Category Archives: Drink

CityZen Wine Bar

CityZen is an elegant wine bar that opened one year ago. Although new in town, it quickly became a favourite among wine lovers.

Featuring an extensive wine list which you can also enjoy by the glass, elegant atmosphere and music ranging from lounge to upbeat depending on the time, it is a stylish all day wine bar.

It’s central location and setting make it an ideal choice for winter.

CitiZen

The crowd is from mid 20’s up to much older but always classy and stylish. The older ones are actually mostly people who know how to have fun and you can find out for yourselves if there is a special occasion party. I’ve been there to such parties myself and all the crowd was dancing like pre-crisis times ! This is not the normal style of this bar though.

Overall it is a place to find Zen in the City, like it’s name suggests, and is actually one of the best suggestions to chill out with a coffee or drink after a day of work or shopping !

CityZen

Wine Bar

P.P.Germanou 12, 54622, Thessaloníki

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Fiali wines and spirits

fialiAs we are approaching the christmas season all we are thinking is food and drink …

The Food Festival has just started in the city so we have the chance to explore new tastes.

What we need now is some wine suggestions and here is Fiali to help us with that.

Fiali is the new wines and spirits shop that has just opened on the east part of the city, in the area of Kalamaria.

The owners George and Michael will give you their expert tips and advice and guide you in your selection of wine or other drinks.

They regularly offer in house wine tastings, currently every friday, so I suggest you follow them on Facebook or Twitter to stay updated with the latest news.

Besides the well known brands of wines and spirits, they specialize in finding and presenting to us unique, small winery options giving us the excuse to return to their shop for some more tasting !

Address : 68 Aegeou str, Kalamaria

Tel : 2310 40 20 75

Email : fiali@outlook.com

The Bar

The BarOne of my favourite bars all year long is The Bar in the White Tower area.  This bar last year celebrated its 10 years and I also celebrated 10 years of going there with my friends !

It is one of the few places I equally enjoy during summer and winter. and actually feels like home to me !  The decor itself is not the normal bar atmosphere but it has a unique colourful, ethnic mix style, which is exactly my style !  The stuff is very friendly and will always find you a place to sit even if it is fully crowded, which is a big plus if you go late on a Saturday night !

Since this October came with a cool attitude and temperature dropped very quickly … this is a great suggestion for one of your first indoors Friday night drinks.

If you are lucky, you might get the chance to see one of the live bands they house at some winter nights.  They have provided us with some excellent memories of good times !

The Bar
Bar
Nikiforou Foka 3

Near White Tower

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Dendrospito / Treehouse

DendrospitoThe new hot entry of the season in the area of summer chill out bars was no doubt Dendrospito !

Located in one of the few parks in the heart of the city, Dendrospito (which means Treehouse) was the perfect chill out spot this summer for many people who had little or no vacation at all !

While the weather is still good I suggest you go there and enjoy the last weekend of September, and maybe the last summer nights, since I don’t know if this place will exist in a new form during the winter…

As you can see in the daytime photo I took especially for this purpose, the place itself is almost all open space, fun and colourful ! It has a nice relaxed atmosphere and music, you can drink as well eat, very friendly stuff, and excellent prices.  What more do you need ?

Dendrospito / Treehouse

Lounge, Bar, and Restaurant
YMCA park – opposite Alexander the Great statue

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Zefxidos street

ZefxidosZefxidos Street is the most urban, and hip part of the city.  You will find it filled with young people all year long – except when it is really cold…

It is a small pedestrian street located between Pavlou Mela and Iktinou streets. It is filled with small coffee-bars full of people from the morning till late at night.

It is a favourite city spot for many reasons.  First of all, it has an ideal location where it is cool to sit outside in the summer but also not so windy and cold in the winter. Secondly, it is a car free zone. Thirdly, you can find people of all ages and styles, although the majority is young students.  Last, and maybe most important, the bars play music only on the inside, so sitting outside is cool and quiet and you can actually hear your friends talking, in contrast to the popular nightlife area of Valaoritou where when sitting outside you just listen to music from all the bars as one loud noise.

So I suggest you drop by Zefxidos street anytime of the day, and enjoy the last summer days of September and October.  My favourite time to go there is for morning weekend coffee, or early weekday evening drinks.

Boat Bars

Boat barDo you know that Thessaloniki has not one, not two, but three boat bars ?

