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April 28, 2024
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Visiting Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece, is one of the best things to do in Northern Greece. If you are traveling to Thessaloniki as a vegan you shouldn’t be worried at all! Traditional Greek cuisine is among the vegan-friendliest in the world and there is certainly no shortage of delicious Greek restaurants in Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki also has some exclusively vegan and vegetarian restaurants that offer non-traditional Greek dishes. Without further ado, let’s dive into this vegan Thessaloniki guide!
Cute local restaurants in Ana Poli, Thessaloniki
Vegan food in Thessaloniki is not hard to find. Because Greek cuisine, in general, is very vegan-friendly, traveling as a vegan in Greece is a smooth experience pretty much everywhere you go.
Thessaloniki houses a number of excellent traditional Greek restaurants and you can go here if you want to dive deeper into the local cuisine and get a taste of the local flair. For an authentic experience, leave the city center for what it is and head to Ana Poli.
Ana Poli is the historic neighborhood of Thessaloniki and still boasts that old-time charm with colorful houses and cobblestone roads. You can find two great traditional restaurants here. Ticho Ticho is great to try different mezedes. Ouzeri Tsinari has a great vegan bean dish and of course also delicious vegan mezedes. Be sure to try the local wines and if you can handle it, the ouzo and tsipouro.
In the city center, vegan is becoming a buzzword and there are a few restaurants that cater specifically to vegans. While the scene is not as widespread yet as in Athens, Thessaloniki is a fun city to spend time in as a vegan. Here are our vegan Thessaloniki restaurant recommendations!
At the time of our visit, Thessaloniki only had three full-vegan restaurants that we were aware of. Looking at the great website Happy Cow now, it seems that another new vegan restaurant called Handwich has popped up after our trip to Thessaloniki. We didn’t review it, obviously, because it didn’t exist yet, but let us know how it is if you are trying out their sandwiches!
Mexican wraps @ Roots, Thessaloniki
Roots is a vegetarian restaurant in the city center of Thessaloniki. It is close to Aristotle square, Bey Hamam and Kapani Market so it’s a great option before or after some sightseeing. In our opinion, Roots can be considered the best restaurant for vegans in Thessaloniki.
They have an extensive menu full of deliciousness and, while they say they are a vegetarian restaurant, as far as we could see, everything on the menu is vegan or could easily be converted to a vegan version.
Appetisers we found on the menu were spinach pancakes with hummus, vegan taco’s, sushi and different kinds of salads. They also have a cool cocktail menu with our favorite being the traditional Aperol Spritz.
All the main courses on the menu looked equally fabulous so it was hard to pick. We can absolutely without a doubt recommend the schnitzel, mushroom risotto, tofu bok choy and the carbonara. They also have a beyond burger on the menu and vegan gyro which also looked incredibly tasty.
You will be the most surprised by their outstanding desserts. The ice cream brownie and the creme Catalana were both to die for. The brownie was a chocolate bomb perfectly balanced with the cream and the creme Catalana was even better than the real deal.
Aside from the amazing food Roots offers, the place itself is on a cozy little street corner where you can’t help but want to dive into the pillowed outside seating during summer. Service is also friendly and genuine.
Roots Thessaloniki: directions
Vegan Thessaloniki: Vegan bougiourdi @ Tarantula, Thessaloniki
Tarantula is an all-vegan restaurant offering vegan versions of traditional Greek dishes. They are located just steps away from the Rotunda and the Arch of Galerius so very easy to squeeze into your day doing some sightseeing around town.
On the menu, you can find a large array of mezedes like eggplant salad, vegan tzadziki and fava. Vegan cheese dishes are also on offer like vegan saganaki (fried feta), vegan bourgiourdi (a hot pot with feta, tomatoes and bell papers) and fried cheese balls. They also sell vegan sandwiches for a quick bite.
Tarantula is a nice place to visit during the evening. The limited seating space outside keeps the atmosphere intimate and the alternative vibe makes for a great night out amongst friends. Be sure to arrive in time. Since the seating space is limited the place tends to fill up quickly.
Tarantula Thessaloniki: directions
Vegan Thessaloniki: Vegan mushroom pasta
Rubiks is a health restaurant near the Thessaloniki history center and the white tower, a famous Greek landmark. It is vegan-friendly and all the vegan options are clearly indicated on the menu. You can come here for breakfast, lunch or diner, or just for a coffee because they make your desired drink on the menu with plant-based milk if requested.
Breakfast options are plenty like smoothie bowls, sweet and savory pancakes, avocado toast and granola. On offer for lunch or diner are vegan mushroom pasta, two kinds of buddha bowls and a bean burger. Breakfast options are available throughout the day so it’s the perfect place to wash away a hangover during the weekend!
Rubiks Thessaloniki: directions
Vegan Thessaloniki: Vegan cheese sandwich , OMG in SKG, Thessaloniki.
