terrace with white-clothed tables looking over the Thermaic Gulf at Vrachos, Kalamaria, Thessaloniki

Seafood and fish taverna

Vrachos

A seafood taverna perched on the rocks — vrachos means 'rock' — on the Kalamaria seafront, where a pergola-shaded terrace looks straight out over the Thermaic Gulf. The kitchen keeps to the things a seaside psarotaverna does well: whole fish off the grill, grilled crayfish and shellfish, and cold meze, with ouzo and tsipouro to match. It's a drive or bus ride south of the centre, and the sea-facing tables are the ones to book.

Mikras Asias 2, Kalamaria seafront€€€
A green salad scattered with grated mizithra cheese and pomegranate seeds at Rodi & Meli, Thessaloniki

Greek restaurant

Rodi & Meli

A friendly estiatorio just back from Ladadika — its name means 'Pomegranate & Honey' — with pavement tables under a striped awning and a short chalkboard of grilled meats, grilled fish and fresh pasta. The cooking is honest and seasonal, plated with a little more care than the average taverna, and the location a step off the busy strip keeps it calmer than its neighbours. An easy, dependable lunch or dinner near the port.

Egiptou 5, near Ladadika€€
A garden terrace with a yellow parasol, distressed pastel chairs and lemon trees at Duck restaurant, Pilea, Thessaloniki

Creative Mediterranean

Duck

A polished all-day restaurant out in leafy Pilea, built around a pretty garden terrace of distressed pastel chairs, climbing greenery and lemon trees, with an open kitchen inside. The cooking is creative modern Mediterranean, plated with real ambition — right down to a torched-meringue dessert finished with gold leaf. A dressier, more contemporary option away from the centre, worth the trip east.

Chalkis 3, Pilea€€€
A plate of fried small fish with lemon and lettuce at Taverna Konaki, Ano Poli, Thessaloniki

Greek taverna

Taverna Konaki

A cosy traditional taverna up in Ano Poli near the acropolis walls, its wooden 'Konaki' sign over a warm room lined with old sepia photographs of Thessaloniki, copper jugs and gingham-striped tables. The cooking is honest, home-style Greek — fried small fish, grills, seasonal meze and slow-cooked plates — served without fuss to a mostly local crowd. Away from the centre and up the hill, it's the kind of unhurried neighbourhood spot worth the climb.

Akropoleos 20, Ano Poli€€
The cosy interior of Tompourlika hung with framed photographs above marble-topped tables, central Thessaloniki

Meze and rebetiko taverna

Tompourlika

A cosy central rebetadiko where the walls are layered with old framed photographs and the marble tables fill with sharing plates. The format is the classic one — a spread of meze with ouzo or tsipouro, sometimes to live rebetiko — in a warm, low-lit room a short walk from the Rotunda. It's the kind of unshowy neighbourhood spot that rewards ordering broadly and settling in.

Lordou Vironos 5, city centre€€
A shared spread of grilled octopus, fried mussels and fried courgette on Karnagio-branded plates, Ampelokipi, Thessaloniki

Seafood and fish taverna

Karnagio

A busy neighbourhood psarotaverna out in Ampelokipi, northwest of the centre, its blue-lettered sign a fixture on the corner and its pavement tables shaded by a plane tree. The kitchen keeps to what a fish taverna does well — whole fish off the grill with olive oil and lemon, fried seafood meze, grilled octopus and cold plates — all fairly priced and washed down with ouzo. It draws a steady local crowd rather than tourists, which is the point.

Akriton 15, Ampelokipi€€
The vine-shaded terrace of Igglis taverna with orange gingham tablecloths and bentwood chairs, upper Thessaloniki

Greek taverna

Igglis

A traditional taverna up towards the old town, its best tables set out on a vine-shaded terrace with orange gingham cloths and old bentwood chairs. The cooking is honest, home-style Greek — chargrilled meats, fava, seasonal plates — served without fuss under the leaves. Away from the busiest centre, it's a quietly pleasant spot for a long, shaded lunch.

