Restaurant Road Trips: Four Places Worth the Drive in Central Macedonia

The cornerstone of a basic Greek outing is a vacation spot restaurant. Mix that with a rustic drive and a fantastic decide of cultural locations alongside the best way – archaeological websites, Byzantine church buildings, wineries, and even a cave – and you’ve got a terrific time out, native model.

Listed here are 4 significantly cozy picks, excellent for a cold-weather outing.

Ekeimeros – Braises from the hearth 

One of many coziest eating places you would hope to search out, this gem is nestled in a meadow all by itself, removed from civilization. A conventional wood home stands alone, already promising with the inviting scent of wooden smoke rising from its chimney. The wood-paneled eating room, with polished rafters excessive above, is stuffed with flowers and fruit and greens and every little thing stunning. 

Hopefully you’ve arrived fairly hungry. Nestled within the fire, lined cast-iron pots have been slowly simmering for hours – because the earlier evening, actually. One holds wild boar, one other beef cheeks, a 3rd goat in tomatoes and wine to serve with hand–rolled pasta. There are extra. Additionally, there’s sarmadakia – stuffed cabbage rolls, Pontian-style. That is true household cooking at its best, with the proficient but humble Pelagia Margariti on the helm of the kitchen. Of Asia Minor heritage, she brings a wealthy legacy of flavors to the desk. Her husband, Pelagia Margariti, is answerable for the grill, bringing his personal Pontian roots into play. The recipes are handed down by their households, and people forged iron casseroles are his mom’s. Their youngsters – Maria (a professionally skilled chef), Kyriakos, Vagia, and Stavros – are all concerned, guaranteeing an particularly heat and private expertise.

Along with the slow-braised dishes within the fire, there’s a host of meats for the grill, equivalent to lamb chops and aged ribeye. There may be additionally tiganiá – pan-cooked pork sautéed in a wide range of savory sauces. And regardless of the emphasis on hearty meats, vegetarians will discover a lot right here: inventive salads with fruits and nuts, a wide range of creative cheese dishes, stuffed mushrooms, and different pleasures.

On the wine record are native alternatives together with wines from Ktima Kappa – a comparatively new winery began by a captivating couple. (We visited Ekeimeros whereas on a wine trip, and all of us actually loved them).

Ekeimeros is slightly below an hour from Thessaloniki. One other quarter-hour will deliver you to Vergina and the archaeological web site and museum of Ancient Aigai, which incorporates the tomb of Phillip II in situ, in addition to a spectacular new museum. It’s one of many best archaeological experiences in Greece.

Vergiotiko – Native beef in Little Jerusalem

Veria is often synonymous with peaches. The drive to Veria from Thessaloniki in springtime is a riot of blossoms. It’s additionally identified for revani, a syrupy semolina cake. However Veria also needs to be identified for beef; a lot of Greece’s wonderful beef is raised within the area. A few of it was raised by the household of Nikos Malliaras; the chef and host at Vergiotiko is aware of high quality beef.

There’s a wide range of primarily Greek-raised beef right here – Greek angus, Greek blonde, and Greek-raised imported breeds. The chef has a detailed relationship with the suppliers and shares the choicest cuts, that are then aged on web site. Those that like top-quality grilled meats, ready with ability, can be completely happy – these are extraordinarily flavorful meats. Additionally they have some splendidly fragrant slow-cooked dishes, like beef cheeks or osso buco with trahana. The elegant however primal eating room fits the menu completely; the charming restaurant is in a cave.

Veria’s 48 Byzantine and post-Byzantine church buildings have earned it the title “Little Jerusalem” – this was an essential religious heart from the eleventh–14th centuries. The town’s Christian heritage is far older – St Paul preached right here within the first century BCE – and a go to to the superb Byzantine Museum rounds out the theme. Earlier than leaving city, take pleasure in a espresso and a candy slice of revani on the promenade overlooking the fertile plains. 

Marigoula (Oenomageirio Marigoula) – Excessive-style gastronomy with conventional tastes 

This wine–ahead restaurant (an oenomageigio – “oeno” as in “oenophile” – is a spot the place they prepare dinner meals to accompany wine) superbly blends custom and creative up to date delicacies.

