Drinking and eating in Poros

There are some lovely bars and tavernas in Poros, and we had some good meals, as well as extensive views of the sea and the boats while doing so. It was great.

We stopped here for a drink on our first day. I had fresh melon juice which was absolutely delicious.

We sat outside in the blessed shade, with views of the sea

but the inside was nice too.

On our last day we checked out of our hotel at 11:00 and walked around town for a bit. But it was too hot for too much walking, so we sat here and had a cooling soft drink while waiting for the time for our ferry to depart.

Our view was the sea and this square where the cafe is situated.

Last time we were in Poros (10 years ago) we had breakfast in this place in the square. So we did the same on our first day, as we really liked sitting here. It was the worst breakfast I have ever had.

Such a shame as we loved sitting here

So, the next day we went next door, Serenita, 

where the breakfast was delicious: green tea and Greek yogurt with fresh fruit, homemade granola and Greek honey for me.  So, this is what we did for the rest of our stay.

Same square, same view, so we were pleased.

Serenita is a restaurant and we did want to come and eat here one evening, but did not manage it.

For lunch we went to the taverna by the beach. We did this twice.

The food was good, and it was very quiet. But, we do go swimming early and go for lunch early. I am sure that by 3:00 it would have been much busier. 

I like what they've done with driftwood.

We also had lunch at Geia Mas. It's right by where the ferries come in and it's always packed. For some unfathomable reason I did not take any photographs, which is a shame, because I liked the place and the food was excellent. They do the best fava with caramelised onions, as well as lots of other delicious dishes. We had lunch there twice.

Back to this square for our pre-dinner drinks, but this time we would sit by the sea, at one of the tables at the front in this picture

close to the boats that are moored here

watching people as they were working on the boats, or just relaxing.

A lot of people would walk by so it was great for people watching.

The people who had hired this boat are very anti-social, they discarded the two mattresses and pillow, right on the narrow walkway - just rubbish thrown out in the middle of a very neat and tidy quay

and as they came back from town, they would leave their shoes by the boat. Everyone else left their shoes on the boat, so as not inconvenience passers by, but these people were so selfish and anti-social. It really made me very angry.

This little boy was fishing for hours. At one point he caught a fish. His father, who was sitting behind us, immediately got up, took the fish off the hook and threw it in the water. The boy was so upset but made an effort to hide his tears. I thought what the father did was cruel. He might have been right about throwing the fish back in the water, but he should have explained all of this to the boy before they came out. Throwing the fish in the water like that was very cruel and unnecessary.

And then the sun would set and slowly, it would start getting darker, and the waiters in Serenita next door would set the tables

and more people would start arriving

And it would be time for us to get up, go for a walk and then choose a taverna for our evening meal.

Apagio was by far the best place. The food is traditional Greek but with a nouvelle cuisine twist.

I had beetroot with skordalia (garlic dip) and pear puree

and a savoury cheesecake made with a base of local rusk bread, the cream of a variety of Greek cheeses and tomato jam on top.  Both were delicious.

It was packed. My sister was in Poros a month before us and they went to Apagio as well, as it was recommended by a friend of hers who lives there most of the year.

Taverna Platanos was indifferent in every sense of the word

but busy.

We went to Oasis one evening. It's a huge place, and it's always heaving. We wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

And yeah, it's a good place. Good food, efficient service.

We also went to Nautis, the Sailor, for old times' sake, as we used to go there a lot during our last visit to the island. Again, good food, good service.

They did this thing, where every half hour, the music would get really loud, playing rebetika, and three members of staff would do a traditional dance for 10 minutes.

On our last evening we managed to get to the ice-cream place that always had queues outside before it closed at 11:00. And, yes, the ice-cream is delicious and I understand why people queue for it.

We sat on a bench, looked at the boats and the Peloponnese across the water, and ate our ice cream.

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.