Irodotou 32, upper old town€€
The high-ceilinged dining room of Nea Diagonios at dusk, tall windows looking over the Thermaic Gulf, Kalamaria, Thessaloniki

Ouzeri and grill

Nea Diagonios

A big, polished ouzeri-grill out in the seaside suburb of Kalamaria, with a high-ceilinged room whose tall windows look across the Thermaic Gulf. The kitchen works the northern-Greek repertoire — charcoal-grilled meats, a long parade of ouzo meze, seafood and mageirefta — and it stays busy enough (thousands of reviews) that booking helps at weekends. A short hop from the centre and worth it for a proper sit-down grill by the water.

Themistokli Sofouli 64Α, Kalamaria€€
Deli counter and dining area at Ergon Agora in central Thessaloniki

Greek deli and grill

Ergon Agora

Part gourmet market, part deli, part restaurant, all under one handsome roof just off Tsimiski. You can shop for Greek cheeses and cured meats, grab a coffee from the Taf-roasted specialty bar, or sit down for a full meal of regional produce. A polished modern showcase for the best of the Greek larder.

Pavlou Mela 42, city centre€€
Waterfront terrace of Kitchen Bar in a converted port warehouse, Thessaloniki

All-day international

Kitchen Bar

Set inside a converted port warehouse since 2003, this all-day restaurant and bar trades on one of the best waterfront positions in the city, looking back across the bay to the White Tower. The menu roams from brunch to seafood to Mediterranean and Asian plates. It is more about the setting and the buzz than fireworks on the plate.

Warehouse B, Port of Thessaloniki€€
The plant-filled covered courtyard of Ouzeri Aristotelous with marble bistro tables and green planters, central Thessaloniki

Ouzeri and meze

Ouzeri Aristotelous

A traditional ouzeri hidden off Aristotelous Square, its best room a plant-filled covered courtyard of marble bistro tables and old travel posters. The format is the classic one — ouzo and tsipouro with a rolling spread of seafood and cooked meze — a calm, old-Thessaloniki pocket a step away from the city's grandest square. Grilled octopus and the daily meze are the way in.

Aristotelous 8, city centre€€
The eclectic interior of Paparouna with a black-and-white checkerboard floor and a stocked bar, near Valaoritou, Thessaloniki

Creative Greek fusion

Paparouna

A long-running creative kitchen and cocktail spot in the Valaoritou quarter, its room a cheerful jumble of art, a black-and-white checkerboard floor and a well-stocked bar. The cooking plays Greek and Mediterranean ingredients into inventive plates — grilled prawns over fava, that sort of thing — paired with proper cocktails and a decent wine list. Lively and a touch bohemian, it fills up after dark.

Paggeou 4, near Valaoritou€€
The historic curved wooden bar of Panellinion under its high glazed roof, Ladadika, Thessaloniki

Mezedopoleio and all-day

Panellinion

One of the atmospheric survivors of old Ladadika, set in a handsome early-20th-century building with a sweeping wooden bar, high glazed roof and shelves of wine. It runs as an all-day café and mezedopoleio-restaurant — coffee and ouzo meze by turns — and has long been a landmark of the district's revival. The setting is as much the point as the plate: grilled octopus, meze and a glass of something local under the old rafters.

Salaminos 12, Ladadika€€
Charcoal-grilled pork skewers with hand-cut chips and salad on kraft paper at Tiganies kai Sxares, Ladadika, Thessaloniki

Greek grill and souvlaki

Tiganies kai Sxares

A big, reliably busy grill house on Katouni in the heart of Ladadika, its name — 'frying pans and grills' — telling you exactly what it does. Charcoal-grilled pork and chicken skewers, kebab and chops arrive with hand-cut chips and salad on paper-topped tables, cheap and generous. It trades on volume and consistency rather than being a quiet secret, and stays packed most nights.