There are three boats, that you will find sitting in front of the white tower where you can enjoy your drink while getting a mini cruise on the gulf of Thermaikos !

You get the chance to view the city from a totally different prospective, by the sea, and you might also get the chance to see some huge container ships up close !

Some people find the boat bars touristic and many locals wouldn’t be seen dead in there, but I actually like them a lot, and thankfully have some friends who like them too, so we regularly go there for a drink, even during the winter time if the weather is not very cold.

boatbarEach bar has a different music style so if you are particular about the soundtrack of your mini cruise choose the one you like best: rock, reggae or mainstream.  If you don’t care so much about the music, but want to enjoy the ride just hop on to the first available one to leave next.  There are tables with the times of departure just in front of the boats and also people there who will tell you which one leaves next.

My favourite time to go there is in the evening but it is also great during sunset or on a sunny winter sunday morning !

Entrance is free, and you only pay for your drink.

P.S. If you are lucky enough to get caught by rain during the cruise there is no way to escape it – you just get wet !

Le Coq tail mix bar

coqtailSeptember is one of the best months in the city of Thessaloniki.  Besides the many events during the month, the weather is ideal to enjoy all the open spaces and terraces with a view.  For a cocktail drink or coffee with a view, a great suggestion is Le Coq tail mix bar.  Here you will enjoy the last summer days and first fall evenings with great cocktails and drinks, while making your plans for the new season.

Le Coq tail mix bar is a cafe bar in Ano Poli with a view you will not forget. It offers a great selection of cocktails which you can enjoy on the open terrace overlooking the city.

The place is also ideal for a quick coffee break while strolling around the narrow streets of Ano Poli.  Don’t delay ! Plan your visit there while the weather is good and you can enjoy they terrace views !

Le Coq tail
Cocktail Bar and Café
Ohi Avenue 2, Ágios Pávlos

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Tapas Bar

A great way to start the week is with a tapas fiesta at Tapas Bar.

A tapas fiesta is a selection of tapas dishes for 1 ( yes one ) euro each ! Tapas fiesta is every Monday at Tapas Bar Ladadika.  Besides the Monday fiesta they have a regular menu with tapas, paellas and more, and they also offer daily lunch menus with 6 euros !

Tapas Bar is located at Ladadika among many other restaurants. It is unique in style and taste as it has nothing to do with the rest traditional greek food places. It was recently renovated and now features a central bar so it is a nice option for an evening drink as well !

There is another Tapas bar a bit northern so you can visit anyone or both depending on where you are !

My favourite of course is the one in Ladadika which is located just opposite my office, and is a regular lunch break place for me !

Tapas Bar
Tapas Restaurant and Spanish Restaurant
Katouni 4

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Efimerida

EfimeridaEfimerida means newspaper.  This is the name of a new all day cafe bar that opened recently in the city of Thessaloniki, in the White Tower area.  It is an urban city style coffee bar with a double entrance between two streets.

If is ideal for a coffee break, relaxed drink and also a quick bite. Nice crowd, good prices, friendly service.

If you sit outside, like I did today, this is the street view in front of you.

Haven’t been there late at night but if you do, rumours say you might have some water thrown on you from the balconies above !! So better sit inside at night !

Efimerida

Café
Filikis Eterias 7

White Tower

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Ladadika

LadadikaThis is an old style neighbourhood in the centre of Thessaloniki.  Located between the port and the Valaoritou nightlife area, this colourful place is filled with nice restaurants and bars.

The name Ladadika comes from the old market of trading oil that this place was originally known for.   As you walk through the narrow streets and alleys, you will feel like you take a walk in the past!

This is a neighbourhood which is alive 24 hours per day. In the morning you will see the business people walking around, as it is an area next to the port with many banks and business offices around.  My office is also located here so if you are in the neighbourhood send me a message to meet !

LadadikaFrom lunchtime onwards people start filling the places to eat, drink and dance till the next morning.  You will find many famous places to eat here like Zythos, Paparouna, Panelinion, Bakaliarakia tou Aristou, Full tou Meze, Tapas Bar and many more.  Detailed posts on these and more will follow in time…

Have in mind that after 14.00 the restaurants start getting busy, so if you are there on a weekend avoid going around 15.00 as it is the busiest time.  Local musicians appear out of nowhere – don’t be surprised when you see them next to you!

This area is an excellent choice for lunch, dinner, coffee or drink, and is one of the first places to go for a real taste of Thessaloniki.