Xanthopoulos is a traditional grill restaurant in Thessaloniki.
A Thessaloniki institution for grilled meats, Xanthopoulos on Ippokratous has been turning out pork chops, kokoretsi, and lamb skewers since the 1960s. The grill runs from noon through to midnight with no pretension and honest prices.
Address: Ippokratous 26, Thessaloniki
Nea Diagonios operates across the road from the original Diagonios, with a slightly larger room and the same Egnatia Street late-night format. Pork and chicken kalamaki, solid pita-wrapped gyros, and cold beer until early morning on weekends.
Mezen's never-ending relay of small seafood plates arriving until you stop them has made it one of the most imitated formats in Thessaloniki. The kokoretsi of snapper and the calamari carbonara are the dishes food writers cite.
Chef Manolis Papoutsakis's no-reservation meze room in Ladadika brings Cretan ingredients to a walk-in format. Ten tables, daily specials, and a loyal local following make it an essential stop on Stratigou Kallari Street.
Since 1967 Nea Folia near Ano Poli has served the old Thessaloniki dishes: kavourmas of Xanthi beef, smoked mackerel with samphire, soutzoukakia of buffalo mince. No English menu; the staff speak enough to guide a first-timer through the specials board.
Thessaloniki's oldest surviving ouzeri, trading in some form since 1865 near the Kapani market. Tsipouro, ouzo, and meze plates that have barely changed in a century. Order the marides (fried whitebait) and the htapodi (chargrilled octopus).
Canteen on Gounari has established itself as the go-to all-day room in the city centre with strong brunch trade, good coffee, and a menu that stretches from avocado toast to slow-cooked lamb. Outdoor tables suit the people-watching culture of the square.