Katouni 3, Ladadika€€
Outdoor tables of Full tou Meze on Katouni street in Ladadika, Thessaloniki

Mezedopoleio

Full tou Meze

One of the best-loved ouzeri-mezedopoleia in Ladadika, set right on the cobbled square with tables spilling outside. The format is the classic northern Greek one: a parade of small plates to share, washed down with ouzo or tsipouro. Generous portions and fair prices keep it packed with both locals and visitors.

Katouni 3, Ladadika€€
Battered fried cod fillets over chips on white paper at Bakaliarakia sto Limani, near the port, Thessaloniki

Fried cod and meze

Bakaliarakia sto Limani

A specialist that does one thing and does it properly — battered salt cod (bakaliaros), fried to order and heaped over crisp chips on paper-topped tables. Tucked just back from the port near Ladadika, it's cheap, cheerful and washed down with retsina or ouzo, the way Thessalonians have always eaten their fried cod. Come for the bakaliaros with skordalia; stay for the easy, no-frills mood.

Fasianou 1-2, near the port€
Pavement tables at Zythos taverna on Katouni street, Ladadika

Greek taverna

Zythos

A long-running, dependable taverna on Katouni street with a wide menu of Greek staples and an unusually good beer list for the city. The pavement tables under the old Ladadika facades are a fine place to settle in for an afternoon. It is busy and a touch touristy, but the kitchen stays consistent.

Katouni 5, Ladadika€€
The plant-filled covered courtyard of Elia Lemoni with a glass roof and marble tables, Thessaloniki

Modern Mediterranean

Elia Lemoni

An all-day restaurant on Botsari, southeast of the centre, built around a lovely plant-filled courtyard under a glass roof. The kitchen works modern Mediterranean and Greek plates from breakfast through to dinner, the sort of place that's as easy for a long coffee as a full meal. Its olive-and-lemon name sets the tone — bright, green and unhurried.

Markou Botsari 19, southeast of the centre€€
The elegant dining room of Tiffany's with a beaded chandelier and patterned floor, off Aristotelous Square, Thessaloniki

Italian and Mediterranean

Tiffany's

An elegant restaurant on the pedestrianised Iktinou dining street, a block off Aristotelous, with a striking room of beaded chandeliers, a patterned floor and a long wall of wine. The menu leans Italian within a broader Mediterranean range, and pavement tables under a striped awning make it as good for a long lunch as a dinner. A dressier option in the thick of the centre.

Iktinou 3, off Aristotelous Square€€

Streetfood

Snelle, smaakvolle hapjes van souvlaki en gyros tot koulouri, zoete en hartige bougatsa, en trigona.

An overhead spread of Middle Eastern trays at Laziza — sesame falafel, chicken and fries, fattoush salad, grilled halloumi and dips, Thessaloniki

Middle Eastern street food

Laziza

A pared-back Middle Eastern street-food window on Agias Sofias, all white tile and a yellow trim, dealing in the Levantine flavours the rest of the centre mostly skips — sesame-crusted falafel, spiced meats and chicken, fattoush, grilled halloumi and proper tahini and garlic sauces, in wraps or loaded trays. One of the highest-rated bites in the city, and deservedly busy at lunch.

Agias Sofias 58, city centre€
The wood-panelled storefront of Salento Wood Fired Street Food, its lit sign over a brick entrance, Thessaloniki

Wood-fired Italian street food

Salento

A tiny wood-fired street-food counter on Venizelou dealing in the flatbreads of Salento, the heel of Italy's boot — dough baked in a wood oven, then split and stuffed to order with slow-cooked fillings and pulled cheese. It has built one of the biggest followings of any place in the centre on the strength of doing one thing extremely well. Grab one hot in paper and eat it on the street.

