15 Best Restaurants in Thessaloniki & Best Tavernas to Try

Thessaloniki eats like it means it. The markets spill into the streets, the seafront tosses you toward long lunches, and the city’s kitchens keep arguing, sweetly, about the best restaurants in Thessaloniki and the best tavernas in Thessaloniki. If you’re plotting where to eat in thessaloniki, start here: seafood sanctuaries, old-soul meze rooms, and modern plates that wink at tradition while pouring another glass. This is a walkable, delicious argument — and by the end you’ll have your own list of the best restaurants in Thessaloniki.

Use this guide like a hungry local would. We’ll move from Ladadika to the Old Port and out to Kalamaria; we’ll name names and give you the details so where to eat in thessaloniki stops being a question and starts being a plan. Along the way, you’ll bump into standards that define the best tavernas in Thessaloniki and a few wildcards that still deserve a seat among the best restaurants in Thessaloniki.

Best Restaurants in Thessaloniki — Map It Out

1) Mavri Thalassa (Kalamaria – Nea Krini)

• Perfect For: Milestone seafood, sunsets, cellared Greek whites

• Price Range: €€€–€€€€

• Cuisine: Greek seafood

• Tripadvisor Rating: 4.3/5

• Website: mavri-thalassa.gr

The city’s salt-polished institution feels both classic and current: raw fish that tastes like clean surf, whole grilled catches snapping under the fork, and a wine book that flatters the bay. If a friend asked where to eat in thessaloniki, you’d send them here for the benchmark; polished service and honest cooking keep it calm even when the room hums. You can linger from daylight into blue hour and still want one more plate of taramas; there’s an elegant, old-soul ease that makes this one of the best restaurants in Thessaloniki.

2) Mourga (Roman Agora – Downtown)

• Perfect For: Market-fresh seafood, natural-leaning wines, chalkboard menus

• Price Range: €€–€€€

• Cuisine: Seasonal Greek seafood & veg

• Tripadvisor Rating: 3.9/5

A slim, lively room where the menu changes with the tide: quick-seared fish, bright veg, and unfussy ideas that taste like “today.” Staff leans conversational, the wines lean savory, and the cooking leans into immediacy; if you’re weighing where to eat in thessaloniki with minimal fuss and maximal flavor, this is an easy yes. The plates speak first, the city’s rhythm follows, and the brevity of the menu only sharpens the case for Mourga as one of the best restaurants in Thessaloniki.

3) Extravaganza (Vardaris / Stoa Ptolemaion)

• Perfect For: Modern Greek, clever cocktails, date-night glow

• Price Range: €€–€€€

• Cuisine: Modern Greek

• Tripadvisor Rating: 4.5/5

• Website: facebook.com/3xtravaganza

Grandma’s memories, new tricks: Extravaganza flips tradition into crisp, witty plates without losing the thread. It’s intimate, a little theatrical, and built for sharing — the sort of room where a bottle opens and conversation follows. The kitchen’s light touch and seasonal pivots make it one of the best restaurants in Thessaloniki, a spot that proves playful and serious can share the same table.

4) Charoupi (Ladadika)

• Perfect For: Cretan flavors, raki rounds, long tables

• Price Range: €€–€€€

• Cuisine: Cretan Greek

• Tripadvisor Rating: 4.5/5

• Website: xaroupi.gr

Herbs, cheeses, and greens run the show — Crete by way of Ladadika — and the result is hearty and bright at once. Dakos and apaki pull you in; stews keep you seated; raki keeps you friendly. This is where the island heart meets city chat, and where the generous spirit that fuels the best tavernas in Thessaloniki gets a modern, respectful polish. Big flavors, easy warmth, and cooking that earns Charoupi a place among the best restaurants in Thessaloniki.

5) To Elliniko (City Center)

• Perfect For: Meze feasts, families, friendly chaos

• Price Range: €€

• Cuisine: Greek meze & grill

• Tripadvisor Rating: 4.3/5

• Website: toelliniko.com

Part deli, part reunion: plates fly, grills smoke, and tables fill with bright, familiar things done right. When friends ask where to eat in thessaloniki fast and well, this is your cheerful answer. Price-to-pleasure is high, the crowd is mixed, and the meze spread proves why people keep nominating this address for the best tavernas in Thessaloniki conversation — and, yes, for the best restaurants in Thessaloniki list.

6) Loupino (Ladadika)

• Perfect For: Mixed grill & fish, lively groups, late evenings

• Price Range: €€–€€€

• Cuisine: Greek & Mediterranean

• Tripadvisor Rating: 4.7/5

• Website: loupino.gr

Fire-kissed meats, bright salads, well-picked bottles — and that Ladadika buzz that makes meals feel like parties. It’s polished but still grounded, threading the taverna soul that defines the best tavernas in Thessaloniki through a more modern room. Service moves like a dance, the menu is built to share, and the consistency earns Loupino its seat among the best restaurants in Thessaloniki.

7) ERGON Agora East (Pylaia – Airport Road)

• Perfect For: Brunch-to-dinner, deli shopping, bringing flavors home

• Price Range: €€–€€€

• Cuisine: Modern Greek market-restaurant

• Tripadvisor Rating: 2.7/5

• Website: ergonfoods.com/ergon-agora-east

Part grocer, part all-day kitchen, ERGON is an easy waypoint when where to eat in thessaloniki intersects with “let’s browse for picnic supplies.” You’ll graze, you’ll shop, and you’ll end up plotting breakfast tomorrow; the plates skew produce-first, the shelves tempt, and the whole concept makes a strong, modern case for belonging on any list of the best restaurants in Thessaloniki.

