Thessaloniki, which recently joined the UNESCO Network of Creative Cities of Gastronomy, never ceases to amaze us with its delicious eateries and creative cuisine, the walks in its historic centre among stalls jam-packed with colourful vegetables, fresh fish and produce, the cooking classes and the overall culinary innovation.
Acclaimed chefs, delicatessens and Greek products are highlighted this weekend at the Detrop Boutique exhibition, olive oil competitions, Greek bites events, thematic cheese and wine parlours are in full swing and we couldn’t be more excited.
Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki
13th km Thessaloniki – Peraia highway, +30 2310 401234
Our gastronomic quests, our guided tours and our acquaintance with producers and winemakers from all over Greece start from a pleasant, comfortable and enjoyable stay in a “green”, tranquil environment, offering luxurious spaces and high quality services, the Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki, which has now become well-known as a place that embodies knowledge and level of service, keeping the gastronomic bar consistently high.
Just half an hour away from the Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki, on the slopes of Epanomi lies the Gerovassiliou Estate (+30 23920 44567), where the homonymous quality and award-winning wines with the typical characteristics of the microclimate of the region are produced in the privately owned vineyard.
The Wine Museum‘s foundation and the implementation of various activities, such as guided tours, tastings, educational programmes, seminars, lectures, publications, theatre and music performances, all together contribute in the transmission of wine culture.
The Wine Museum, apart from the very large collection of over 2,600 corkscrews, rare and unique dating back to the 18th century, includes bottles, vases and objects related to the ancient Greek symposium, as well as a collection of viticulture, winemaking, barrel making and bottling tools. The proximity to the vineyards, the winery and the tasting rooms enhance, depending on the season, the visitor’s experience.
The collection of Vangelis and Sonia Gerovassiliou has been enriched with works of art (by Kostas Tsoklis, Kostas Varotsosos, Giannis Gaitis, Michalis Katzourakis, Giannis Moralis, Giorgos Zongolopoulos, Giorgos Lappas, Takis etc.) that you will see during your tour. Tours are guided ( except Tuesdays) and cover the vineyard, production, bottling, ageing and the Wine Museum. Their duration ranges from 45′-60′.
Regency Casino Thessaloniki
12th km Thessaloniki – Airport highway, +30 2310 491234
At Regency Casino Thessaloniki, April includes draws and lots of surprises, starting on Friday 1 April and Saturday 2 April. On these two days, at 01.30 am, two big car draws will take place, for a Renault Twingo and a Renault Captur respectively. Upon entering the casino, collect your raffle tickets and test your luck.
But the draws don’t stop there. They run daily throughout April with cash draws every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 21:30 & 23:30, and the Up & Go draw game every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 23:00 & 01:00, offering up to €5,000 cash per draw.
The Regency Casino Thessaloniki experience is enhanced by live music in the main hall, the delicious flavours of Alfredo’s Grand Dining and La Terrasse restaurants, with the former’s menu having been created by Hyatt Regency’s award-winning Executive Chef Apostolos Altanis, and the Cretan flavours of La Terrasse‘s buffet taking us back to our favourite island.
Enjoy your favourite cocktails in the stylish surroundings and comfortable sofas of Ian’s Bar (+30 2310 491234) at Regency Casino Thessaloniki. An unusual company will be waiting for you there, proposing impressive signature cocktails.
First up is Pag the Gangster, who, in true Al Capone style, offers a cool, slightly spicy highball cocktail. The flavours of Gosling’s black rum blend harmoniously with ginger beer, along with a veil of bergamot scent that comes in at the end to elevate our tasting experience.
Chanel the Chihuahua following the trends of the season created an “invisible” apple Martini, a cool long drink containing vodka, green apple and citrus flavours.
Horse the waiter, in stately style, serves a cocktail with a strong herbal character thanks to London dry gin, intense freshness from granny smith apples, agave nectar and bergamot aromas.
All these characters along with many others, inspired by the Prohibition era, can be found in the paintings that adorn Ian’s Bar, inviting us into their world with the flavours and aromas of their signature cocktails.
Vergina Theatro
12th km Thessaloniki – Airport highway, +30 2310 491291
Special performances and quality entertainment find a home at the Vergina Theatre, next to the Regency Casino Thessaloniki, and for April the stage is filled with passion by Konstantinos and Matthew Tsahouridis. Every Friday and Saturday, from April 1 and for six performances only, the two brothers present a unique musical ensemble that showcases the Pontian lyre, traditional folk music and the unlimited potential of both of them in an explosive musical performance, unfolding memories and taking us on a musical journey.
Haroupi
4, Doxis street, Ladadika, +30 6988 526262
Discover the authentic flavours and aromas of Crete through the dishes served daily at the Cretan restaurant “Haroupi”. Chef Manolis Papoutsakis has created a menu that is firmly rooted in traditional Cretan cuisine. “It’s a menu featuring mainly traditional dishes, but with a more modern take on Cretan cuisine, a more restaurant-like approach”, says Travel.gr chef Manolis Papoutsakis – one of the four chef ambassadors of the Thessaloniki Food Festival (the other three are Apostolos Altanis of the Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki, Sotiris Evangelou and Dimitris Tsananas).