Eleftheriou Venizelou 76, city centre€
Pork souvlaki skewers grilling over charcoal at Athinaikó Souvlaki, central Thessaloniki

Souvlaki and gyros

Athinaikó Souvlaki

A long-running souvlaki and gyros counter a couple of streets off Tsimiski, and one of the highest-rated in the city (4.8★ over 900+ reviews). Pork and chicken come straight off the charcoal — skewers and gyros wrapped in pita with the usual fixings — cheap, fast and consistently excellent. It draws a steady local queue rather than tourists, which is exactly the point.

Karolou Dil 23, city centre€
A Levantine spiced-meat wrap in paper on a pink napkin at Feyrouz, Thessaloniki

Levantine street food

Feyrouz

A small, much-loved Levantine street-food spot on the corner of Mitropoleos, dealing in Middle-Eastern flavours the rest of the centre doesn't — spiced-meat flatbread wraps, mezze and the like — eaten at a handful of window stools or taken away. Turquoise-framed and easy to miss, it has built a real following for doing one thing very well. Come off-peak, because the queue is part of the story.

Mitropoleos 125, city centre€
Custard bougatsa dusted with sugar at Bougatsa Bantis, Thessaloniki

Bougatsa and filo

Bougatsa Bantis

A family bougatsa shop running since 1969 and one of the last places still stretching its filo by hand every morning. The custard version, dusted with sugar and cinnamon, is the benchmark, though the cheese and minced-meat pies are just as good. Worth seeking out near the Roloi for breakfast done right.

Panagias Faneromenis 33, Ano Poli€
Two vegan gyros wraps in paper on a Handwich tray, filled with plant-based fillings and vegan tzatziki, Thessaloniki

Vegan street food

Handwich

A bright vegan street-food window on Egnatia doing something the rest of the fast-food strip doesn't — fully plant-based gyros and wraps that convincingly stand in for the real thing. Seitan and soy 'gyros' come folded into pita with vegan tzatziki, herbs and paprika-dusted chips, alongside loaded trays and skewers. One of the highest-rated quick bites in the centre, and a genuine find for vegans on the move.

Egnatia 112, city centre€
The red Bougatsa Giannis counter on Mitropoleos, Thessaloniki

Bougatsa and filo

Bougatsa Giannis

The legend of the small hours — a tiny counter on Mitropoleos that opens late at night and closes in the early afternoon, feeding clubbers, shift-workers and early risers. It's quick service and takeaway more than a sit-down: join the line of locals, grab a warm square in paper and eat it on the street. The bougatsa to rely on after midnight.

Mitropoleos 106, city centre€
The To Anoteron bougatsa shop on Agiou Dimitriou, Thessaloniki

Bougatsa and filo

To Anoteron

A family-run bougatsa shop on Agiou Dimitriou, going for over fifty years and quietly rated by many Thessalonians above the more famous names. Both the sweet semolina custard and the savoury pies are excellent, the prices rock-bottom, and the crowd is reliably local rather than touristy — always a good sign for a bougatsa shop.

Agiou Dimitriou 68, city centre€
The Serraikon bougatsa shop near Modiano Market, Thessaloniki

Bougatsa and filo

Serraikon

The oldest bougatsa name in the city — founded in 1952 and since franchised across Greece and beyond, but the central original a few steps from Modiano Market still turns out reliable bougatsa in cream, cheese, spinach, meat and even chocolate. The no-detour, traditional choice for a morning bougatsa with a Greek coffee.

Vasileos Irakleiou 35, near Modiano Market€
Charcoal-grilled souvlaki skewers at Derlicatessen, Thessaloniki

Souvlaki

Derlicatessen

The address Thessaloniki argues about when souvlaki comes up, famous for its trademark souvlouri, a souvlaki wrapped in a sesame koulouri instead of a pita. Skewers come off the charcoal smoky and well-seasoned, with the usual onion, tomato and tzatziki. Casual, quick and very local.