Chef and proprietor Sophoklis Iatzoglou grew up in his father’s very talked-about patisserie/cafe. Patrons there finally began asking for home-style dishes from his mom, Kyria Marigoula. Iatzoglou discovered at her facet and took over within the ‘90s, making meals that’s rooted in respect for conventional Greek tastes and wonderful native components. Alongside the best way, his travels impressed him to experiment, incorporating components that mirror a world sensibility, whereas staying true to Greek tastes and components. The platings are elegant, up to date, by no means overdone. There are seasonal dishes of the day, primarily based on artisanal merchandise such because the heritage Greek breed historical black pig, plus some favourite requirements. Half parts can be found, encouraging diners to discover all kinds of dishes. The dishes are unbelievable, the lighting pretty, the wine record very nice, and the antique-filled setting looks like an previous “kafeneio.” Regardless of the restaurant’s accolades, Iatzoglou stays humble, guaranteeing that visitors are handled to distinctive high quality and a genuinely welcoming expertise.

Marigoula is an hour from Thessaloniki. Ktima Gerovassiliou – with the superb Gerovassiliou Wine Museum – makes a wonderful cease on the best way. Ensure to soak up the very good sculpture assortment, that includes many items by notable Greek artists set among the many vines. Additionally en route is the archaeological web site of Historical Olynthos, about 25 minutes from the restaurant. For one thing even older, go to the just lately reopened Petralona Cave, a geological marvel and web site of Paleolithic-era discoveries. It’s roughly halfway between Ktima Gerovassiliou and Marigoula.

Fanós Mezedopoleio – Dwelling cooking, Asia Minor-style

There are two villages known as Fanós in northern Greece. The one which comes up on Google is the small, distant one within the Florina area. The Fanós that we’re referring to although is even smaller and extra distant – only a ten-minute drive from the border crossing for North Macedonia, or about 2 km because the crow flies. A really slender street, typically virtually abandoned after Axioupoli, ascends by a panorama of rolling hills resulting in this pocket-sized village, the place the comfy restaurant is straightforward to identify. A somba (a standard cast-iron wood-burning range) warms the trendy area, which balances rustic appeal with simply the correct quantity of fancy – previous wood tables, heirloom embroidered tablecloths, classic pictures and prints on the partitions, and good stemware. 

The sisters Yiota and Eftichia Papadopoulou run each Fanós mezedopoleia – this one of their village and the better-known department in Thessaloniki. Although the Thessaloniki location – run byEftichia – will get extra consideration, it’s effectively well worth the drive to their village for a style of meals that’s deeply rooted in custom. Right here, “back-to-the-roots” dishes are ready with grace and refinement. The culinary heritage of Asia Minor shines in dishes like tou giaourtlou, kebab in zesty tomato sauce and yogurt; gözleme, a fragile savoury pie; and hünkar beğendi, tender stewed beef served over smoky eggplant puree with a wealthy béchamel sauce, one of many delicacies’s signature dishes. The meals displays the flavors of Politiki Kouzina (the delicacies of Constantinople), the dishes of Smyrne, and different recipes that the households of Fanos, together with the sisters’ personal, introduced with them from Asia Minor. Whereas Yiota humbly credit her sister Eftichia, named after their grandmother and the household’s culinary inspiration, because the true chef of the household, it’s exhausting to think about a greater plate of hünkar beğendi than the one Yiota serves.

Fanós is simply over an hour’s drive north of Thessaloniki. Whereas within the space, don’t miss the Skra Waterfalls, about 15 km west of the village – take a scenic stroll alongside the wooded path by the lake earlier than having fun with lunch. Goumenissa, a captivating wine city, makes a wonderful detour on the best way there or again, including half an hour to the drive. There’s a fantastic plateia the place you’ll be able to take pleasure in a espresso beside the fountain, and there are additionally a number of wineries round Goumenissa to go to. Make sure to verify opening hours or, higher nonetheless, name prematurely to rearrange a tour and tasting. The native purple grape, Negoska, is almost distinctive to the realm.