8) Ouzeri Tsinari (Ano Poli – Upper Town)

• Perfect For: Old-world meze, lazy afternoons, views

• Price Range: €–€€

• Cuisine: Classic ouzeri / taverna

• Tripadvisor Rating: 4.0/5

Up the cobbles, history at the door, sardines and beans and ouzo at the table — Tsinari is the taverna mood in a single frame. It’s unfussy, generous, and exactly why the best tavernas in Thessaloniki debate is fun; you come for marinated little things and stay because time softens. The spirit is ageless, the prices kind, and the welcome warm enough to keep it in the best restaurants in Thessaloniki conversation.

9) 7 Thalasses (Center – Kalapothaki Street)

• Perfect For: Upscale seafood, celebratory nights, polished service

• Price Range: €€€–€€€€

• Cuisine: Seafood & Mediterranean

• Tripadvisor Rating: 4.2/5

• Website: 7thalasses.eu

Downtown on Kalapothaki, this sleek seafood room glides from raw to sauced with quiet confidence; think crudos, clean grilling, and a cellar that swims far and wide. If where to eat in thessaloniki tonight means “by the sea, but chic,” book here. It’s the sort of place that charms celebratory tables and still feels intimate — very much one of the best restaurants in Thessaloniki.

10) Clochard (Center – Komninon & Mitropoleos)

• Perfect For: White-tablecloth classics, deep cellar, grown-up occasions

• Price Range: €€€–€€€€

• Cuisine: Contemporary urban Greek with French notes

• Tripadvisor Rating: 4.6/5

• Website: clochard.gr

Suave service, seasonal precision, and a 400-label book: Clochard is where Thessaloniki dresses up. Sauces carry memory, mains land exactly, and desserts finish with a wink. It’s timeless without being stuffy, a proper city dining room that keeps earning its reputation as one of the best restaurants in Thessaloniki.

11) Kitchen Bar (Old Port – Warehouse B)

• Perfect For: Harbor views, all-day grazing, mixed groups

• Price Range: €€

• Cuisine: International & Mediterranean all-day

• Tripadvisor Rating: 3.7/5

• Website: kitchenbar.s2o.gr

Right on the water, this big, breezy spot is as much postcard as restaurant — coffee into brunch into sunsets. The crowd is a mosaic, the menu broad, and the view does heavy lifting when where to eat in thessaloniki must also answer “with a view.” Come for the easy vibe and leave with a plan to return; it’s a popular fixture among the best restaurants in Thessaloniki for visitors and locals alike.

12) Grada Nuevo (City Center – Kalapothaki)

• Perfect For: Seafood finesse, oysters, an elegant night out

• Price Range: €€€

• Cuisine: Seafood-leaning Mediterranean

• Tripadvisor Rating: 4.5/5

• Website: gradanuevo.gr

Crudos, shellfish, and delicately sauced fish make the case for candlelit seafood in the center; staff guides pairings with calm authority. If where to eat in thessaloniki includes “oysters and a nice bottle,” this is the move. The room glows, the plates whisper, and the polish comfortably places Grada Nuevo among the best restaurants in Thessaloniki.

13) Frutti di Mare (Louloudadika – Komninon)

• Perfect For: Casual fish feasts, late dinners, friends sharing

• Price Range: €€

• Cuisine: Greek seafood

• Tripadvisor Rating: 4.5/5

• Website: fruttidimare.gr

Cheerful and sea-forward, this downtown favorite serves frying-pan comforts and bright pastas alongside solid grills; order a table-covering spread and take your time. Prices are friendly, service is swift, and the everyday joy of eating fish with friends earns it a reliable place among the best restaurants in Thessaloniki.

14) Nea Diagonios (Kalamaria – Sofouli)

• Perfect For: Legendary gyros, seaside strolls, locals’ favorite

• Price Range: €€

• Cuisine: Greek grill house

• Tripadvisor Rating: 4.7/5

• Website: neadiagonios.gr

Crisp pork, juicy soutzoukakia, and the scent of charcoal drifting out to the seaside walkway. It’s straightforward, delicious, and exactly why people argue happily about the best tavernas in Thessaloniki. The lines move, the prices stay kind, and the plates always land hot — this is pure comfort, and firmly one of the best restaurants in Thessaloniki.

15) Nea Folia (Center – Aristomenous)

• Perfect For: Seasonal meze with ideas, wine with friends, neighborhood charm

• Price Range: €€

• Cuisine: Greek meze & seasonal plates

• Tripadvisor Rating: 4.3/5

A locals’ staple with handwritten menus, changing specials, and a relaxed, friendly rhythm. Nea Folia blends a creative edge with the warmth of a neighborhood joint, serving vegetable-led plates and smart wine pairings. If you want where to eat in thessaloniki with both invention and comfort, this is a fine answer. Its easy grace keeps it in the circle of the best restaurants in Thessaloniki.

Deciding Where to Eat in Thessaloniki — and Finding the Best Tavernas in Thessaloniki

When ties happen — and they will — choose by mood. For seafood temples with ceremony, book Mavri Thalassa or 7 Thalasses; for downtown polish with a cellar, Clochard; for modern sparkle, Extravaganza; for market-fresh minimalism, Mourga; for oysters and finesse, Grada Nuevo; for casual, lively fish, Frutti di Mare. If your night leans toward the spirit of the best tavernas in Thessaloniki, slide into Charoupi, To Elliniko, Loupino, Ouzeri Tsinari, or Nea Diagonios.

Still wondering where to eat in thessaloniki tomorrow? Pair one classic with one newcomer, or one seafood shrine with one meze hangout — that mix is how you discover your own keep-forever set of the best restaurants in Thessaloniki.

Frequently Asked Questions about the best Restaurants in Thessaloniki