Off Tsimiski, near Agios Grigorios Palamas€
A grilled-vegetable and chips pita wrap on 22 Souvlakia branded paper, Aristotelous Square, Thessaloniki

Souvlaki and gyros

22 Souvlakia

The souvlaki counter right on Aristotelous Square, which makes it the easiest grab-and-go stop in the middle of the sightseeing. Pork and chicken gyros and skewers come wrapped in pita with the usual fixings, alongside a genuinely good grilled-vegetable pita for non-meat-eaters. It trades on convenience and consistency rather than being the city's very best skewer — but for a quick, cheap bite on the main square it does the job and stays busy.

Aristotelous Square 8, city centre€
Bougatsan croissant topped with fruit at Estrella, Thessaloniki

Brunch and street food

Estrella

The spot widely credited with kicking off Greece's brunch obsession, and the inventor of the bougatsan, a croissant filled with bougatsa custard and crowned with seasonal fruit. The menu spans fluffy pancakes, sweet and savoury plates and specialty coffee, served from morning to night. Cheerful, photogenic and almost always busy.

Pavlou Mela 48, city centre€€

Cafés

Historische cafés en terrassen aan het water voor Griekse koffie, freddo espresso, gebak en een rustige ochtend.

A Choureál cup of chocolate and vanilla cream topped with fresh strawberries and pistachio crumble, Thessaloniki

Choux pastry and profiterole

Choureál

A modern dessert destination devoted to choux pastry — profiteroles, éclairs and cream-filled choux lined up in a long glass case, served in a smart wood-panelled room a block back from the waterfront. It has built one of the biggest sweet-tooth followings in the city for its takes on the Greek profiterole, so expect a queue at peak times.

Paleon Patron Germanou 9, city centre€€
The sage-green minimalist storefront of Sortie specialty coffee shop, Thessaloniki

Specialty coffee

Sortie

A pared-back, design-led specialty coffee shop on Agiou Georgiou, with sage-green walls, a bench of wooden stools and a tight focus on the cup. Sortie roasts and brews its own beans, turning out precise espresso and filter for people who want the coffee itself to be the point. More a stand-and-sip stop than a lingering cafe — ideal between sights.

Agiou Georgiou 3, city centre€€
Pancakes with berry sauce, almonds and scoops of Aega's goat's-milk ice cream on a plate, Thessaloniki

Goat's-milk gelato

Aega

A genuinely different gelateria near Ladadika whose signature is artisanal ice cream churned from pure goat's milk — lighter and gently tangy, and behind a much-loved goat's-milk tiramisu among the rotating flavours. The Naousa-born shop also turns out sesame-crusted bougatsa filled with goat cheese or sweet goat-milk cream, waffles and pancakes, and goat-milk milkshakes. One of the highest-rated sweet stops in the city, and a short walk from the waterfront.

Navarchou Kountouriotou 19, by Ladadika€
The open storefront of Father Coffee & Vinyl with blue stools, Thessaloniki

Specialty coffee

Father Coffee & Vinyl

A small, characterful specialty coffee bar on Str. Kallari that pairs its own roasts with a wall of records. Father is the most personable of the city's third-wave spots — good flat whites and filter, vinyl spinning, and an easy, crate-digging vibe. A fine stop while wandering the central shopping streets.

Str. Kallari 9, city centre€€
Brew bar and coffee equipment at Roasters Kolektiva Lab in Thessaloniki

Specialty coffee

Roasters Kolektiva Lab

The brew bar and roastery of a local collective launched in 2018, where Thessaloniki's coffee crowd comes to taste rotating single origins prepared with real precision. Take-away, retail and coffee education all share the space, and the staff are happy to geek out over extraction and origin. The cup is firmly the point here.

Konstantinou Karamanli 44, Agios Ioannis€€
A flat white with rosetta latte art in The Blue Cup's signature blue cup, Thessaloniki

Specialty coffee

The Blue Cup

A specialty roastery and cafe in a restored Ladadika building, pouring single-origin coffees by espresso, pour-over and other handcrafted methods since 2013. The baristas take the brew seriously and will happily talk you through the day's beans, which you can also buy to take home. A calm, considered antidote to Greek frappe culture.

