18 Best Restaurants in Thessaloniki and Central Macedonia, Greece

With mouthwatering dishes inspired by cuisine from Asia Minor and Greece, and ingredients from both the land (seasonal vegetables and quality meats) and the sea (fresh shellfish and seafood), this is one of the top places in the area for a meal. The menu changes with the seasons, but luscious desserts such as the delicious profiteroles and homemade ice cream are a must-try year-round. Whether you visit during the hot months, when white tables with colorful mats are laid out along the pedestrianized Old Town street, or during winter, when tsipouro-sipping locals huddle over loaded platters, Ap’Allou can best be described as cozy, jovial, and a joy (with a gourmet twist) for the tastebuds.

In Thessaloniki's new thrust of innovative gastronomy, this hot spot is the tip of the spear. It is notable that chef/co-owner Manolis Papoutsaki served an apprenticeship at the three-Michelin-starred Frantzénin in Stockholm. As a result, dining here is a full throttle Greek degustation experience that blows away the constraints of tradition and will have you sampling Greek ingredients in a new and unexpected way. Expect to share five to six dishes between two people—the wait staff will gladly help you navigate the 25 plate menu, or alternatively splurge for the a la carte "Chef's Prayer" for a rapturous experience.

Self-taught and ever-evolving chef Andreas Gavris creates seasonal delights fit for the gods in his justifiably popular restaurant. Standouts include the melon soup with prawns and mint; bourani, a rich rice dish with nettles, wild mushrooms, and a Gruyère-like cheese from Crete; and black pig of Olympus stew and mountain lamb, cooked with mushroom and wheat puree. People travel from far and wide to enjoy Andreas' creations, which help make the superb location become even more enticing. Choose between the classic menu or five a-la-carte options including one vegan selection. The wine list has more than 500 labels on offer.

A successful cooperative venture that has been delighting locals with their delicious seafood and veggie innovations for a few years now. Apart from the regular table seating there is a stainless steel bar in front of the open kitchen where you can watch the chefs strut their stuff up close as you chow down. Every tantalizing dish is well thought out and is interestingly presented. Why not start with the cheeses, served with pickled fern and nettle, a myrtle jam and a sprinkling haroupi crumbs? Moving on, the black bean cassoulet with smoked swordfish and cod roe or the pan-fried crayfish finished with a garlic goat butter are outstanding. The wine list is decent, house wine fine but here the drink of choice seems to be raki.

Want sublime seafood pasta or risotto? Head to a place like this one, where the owner is a local fisherman and everything served is the catch of the day. Here the family cooks traditional village recipes and Macedonian specialties, such as melitzana horiatiki (an eggplant, tomato, feta, garlic, and olive oil salad). Try the catch of the day served head to tail. The owner's efforts have received gourmet awards for dishes like his lively tuna carpaccio, yet the place remains unpretentious and reasonably well priced for a seafood restaurant. They even produce their own olive oil, wine, and tsipouro. Don't confuse this modern, cream-hued restaurant with the snack bar with the same name up the road.

An alternative to the classic Greek taverna can be found at this boutique-style restaurant. Owner and chef Dimitri Doxakis harnesses his experience working in kitchens in England, France, and Switzerland to create a fusion of French, Italian, and Greek cuisine, with dishes like chicken leg crusted in Parmesan, beetroot risotto, and a signature salad with green apples, avocado, and a lemon-honey vinaigrette. For dessert, few can resist the chocolate croquettes and mandarin slices in a vanilla cream sauce. The seating area is a modern cubist design highlighted with purple and green wall lights.

Serving Thessaloniki's most well-known fish-and-chips since 1940, this is a classic hangout where you can get your fingers greasy as you dig into crispy fried cod and fresh-cut fries. Your fish-and-chips are always accompanied by pungent skordalia garlic dip and casually served on grease-proof paper. Drink it down with a glass of tsipouro on ice, and if you are still hungry, try the stuffed eggplant or shrimp and feta saganaki as well.

Excellent food and true Greek filoxenia (hospitality) await at the combination tourist shop, café, and three-meal-a-day restaurant. Recommended are the loukanika (sausages); rolled, spiced, and spit-roasted meat; and the excellent yemista (stuffed tomatoes and peppers) and papoutsakia (eggplant halves baked with cheese, spiced ground beef, and garlicy tomato sauce). If you want to try the specialty of the area, katsikaki sti souvla (roasted goat on a spit), order at least a day ahead. The krasi hima (house barrel wine) is locally produced, and the owners also serve homemade tsipouro (the Greek version of grappa) in a small carafe served with snacks.

