Palia Athina is a greek taverna restaurant in Centre, Thessaloniki.
Palia Athina is the reliable large-format taverna for group dinners in the city centre: generous portions of grilled meats, village salads, and barrels of house wine. The place locals bring out-of-town family for a loud Sunday lunch.
Signature dishes: Grilled meats, Meze for groups
Address: Proxenou Koromila 37, Thessaloniki
Directly across from the original Diagonios on Egnatia, Nea Diagonios runs the same late-night kalamaki and gyros format until 3am on weekends. Slightly larger than Diagonios, same quality and price.
Signature: Kalamakia, Gyros pita
A bright, relaxed seafood spot in the city centre, Akti Ntovil draws a loyal local crowd for fresh fish plates and unpretentious meze at prices noticeably gentler than most Thessaloniki seafood tables.
Signature: Fresh daily fish, Seafood meze
Directly across from the original Diagonios on Egnatia, Nea Diagonios runs the same late-night kalamaki and gyros format until 3am on weekends. Slightly larger than Diagonios, same quality and price.
Signature: Kalamakia, Gyros pita
Set on a cobbled Ano Poli street, Rouga is known for its fairy-light courtyard, circus-figure decor, and the Greek custom of complimentary ouzo and homemade desserts at the end of every meal. The kitchen covers the full range of classic mezedes.
Signature: Traditional Greek meze, Complimentary ouzo and dessert
A bright, relaxed seafood spot in the city centre, Akti Ntovil draws a loyal local crowd for fresh fish plates and unpretentious meze at prices noticeably gentler than most Thessaloniki seafood tables.
Signature: Fresh daily fish, Seafood meze
Olympos Naoussa reopened in 2022 after thirty years in a 1926 building on Nikis Avenue. Chef Dimitris Tasioulas leads a modern Greek menu that earned an FNL Best Restaurant Award star in 2025. Book ahead.
Signature: Chargrilled shrimps with pastrami, Mount Athos cod with fennel
Founded in 1926 as a harbour kafeneio, Mavri Thalassa now operates one of Thessaloniki's most serious seafood tables in Kalamaria. The wine list reaches 300 labels and the dining room fills on weeknights with local professionals.
Signature: Seasonal whole fish, Seafood meze selection
Chef Giannis Loukakis writes the menu each morning based on what the organic market and fishers deliver. The glass-fronted narrow hall and open kitchen have made Mourga one of the most talked-about seafood tables in northern Greece.
Signature: Daily handwritten catch, Crayfish with goat garlic butter