Salaminos 8, Ladadika€€
A custard-filled trigono panoramatos in its red Trigona Elenidis paper cone, held in hand, Thessaloniki

Patisserie

Trigona Elenidis

Thessaloniki's most famous trigona — crisp, syrup-glazed phyllo cones piped full of cool vanilla custard, the sweet that takes its name from the suburb of Panorama. The Elenidis name is the one locals reach for, and this central branch puts a tray of them a block from Aristotelous Square. Order one to eat on the spot and watch them fill it to order.

Iktinou 1, off Aristotelous Square€
A display case of colourful gelato flavours at Bombolo on Mitropoleos, Thessaloniki

Gelato

Bombolo

A bright gelateria on Mitropoleos turning out gelato made fresh on site to Italian recipes — fior di latte, pistachio and stracciatella alongside rotating seasonal flavours and sorbets. Cones and cups to take onto the street, plus waffles and a handful of stools inside. A dependable sweet stop in the heart of the centre, busiest on warm evenings.

Mitropoleos 88, city centre€
The bohemian corner building of Ypsilon café-bar in central Thessaloniki — columns layered with posters and street art, café tables out front

All-day café-bar

Ypsilon

One of Thessaloniki's best-loved all-day haunts, spread through a rambling old corner building on the western edge of the centre. It runs from morning coffee and brunch to late drinks, a bohemian, plant-filled warren of rooms — a bright double-height atrium, a courtyard, walls layered in posters and art — with regular DJ sets and events that draw the city's creative crowd. It gets deservedly busy: come early for a quiet coffee, later for the buzz.

Edessis 5, city centre€€
Tsoureki and pastries on display at Terkenlis on Aristotelous Square, Thessaloniki

Patisserie

Terkenlis

A Thessaloniki institution since 1948, the flagship patisserie sits on the corner of Tsimiski and Aristotelous Square. It is most famous for tsoureki, the soft brioche-like bread, including the chocolate-wrapped version that has become a citywide obsession. Grab a slice and a coffee and watch the square go by.

Tsimiski at Aristotelous Square€€
A slice of kazan dipi (caramelised milk pudding) on a Hatzis-branded plate, Thessaloniki

Patisserie

Hatzis

A Thessaloniki sweet-making institution since 1908, famous for Constantinopolitan (Politiko) sweets — kazan dipi, ekmek kataifi, baklava and excellent trigona. Its long-running central shop on Venizelou has closed; the family patisserie now trades from its branch out in the southeastern suburb of Kalamaria — a bus ride or short drive from the centre, but still the place to chase that older, sweeter, Istanbul-rooted Thessaloniki.

Themistokli Sofouli 73, Kalamaria€€
Candlelit tables with tarot-print cloths inside Kismet café-bar in Thessaloniki

All-day café-bar

Kismet

A small, offbeat all-day café-bar on Agiou Dimitriou with a mystic, bric-a-brac interior — tarot-print tablecloths, candlelit tables and vintage art behind a lime-green shopfront. Locals settle in over coffee by day and drinks after dark, and a few pavement tables catch the afternoon sun. It is more about the low-key, alternative mood than any single dish.

Agiou Dimitriou 78, city centre€

Brunch

Favorieten voor de late ochtend met bougatsa, eieren en freddo cappuccino in het stadscentrum.

Sweet and savoury brunch plates at Brunchsin on Mitropoleos street, Thessaloniki

All-day brunch

Brunchsin

A bright, brunch-focused cafe on Mitropoleos that does exactly what its name promises, with both sweet and savoury plates and reliably good coffee. Eggs, pancakes, sandwiches and bowls cover most morning cravings, served at an easy all-day pace. A handy, central stop between the seafront and the shops.