In a contemporary, minimalist space with no folkloric elements, the Cretan flavours take central stage, made with products that come directly from the island. The delicious dishes are paired with excellent wines from Cretan vineyards, which are constantly being improved and modernized.
Ten tables
4, Stratigou Kallari street, +30 2310 251010
Ten Tables, which opened shortly before the first lockdown, is not your typical tavern. Nor is it a restaurant. It’s an interesting and flavourful “genre” in its own right. The dishes are very creative and unique, with influences from all cuisines – Italian, French, Asian – but “the heart of the restaurant belongs to Greek cuisine”, adds Papoutsakis. The menu is enriched with daily specials, while the season and the corresponding ingredients determine how it changes. The menu is by and large based on fresh fish and seafood.
Detrop Boutique – Artozyma/ Thessaloniki International Fair
The leading event of the food and beverage industry is finally here. The event will take place in the framework of the 30th Detrop Boutique International Fair, which opens its gates on Saturday 2 April at TIF-Helexpo.
Framed by a series of parallel tasting events, competitions and workshops, the Detrop boutique showcases all the innovations of the food and drink industry for three days.
The 30th Detrop Boutique, which takes place alongside the 10th International Exhibition ARTΟZYMA, a benchmark for the bakery and confectionery sector, aims to highlight the best delicatessen foods and products, in terms of quality and production methods, coming from Greek producers. It is addressed to professionals of traditional grocery stores, organic shops, delicatessens, liquor stores, bakeries, pastry shops, nut shops, cafés, restaurants and hotels, etc., promoting the gastronomic culture not only of Thessaloniki but also of the whole of Greece.
As part of the 30th Detrop boutique, ChefStories – the management, organization and implementation company of culinary events – organizes parallel gastronomy events, such as the Cheese n’ Wine themed parlour, highlighting different wine and spirits labels and the magic of the right combination of cheese and wine. It also organises GreekBites-themed events, where visitors will have the opportunity to participate in fun and educational tastings. Reservations are required for the Cheese n’ Wine events, which will be led by distinguished food experts and professional wine sommeliers.
In addition, two competitions will be held at this year’s Detrop Boutique 2022 – the International Olive Oil Trophy and the International Table Olive Trophy – while the Olive Oil Information Centre will operate at booth number 13 with olive and olive oil varieties on display, providing information on the olive production process, olive oil pressing and standardisation, etc.
The honoured Municipality of Pyrgos shares the same booth (13), highlighting the countless basic food products that the prefecture of Ilia produces, not only for the needs of the country but also as exportable products. Oil, wine, raisins, olives, cheese, pasta, tomatoes, citrus fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, meat and many standardized traditional products are among the representative products of the region.
Opening hours Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 April 10.00 – 20.00, Monday 4 April 10.00 – 18.00.
Eat + Walk
53, Mitropoleos street, +30 2310 278027, info@eatandwalk.gr
Smaragda Makri, who introduces herself to her foreign visitors as Esmeralda because, as she explains to Travel.gr, “I find this name easier to pronounce for my foreign friends”, gives tastings and cooking seminars to travellers from all over the world who visit Thessaloniki.
The Eat + Walk tastings, held in the centre of Thessaloniki, have a history of at least a decade and as Ms Makri says, it all started when a friend visited her at her cooking workshop, “Marmita”, which has been operating since 2006, and suggested this wonderful idea, namely the tasting walks in the centre of Thessaloniki for visitors of the city who are interested in getting to know its flavours and cuisine.
Two tastings take place in the centre of Thessaloniki with two corresponding walks. The first one is called “Short Walk and Tasting”, has a duration of two hours and covers a walk through the historic centre, the traditional markets of Vlali and Kapani, crossing peripherally the Modiano market, which is in feverish preparations for its reopening in a brand new European form, and then passing through Agios Minas and Valaoritou streets. During the tour, participants will taste Greek coffee, bougatsa, feta and kasseri cheese, pies, loukoumia (Turkish delights), spoon sweets, syrupy desserts, sour cherry juice and traditional fondant, always depending on the season and availability of products.
The second walk is called “Walk through tradition” and includes all the stops made during the “Short Walk and Tasting” and two additional stops, one for Thessaloniki soutzoukakia (meatballs in tomato sauce) and the second at an ouzo bar in the historic centre. This particular walk has a duration of approximately 3 ½ hours.
Another interesting walk has to do with wine tasting and is called “Greece by the glass”. It is an afternoon activity, lasting 2 ½ hours, with a stop at a wine cellar and a Greek cheese market. Participants are then directed to the Marmita’s cooking workshop, where they all set up a cheese platter along with Greek jams, chutneys, fresh and dried fruits and various types of bread and breadsticks accompanied by Greek wine.
Finally, “Learn to cook Greek” is a half-day activity in which everyone buys their ingredients from the markets of the historic centre of Thessaloniki and then starts cooking in the workshop. They cook traditional Thessaloniki recipes and then enjoy their creations with a glass of wine.
The tasting walks take place mainly on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