OMG in SKG is not really a restaurant but a vegan food kiosk offering vegan burgers and sandwiches. This is your best option if you fancy a quick bite.
The menu is 100% vegan and offers different kinds of vegan cheese and even vegan tuna to have on your sandwich. The cool thing about OMG in SKG is that you can have the mayo and chutney of your choice on your sandwich. They offer a wide array of mayonnaises and chutneys ranging from truffle mayo to wasabi mayo and mango chutney to fig chutney. All the mayos and chutney are also available in jars to buy and take home.
In front of OMG in SKG, the owners have put a few pillows on a stone wall, making it a bench for you to sit down and relax with your lunch.
OMG in SKG Thessaloniki: directions
Vegan Thessaloniki: vegan moussaka, Oval Bistronomy, Thessaloniki.
Oval bistronomy is a rather fancy restaurant next to the white tower and with a sea view. If you check out their website you can see that they want to cater to plant-based foodies and specifically design their menu to be vegan-friendly and tasty.
The vegan moussaka on the menu was savory and the vegan bechamel sauce was very yummy. This is the place to go if you want to taste a vegan version of the most widely known Greek dish. Other options on the menu include more vegan Greek dishes like Greek salad, dolmadakias and traditional Greek pie but also a quinoa salad, vegan sushi, vegan pasta and vegan burgers.
The only thing that bothered us a little bit here were the not so friendly waiters.
Oval Thessaloniki: directions
Vegan Thessaloniki: Vegan mushroom souvlaki Turkish style
Souvlakerias are the Greek versions of the Turkish doner kebab shops. Doner kebab was introduced in Greece by Turkish immigrants in the 1950s. Later on, the Greeks started to implement the same style of cooking using their own produce, resulting in tasty souvlaki, a wrapped sandwich filled with meat, salad, fries and tzatziki.
You can find these Greek street vendors throughout the streets of Thessaloniki and luckily most of them cater to vegans. The vegan options can include grilled mushrooms or a mix of grilled vegetables to replace the meat. Be sure to ask if they have vegan sauces!
If you want to skip looking for a souvlakeria that caters to vegans yourself, Porkitto is the souvlakeria we gave a try in Thessaloniki. On the menu, they offer falafel, grilled mushrooms and a vegetable burger as a substitute for the meat. You can take eggplant salad as a sauce.
You can find many falafel places in Thessaloniki and they will probably all be able to serve you as a vegan.If you don’t want to do much effort asking questions and just relax, your best choice is to go to the all-vegan falafel joint called Simply Falafel.
Simply falafel Thessaloniki: directions
Vegan Thessaloniki: traditional herb pie
You can find a lot of Greek bakeries in Thessaloniki offering vegan or “nistisimo” versions of traditional Greek pastries, bread and pies. “Nistisimo” means fasting food. Greeks have a lot of fasting days a year due to their Greek Orthodox fate. At those days, they can’t eat meat, dairy products and eggs which means a lot of products at bakeries are kind of vegan.
Terkenlis 1948 is the most famous bakery in Thessaloniki where you can buy “nistisimo” pastries, pies and bread like tsoureki. They also sell vegan ice cream and you can go there for breakfast on the sunny terrace.
Terkenlis 1948 Thessaloniki: directions
Don’t feel like going out after a day of sightseeing or maybe you just want to stay at your cute Airbnb enjoying a good wine you bought at the local market?
Wolt is the website to check out if you fancy vegan delivery in Thessaloniki. Rubiks, Terkenlis, Oval, Roots and Handwich sell food on Wolt and deliver really fast at your doorstep.
The most well-known supermarket in Thessaloniki is called Masoutis. You can find a lot of them all over Thessaloniki. They are usually open from 8AM to 9PM.
Here you can find all the things you need if you want to cook yourself on your travels to Thessaloniki. Different kinds of plant-based milk are for sale at Masoutis and they also sell vegan Ben&Jerry’s ice cream.
Kapani Market is the place to go in Thessaloniki if you’re in search of fresh produce like fruit, vegetables nuts and olives. Most people visiting Thessaloniki tend to go to Modiano Market because it’s more commercialized but the only differences with Kapani are higher prices and fancier-looking market stalls.
Kapani Market is open on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 8 AM to 3 PM and on Tuesday and Thursday from 8 AM to 8.30 PM. The market is closed on sunday.
Kapani Market Thessaloniki: directions
So, as you can see you won’t have trouble traveling around Thessaloniki as a vegan. Thessaloniki is a great city to visit with lots of charm and is one of the best things to do in Northern Greece.
If you have any remarks, questions, or tips, please let me know in the comments below!
ENJOY!
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Hi! I am Annelies and this is Travelers & Dreamers, a blog about conscious travel which means traveling in a more mindful way, with a positive impact on the world and yourself!
On this website, I cover different topics like slow travel, plant-based food guides, responsible travel, sustainable packing, eco-travel, and more!
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