Mitropoleos 106, city centre€€
Vintage-styled interior with rugs and framed prints at The Caravan Cafe brunch spot in central Thessaloniki

Brunch & specialty coffee

The Caravan Cafe

An all-day brunch spot a step off Valaoritou, done out like a wander-in living room of mismatched vintage furniture, framed prints, patterned rugs and a projector wall. The kitchen turns out generous brunch plates — eggs, avocado toast on good sourdough, sweet and savoury spreads — alongside carefully made specialty coffee. It fills with a young local crowd well into the afternoon.

Vamvaka 3, near Valaoritou€€
Brunch tables of Canteen on Fanarioton Square, Thessaloniki

All-day brunch

Canteen

An all-day bar-restaurant on Fanarioton Square, a short stroll from the White Tower, that has long been a fixture of the city's brunch scene. Mornings run on good coffee and a wide brunch menu of international plates built on Mediterranean and local ingredients, before the room shifts into a busy evening spot. The fountain-side tables outside are the seats to angle for.

Dimitriou Gounari 7, city centre€€

Eten in Thessaloniki — Veelgestelde vragen

Waar staat Thessaloniki om bekend qua eten?+

Thessaloniki wordt algemeen beschouwd als de culinaire hoofdstad van Griekenland. De kenmerkende smaken zijn bougatsa (knapperige filo met griesmeelvla of kaas), trigona panoramatos (met siroop doordrenkte filohoorntjes gevuld met room), soutzoukakia (met komijn gekruide gehaktballetjes uit het Klein-Aziatische erfgoed van de stad), mosselen uit de Thermaïsche Golf, en lange tafels met mezedes weggespoeld met tsipouro of ouzo.

Welke wijk is het beste om uit eten te gaan?+

Ladadika, de gerestaureerde pakhuiswijk bij de haven, is de makkelijkste plek om tussen taverna's en mezedopoleia te dwalen. Het stadscentrum rond Aristotelous en de Modiano- en Kapani-markten zit vol opties, Ano Poli heeft eenvoudigere taverna's met uitzicht, en Valaoritou is de wijk voor het nachtleven.

Hoe duur is uit eten gaan in Thessaloniki?+

Het is merkbaar goedkoper dan Athene of de eilanden. Streetfood-basics zoals een koulouri, bougatsa of een gyros kosten maar een euro of twee, een gedeelde mezemaaltijd met tsipouro komt op ongeveer €15–25 per persoon, en zelfs de fine-diningplekken van de stad zijn bescheiden naar West-Europese maatstaven.

Moet ik een tafel reserveren?+

De meeste taverna's en mezedopoleia zijn zonder reservering, maar de populairste plekken — Mourga bijvoorbeeld — en elk restaurant op een vrijdag- of zaterdagavond raken snel vol, dus het is de moeite waard om vooruit te reserveren voor het diner in het hoogseizoen.

Is Thessaloniki goed voor vegetariërs?+

Ja. De mezetraditie is gebouwd op groentegerechten — dips als tzatziki en fava, gegrilde of gevulde paprika's, dolmades, gebakken kaas, bonen en seizoensgroenten — dus het is makkelijk om goed te eten zonder vlees in bijna elke taverna of ouzeri.

Verder graven: onze culinaire gidsen

Waar de locals eten, de ouzeri- en veganistische scene, de markten, en een zelfgeleide culinaire tour.

A pork gyros wrapped in pita with fries, tomato, onion and tzatziki — classic Thessaloniki street food
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A spread of Greek meze — dips, olives, pita and tsipouro — on a Thessaloniki table
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A meze spread of dolmades, tzatziki and fried potatoes on a Greek taverna table
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Stalls piled with olives, cheese and cured fish inside Thessaloniki's covered Kapani market
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A spread of traditional Greek dishes on a table in Thessaloniki
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Olive and produce stalls at the Kapani market in central Thessaloniki
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