In the style of an upscale diner, Mavro Provato ("Black Sheep") is located on the pedestrianized street of Kontogeorgaki, upon which you can dine alfresco. Top cuts of meat are aged in a dry-aging fridge, grilled to your liking, and are served on wooden platters. Meat aside their appetizing meze dishes impress visually with colorful sauces and interesting garnishes. The salads are crisp and the desserts rich. They stock a large and thoughtful selection of regional wines.

Diners at this side-street Thessaloniki institution rub shoulders with lawyers, students, out-of-towners, and workers from the Bezesteni market. Complete with an outside terrace, this family-run taverna sits opposite an old Turkish bath (loutra means "baths"). Try grilled koutsomoura (baby red mullets), grilled eggplant, mussels in rice pilaf, or smelt or shrimp sautéed in a casserole with cheese and peppers (saganaki). Do sample the owner's own retsina from the barrel and check if they have the exquisite kazan dipi, a marvelous flan with a slightly burned top, sweetened with a hint of rose water. For extra atmosphere, there's the bouzouki music every Friday and Saturday night.

This lovely, unpretentious little restaurant in the trendy Ladadika district has become a local favorite. Delightful Greek-Mediterranean dishes are tastefully presented to reflect the chef-owner's culinary stint in France. As one would expect, the menu, written in chalk on a blackboard at the front of house, varies according to what's been netted at the local food market. The grilled fish is succulent and well-seasoned, showing a delicate touch, and the seafood risotto with a tomato pesto is a staple that keeps people coming back again and again. The great prices ensure Omikron always stays busy, so it's always best to book a table in advance.

Low-key and extremely popular, this ouzeri in the art-grungy Bezesteni neighborhood has good food, great service, and a friendly atmosphere typified by Thessalonians relaxing over lunch or dinner. The fish soup is highly recommended, as is the braised monkfish and any of the hearty salads. Wash it all down with the distilled spirit made from grapes called tsipouro, and top it off with the dessert or fruit that is offered on the house.

Being one of the older restaurants in Kavala means that this establishment nets the freshest fish in town, so it comes as no suprise that most diners come for the ultra fresh seafood. Apart from the catch of the day why not try the seafood dishes like shrimp saganaki, lakerda (pickled fish), and sun-dried octopus grilled on charcoal. The seats out front are by far the most popular, with views of the water just across the street. Nevertheless, the authentic experience sometimes means achingly slow service, which frustrates many foreign tourists.

The food may be costly, because as the name (which means "the islands") hints, fish is king here. However, when you discover the quality, Ta Nissia doesn't seem overpriced thanks to the freshness of ingredients and artful preparations by owner-chef Yiannis Alexiou. You're in the city here, but the lightness and decor of this place may make you feel as if you've been transported to some Cycladic island. Dishes can be exquisite: taste sensations include squid stuffed with cheese and herbs, veal with smoked eggplant puree, and artichokes in saffron sauce. On the extensive wine list, check out the very pleasing house rosé

Ordering your meal at this establishment in the heart of the bustling Ladadika district is quite an experience. The waiters bring their own eccentric individuality to this often mundane ritual, and the menu is printed on a "newspaper" with photos from old Greek films and articles heralding the dishes you're about to munch on. The taverna itself is done up as a deli (as a matter of fact you can buy Greek charcuterie and cheeses), which gives a rough idea of the fare served. There is a wide array of cheeses, smoked meats, and fish (served either straight up or cooked in spicy sauces). It's food that goes great with a beer or an ice-filled glass of ouzo on a hot summer evening.

This casual, friendly place in the midst of busy Modiano Market is known for great garides (prawns), served in many different ways, and its humor: the name translates as "the meteoric step of the prawn." The locals also come time and again for the tamaras (white cod roe), butter beans with chestnut, and homemade dolmadakia (stuffed vine leaves). Order your ouzo and a selection of mezedes, and take in the bustle of market life.

This homey restaurant is known for its outstanding seafood—it's always fresh, artfully prepared, and surprisingly cheap. The grilled meats are good, too, as are the fresh bread and the dips—especially the kopanisti (the punchy spiced cheese dip) and the melitzanosalata (lovingly made from roasted eggplant and garlic). The fish soup in winter is also a specialty. Follow the signs 100 yards up from the main square and to the left around the corner.

A tree shades the terrace and blue, multipaned storefront of the Tsinari Ouzeri, the last remaining Turkish-style coffeehouse (opened in 1850) and the only one to have survived the fire of 1917. During the 1920s it became the social hub for the refugees from Asia Minor who lived here. Now a café and ouzeri (a bar where appetizers are sold), it is especially popular before siesta time (12–2 pm) and gets busy again after 9 pm. Have an ouzo and share delicious appetizers such as melitzanonsalata (pureed eggplant salad), octopus, or charcoal-grilled sardines.