Ouzeri Adalakis
Kratasou & Hapsa 1, tel. 2310 544844
Known as a “nut-case,” Sotiris Adalakis is a bit of a cult figure… if he doesn’t open the door, don’t take it personally– he might be taking a off day and cooking for just a few friends. A true character with his very own “instruction manual,” it is best you ignore the menu and let him choose one for you.
You will soon discover, with the very first bite you take, that he is indeed as talented as he is eccentric. Don’t be offended by the lack of attention to décor: Adalakis considers looks to be superficial.
Clean and exquisitely tasty, Adalaki’s cuisine is based on simple recipes, exactitude with perfection. Grilled aubergines with parsley, oil and vinegar, squid filled with spinach and herbs and flavored with lemon, sea bass fillet rolled into fresh cannelloni with tomato and mint, streaming sea bream cheeks with leeks, sole fish with lemon sauce and parsley and cheese tip are only a few of the great dishes that will land on your table.
The wine list is impressive as well. But unfortunately the adjective cannot be applied to the service, which falls into the same category as décor.
Brasserie Bistrot AGIOLI
Aristotelous Square 9, Thessaloniki, tel 2310 262888
In the lobby of the well known “Electra Palace” on Aristotelous Square, George Kostoglou brings us the “best food in town,” according to locals. Agioli offers fresh and new cuisine with playful spirit, welcoming you in black and white, with garlic-shaped lighting, a variety of chairs set around large tables, vintage lemon squeezers serving as ashtrays, and baking tins playing the role of bread baskets. All this will feed the eye’s appetite.
As for satisfying the palate, Asteris Koustoudis, a “pupil” of famous Chef Sotiris Evaggelou from the “Makedonian Palace,” will handle the situation with Mediterranean flair. Even the humblest of the eatery’s dishes, like “bougiourdi,” or mashed yellow split peas grilled with olives, reflect the good spirits of the chef. The soggy risotto with vegetables makes the best impression. Regardless of whether you choose fish or grilled meat for the main course, keep in mind that homemade stews are a must. Try the roasted rooster with risotto and butter made from Cretan sheep’s milk.
As for the wine at Agioli: you can browse the selection yourself in the area of the restaurant where the owner stores bottles. There are more than 100 Greek wine labels and ten different choices for wine by the glass.
To round off the meal, try the refreshing orange cream, an established first choice, although it is also impossible to resist tasting the ice cream at Gelato Fresco of Agioli. All sorts of interesting flavors, like the superb cucumber and feta ice-cream, are prepared under the guidance of two Italian ice cream chefs.
Fish Tavern Mavri Thalassa (BLACK SEA)
Anatolikis Thrakis 63, K. Toumba, tel. 2310 932542
This is a simple, Greek style restaurant that’s free of flashiness and can be easily missed on the road of Anatolikis Thrakis. Without a view to the sea, without public relations, without design and atmosphere, and in a place where you least expect it, Mavri Thalassa in Toumba is the best place for fish in Thessaloniki. You will meet a lot of enthusiastic amateur fishermen who will reassure you that there exists no better place to eat fish than at Mavri Thalassa.
Sparkling clean, the place offers excellent service that is hard to find elsewhere. Alekos Tokidis will happily open the refrigerator drawers to show you the catch of the day, but before you decide what you would like to order, it is wise to ask his opinion.
This is a taverna with no deep freezer, offering only fresh fish and a unique way of grilling, which you will certainly appreciate if you order half a red snapper on charcoal. The grilled oysters with lemon is also exquisite, as is the authentic Greek salad, and fresh calamari. But be sure to taste the chef-owner’s specialty: delicious rock fish.
You will meet a lot of enthusiastic amateur fishermen who will reassure you that there exists no better place to eat fish than at Mavri Thalassa. The list of wine and other alcohol is extensive, including everything that suits the menu.
NTORE – ZYTHOS
Tsirogianni 7, White Tower, tel. 2310 279010
In the shadow of the White Tower of Thessaloniki, this restaurant carries a name full of tradition and history, as well as a plethora of classic flavors and tastes. Together with the antique scales, the majestic columns, and the authentic historical signposts, the ghosts of of great personalities, such as Eleftherios Venizelos, Melina Merkouri, and Hatzidakis, linger on …
Today, in a cinematographic scene from an era long past, a gastronomic party takes place everyday in the afternoon and evening, leaving the luck of finding a free table to chance.
The service, however, is spontaneous and friendly. Young waiters race up and down trying to tend to the needs of regulars and new customers.
Even if you are used to the tastes and flavors, it is impossible to resist the following dishes: chef’s salad with white wine sauce, walnuts and fried eggs, meat balls with fresh tomato, eggs, rye bread and matured graviera cheese, hot peppers filled with cheese, spicy grilled oblong meatballs called soutzoukakia speciality of “Zythos” made with lamb and carrying a slight taste of garlic and cumin, Byzantine chicken with pomegranate gravy, Moroccan salad with chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh onion and olive oil with lemon, Tunisian aubergines with fresh tomato sauce on toasted bread and yogurt sauce, lamb souvlaki with yogurt and pita bread, a great variety of “interesting” sausages and a menu based on seasonal ingredients that one should not miss.
The wine list is as extensive, and a number of fine beers are also available. The meal is made complete with an amazingly “correct” chocolate soufflé in the winter or summer, served with delicious homemade ice cream.
Grill House Diagonios
Stratigou Kallari tel. 2310 26 0958
An old-time classic. Without any premeditated effort to reproduce the old Greek grill house atmosphere, Diagonios is the oldest place in town and continues to grill the best soutzoukakia, or spicy oblong meatballs, with a secret recipe that the chef and staff hold close.
Tavern environment and “ready to go” waiters, who resemble members of an orchestra just about to burst out singing and who will never fail to greet you cheerfully as you pass through the crowded tables on the pavement.
No need to check the menu. One, two, three (or as many as you wish) “soutzoukakia” portions, mustard, French fries, and Greek or rocket salad is all you need. In the winter, there may be a choice of boiled vegetables – and your palate is ready for take off. Pilots on this journey are the members of Aggelos Hantaki’s team who carry on a long tradition, both with the secret recipe and also in their respect for the customer.
Ermis
Rogoti 4, tel. 2310270783
Located in a most distinguished part of town, where there is still an air of the good old bourgeoisie, outside the Saoul Stoa and facing Rogoti road, Ermis is a sophisticated choice for either lunch or dinner.
The old floor tiles, the stairs leading up, the fridge that looks like a display cabinet for the delicacies, brassware resembling ornaments: all of these touches recreate the atmosphere of a fine 1950s dinning room.
Apart from its superb dish of smashed yellow split peas, Ermis also specializes in all sorts of Greek mezedes, experimenting successfully with European influences. Polite service accentuates the old fashioned atmosphere, and a wine list reminds you that this is not just any old place…
Among the customers, you will meet intellectuals and journalists, famous faces from town: glance swiftly at their tables and order what they are eating – they are regulars … and they should know!
