Bantis Bougatsa is a street-food stop in Thessaloniki.
The city's best cream bougatsa eaten at the marble counter: fresh phyllo, cold pastry cream, cinnamon shaker, powdered sugar. Opens at 06:30. The only proper way to start a Thessaloniki morning.
Address: Panagias Faneromenis 33, Thessaloniki 546 27
Tragano on Dimitriou Gounari near Navarinou Square bakes some of the city's most reliable koulouri (sesame bread rings) on site. Crisp from the wood oven, soft inside, lightly salted, eaten standing on the way to work. The bakery also produces filled koulouri-bagels and a handful of pies for the breakfast queue.
Try: Koulouri Thessalonikis (sesame bread ring)
Since 1977 on Egnatia Street, Diagonios has served the city's most consistent souvlaki until 3am on weekends. Pork or chicken kalamaki, pita wraps, chips, tzatziki. The late-night anchor. Still no tables. Still no ceremony. Exactly as it should be.
Try: Pork souvlaki kalamaki
The trigona panoramatos is Thessaloniki's defining pastry: a crisp phyllo triangle filled to order with cold cream. Elenidis invented the format and still does it best. Order two; one is never enough at the hillside original in Panorama with views of the Gulf.
Try: Trigona panoramatos (cream phyllo triangle)
Stou Mitsou opened inside Kapani Market in February 2014 and quickly became a reference address for the city's refugee dishes: Smyrna-style soutzoukakia, meatballs with mustard leaves, monastery fish-liver, couscous with octopus. Eat at counter tables under dried peppers, garlic, and pumpkins; live rebetika nights some evenings.
Try: Soutzoukakia, traditional Macedonian meze
The Ariston counter near Aristotelous Square is the reference tyropita address in the city centre. The white-cheese pie comes in crisp thin pastry from the wood oven. The spinach-and-cheese version is equally respected. Buy and eat standing on the pedestrian street.
Try: Tyropita (cheese pie), spanakopita
The most consistent gyros counter in the city centre. Pork or chicken in soft pita with tomato, onion, tzatziki, and chips: the Thessaloniki formulation, which is correct. Eat at the counter or take to the square. Still open when the bars close.
Try: Gyros (pork or chicken in pita)
