Drinking and eating in Thessaloniki

We sat here, at the Port Museum Cafe twice, both times for our pre-dinner drinks. It was always packed out, and there were other times when we tried to sit here but could not find a table at the front. 

The views in the evenings were beautiful - many other people thought so too, as you can see from the photograph.

The whole of the seafront walk in front of us

Once every evening we would see the 'pirate' boat on its last journey of the evening while it was touring the bay. (You can read more about the pirate boat here )

Half an hour later, the other boat would sail in front of us.

The Kitchen Bar became our favourite in the evenings and we came here most nights. We also came here once during the day, after our exploration of Velos, the warship

We sat inside as there was no protection against the sun outside.

Wonderful views of the city, again

and it was a treat when the sailing boats appeared,

all lit up, the sea a golden colour.

We enjoyed sitting here in Coffee World in Katouni Square which is in the middle of the  Ladadika (about that more later). We had a good view of the square and it was quiet, so lovely. On our second evening here, the waitress doubled the quantity of my second glass of white wine. I was surprised, and thanked her. Half an hour later, she brought me another glass, on the house. I was very touched, thanked her profusely but said that if I drank it, I would not be able to walk to the taverna. We laughed. 

One morning we also sat here, Cafe Oino, which is next to the Rotunda for a cup of tea.

Lunch, if possible, if we were in the area, which we were most days, as it was right in the center, was in Alex Svolou Street. Wonderful street, very vibrant, full of University students. We ate at the Chryso Pagoni twice, and the food was very good.

But, our favourite was Yok Balik (this is their paper napkin by the way).

We always sat outside, which was wonderful, as this is a vibrant street and there was a lot to look at. 

It was always busy, outside

and inside.

Nicely decorated inside

with quirky drawings.

Like other traditional tavernas, there was a display of some of the food on offer, on heaters, so that you could go and look at what was on offer. This is a display of what we call 'cooked' stuff. But, there was a lot more on offer: grilled meats and fish, kebabs, soups, etc.

The thing about Yok Balik is that their food was exceptionally good. I got hooked on their moussaka, pastitsio and one of the green salads. I just could not get enough, and I always looked forward to going there. When we got back to Athens we went to Philippou which in my view does the best pastitsio I've had in Athens. Absolutely no comparison with the pastitsio at Yok Balik. It was a dream.

One day we also had lunch at Dia Tauta which is in the market area (were basically very tired after hours of walking and did not have the energy to walk all the way to Yok Balik). We liked it there, and decided to come one evening which resulted in the best evening of our time in Thessaloniki.

It was packed.

Literally behind our hotel was Agalitsas, which means 'our little cuddle'. We did not eat here, but it's the beginning of the Ladadika, the district which is full of bars, nightclubs, restaurants the pubs.

This is one of the clubs that was behind our hotel (across the road from Agalitsas) and whose music kept us awake until 5 in the morning. Actually, it was not just the music, but also people as they were leaving the clubs. Some nights we were forced to close the windows so that we could sleep. So, no more hotel Noa for us - we'll have to go and stay somewhere else next time we visit the city.

A two-minute walk and we would arrive at this square, the centre of the Ladadika. This was also our view when we sat at Coffee World for our pre-dinner drinks. The photograph was taken early in the evening and it's deceptive - three hours later and the place would be packed

like this - this is the square, from a different angle

The district of Ladadika is located near the port and for centuries it was one of the most important market places in the city. Its name came about from the many olive oil shops in the area. In the years before WWI it made up the red light district. In 1985 it was listed as a heritage site due to its 19th century buildings. Having undergone gentrification in the 1970s it now forms the entertainment, and particularly, dining district of the city.

It was packed at night. We did not have much choice as to where to eat - it depended on which place had a free table outside. 

A lot of places had live music

We ate here at Athivoli one evening

they specialise in Cretan food

and at Akron

We ate here at Marathos three times, not because the food or atmosphere were better than some of the other places, but because at the time we started looking for somewhere to eat, they had a free table

As I mentioned erlier, on our last night we came to Dia Tauta which is in the marketplace, and which was packed. This is the main restaurant and this is where we had lunch

for the evening meal, they also used the premises across the road, which were also packed

The food was good, the service very efficient, but what made the evening exceptional was the atmosphere:  there was a band,

and after a while, people got up and started dancing tranditional Greek dances

it was great fun.

Thessaloniki - Ano Poli

We left Eptapyrgio, eager to explore Ano Poli

Upper Town or Ano Poli is one of the most traditional areas of Thessaloniki. The area preserves much of the Byzantine and Ottoman era city design which was largely destroyed elsewhere in the city in the Great Fire of 1917. It is known for its small stone-paved streets, old squares, and old houses. It's the highest part of the city and is dominated by Eptapyrgio.  What remains of the old city walls still surround Ano Poli. It's a centre for the city's poets, intellectuals and bohemians.

We were ready for a sit-down and a cool drink, but unfortunately, this cafe which looked so inviting was closed on Mondays.

It was down hill all the way

Interesting tile mosaic on the side of one of the houses

Ano Poli is known for the interesting colours of the houses

We got to a square, and sat down for a cool drink

the square is dominated by this church

The square reminded me of a traditional Greek village, like Styra for instance. It was hard to believe that we were in a big city

I got up to have a look around the square, and in the taverna, they were roasting lamb on a spit. I had not seen that in years.

Next to the church in the square is this tiny one

Next to the square, the city walls. The city was fortified from its establishment in the late 4th century BC, but the present walls date from the early Byzantine period, ca. 390 and incorporate parts of an earlier, late 3rd century wall. They are 4 kilometer long. Large parts of the walls, including the entire seaward section were demolished by the Ottoman occupiers in the late 19th century.

We walked through the gate

The first truly traditional houses - their two main characteristics are the colours and the overhanging first floors

We walked along the wall

and stopped to admire the view

This cafe looked quite inviting

I went to have a look down this path

the wall behind me

and the whole city at my feet

all the way down

these gorgeous houses

and steps up leading to Eptapyrgio

Just look at that - absolutely gorgeous

and yet they're all so different

A hospital

Wow!

and another gorgeous one.

Then suddenly, we had left Ano Poli behind us, and had reached one of the large avenues that lead to the seafront.