The second part of my Thessaloniki blog post series is all about one of my favourite things in the world – food – and boy do the Greeks know how to eat! During our #BlogTrotterGR trip we got to try so many amazing traditional Greek foods and even explore Thessaloniki’s famous food market with a walking tour across the city; I was in my element and so was my tummy!
On our second day we had a whole morning walking around Kapani Market with our Thessaloniki Walking Tours guide who showed us all the market stalls that had been here for years and years – some dating way back to the 1920’s! There was fresh fish, fruit, cheeses, breads and of course, a lot of Ouzo!
Once again I was blown away at just how friendly the residents of Thessaloniki were and how proud they are of their city. Business as usual with the streets full of eager shoppers and delectable fresh treats from the sellers stands. With the market buzzing I couldn’t help but smile as we wandered the streets stopping to talk to store owners and try some of Kapani Market’s treats!
My absolute favourite Greek sweet treat is the honey sesame seed bars – they’re incredible, I can’t get enough! But the fresh nuts, olives and bread were just as delicious and my taste buds were very happy indeed for the whole two hours of our gastronomy tour!
Don’t mind if I do!
Something I was very surprised at was the quality of the Greek wine we tasted throughout our trip…and there was a lot of it! As bit of a wine buff back home I hadn’t come across many Greek grapes before but both the reds and whites we sampled incredibly quaffable with soft flavours on the nose and palette.
It was so lovely to meet the locals on Kapani Market – individuals and families who had been there for so long selling their goods and thriving off fresh and wholesome food. One seller we spoke to started off selling Watermelons when he was just a teenager and now, over thirty years on, he’s the go to place for the best ouzo, Greek delicacies and merchandise in the whole of Thessaloniki – if that’s not inspirational I don’t know what is.
Palati
On the evening of our first night in Thessaloniki we visited Palati, a humble restaurant in the fountain square for a whole feast of Greek Meze and yep, you guessed it, more wine! No-one does Tzatziki like Greece and we just had to order more and more of the stuff to go with our freshly baked breads – I honestly could have eaten it all night long. With fresh Greek salads and olives – along with some cold glasses of Mythos and Greek white we were one happy group of bloggers!
With courses that never seemed to end we tasted our way through beef dishes, chicken pots, friend courgettes (THE best thing ever), lamb kofta, moussaka and even more nibbles – it was the best Greek food I’ve ever tasted and I didn’t want to leave! If you’re in Thessaloniki then definitely hunt this place out, it’s really quite fantastic.
Rouga
On our last evening we were able to find our way around the city for dinner so myself and a group of others went walking and stumbled across one of the most beautiful streets in the whole of Thessaloniki – Karipi. With bird-cages hanging from the sky and a cobbled floor it was like something out of a movie and we knew we’d found the perfect place!
We chose to eat at Rouga an adorable little Greek restaurant with smiling staff and tables outside free for us all to sit and people watch in the warm Thessaloniki air. We ordered Greek salads, bread, Tzatziki (of course!), olives and enough wine to sink a battleship along with fresh seafood, fried cheeses (oh my goodness wow) and the best kofta i’ve ever tasted! The food was traditional, packed full of flavour and quite simply delicious and even though it won’t win any prizes for presentation when you take that first bite you won’t care one bit. Our hosts brought out Greek Yoghurt with fruit and a shot of ouzo to round off our meal and we each walked away having paid just 13euros each for our dinner – an absolute steal for such incredible food and a heart-flutteringly cute location. What a gem of a find!
Don’t forget to check out my vlog from our Gastronomy Walking Tour and a peek at our last day on Halkidiki beach!
Thessaloniki is Greek food at it’s best, made by caring locals who love their food and their city which really shows. For any foodie couple Thessaloniki is a fantastic spot for a weekend break, just walk through the streets and you’ll find a plethora of restaurants with incredible food just waiting to be tasted ; I’ll be dreaming of that kofta for weeks to come!
Intrigued by Thessaloniki? Take a look at my last blog post from our #BlogTrottersGR trip discovering the history of the city!
Have you been to Greece? What’s your favourite Greek food?
Tweet me @xameliax or leave me a comment below! #BlogTrottersGR
xax