Eating and drinking in Halkidiki
To experience a culture, it is advisable that you get in touch with the local people, try the food & listen the music.
'Eating Greek' can't be found in regional dishes only. It is more than a food intake. Eating Greek is also a lifestyle, a philosophy and a way of dining. It is a culinary journey. Basically dining Greek is a social event, based on sharing various tasty dishes and having a great time together. Try it.
Same philosophy counts for having a coffee. Life in Greece happens outdoor. If the people in Greece meet for a coffee it's basically more about gather with friends
than drinking a caffeinated beverage.
Nightlife: It's a well known fact that Greeks know how to celebrate. Beside 1000 different types of traditional dances, Greek music provides very good rock, dance, independent and many more. 'Going out' usually start in a bar and lead into a club or a Bouzoukia,a typical location with Greek livemusic. Hospitality always comes first, so don't be surprised about the various snacks, served with every drink you order. Party nights in Greece often end in 'Soup-Kitchens'; restaurants, open all night and ready to feed the party people before going home. The next day feels a bit healthier if you had something to eat after you were drinking and before you went to bed.
Annotation: No - Syrtaki is not Greek. It was invented for the movie 'Zorbas'. Also it's far from typical to order Ouzo in a Greek Bar. This is a drink which perfectly fits for dishes in Meze-Restaurants.
Recommended: Eat fish or seafood in a fish-restaurant. Eat meat in a traditional restaurant focused on grilled meat, eat cooked food in a restaurant specialized on cooked food and Gyros in a Gyros-shop. It’s totally okay to order Pizza in an Italian Restaurant but select the restaurant on its specialization.
Halkidiki-Greece presents a selection of various restaurants in the area of Kassandra. The fishing-boats you see here at night provide the seafood for many of the local restaurants on the coast. The villages in the mountains offer specialties on the grill and from the skewer.
Insider: During full moon is recommended to refrain from ordering small fishes species in restaurants. The reason can be explained in the fisherman’s way of hunting. During night the fishermen lure fish swarms with the lamps on the boat into the nets. It makes no makes to use this tactic during a bright moon nights, since the entire environment is brightly illuminated. For this reason, almost no fishing boat is leaving the port during this phase. Consequently it is possible that the small fishes which are offered to you are not very fresh. In this period it is advisable to focus on seafood and larger fish varieties.
Recommended Bars and Restaurants in Kassandra, Halkidiki
| Kassandria - Siviri | |
Giagiaka Cafe Diner Location: Siviri Beach Promenade |
Diamantis Fish Restaurant Location: Siviri Beach Promenade |
| Fourka & Fourka Beach | |
Takis Fish-Restaurant Location: Central Square of Fourka Beach | |
| Kalandra - Posidi | |
Christoforos Fish-Restaurant Location: Beach Promenade of Posidi | |
| Agia Paraskevi - Loutra | |
Tarsanas Restaurant Location: Direcly on the beach of Loutra |
Kapetanios Restaurant Location: On the central road in Loutra |
| Afytos | |
Rementzo Location: Liosi Beach | |
Fortuna Bar Location: Afytos Cliff Promenade |
Bogiata Location: Afytos Central Church Square |
| Kallithea | |
Taverna Elena Location: Near Center of Kallithea |
Ahoy Club Location: Club-area near Kallithea |
| Nea Fokaia | |
Thokos Location: Near the Tower of Nea Fokea | |
| Hanioti | |
Fresh Restaurant Location: Centrally in Hanioti | |
The Food Lexicon
or
'what you find on a Greek menu'
Classic Mezedes
Dolmadakia – Meze – Vine leaves stuffed with rice, dill, parsley, olive oil and lemon
Cheese Mezedes
Bugiurndi - very regional Cheese dish. In Halkidiki prepared in the oven with Feta red pepper, hot pepper & tomato. In other areas in addition with 1-2 other types of cheese
Grilled Feta - often prepared with hot pepper tomato & olive oil
Saganaki kefaloturi, hard cheese. Often served fried
Mpatso saganaki - half hard cheese, mainly served fried
Salads
Farmers Salad also known as ‘Greek Salad’ – tomatoes, cucumber, olives, peppers, onions, Feta, olive oil and oregano
Αγγοροντομάτα - Tomato-Cucumber salad with tomatoes, cucumber, omions, parsley & olive oil
Μαρούλι-Ρόκα - Lettuce-Rocket salad with tomatoes, balsamic vinegar & extra olive oil
Τονοσαλάτα - Tuna salad with lettuce, rocket, samphire, tuna, mayonnaise & fresh onions
Κρίταμα - Samphire salad, tomatoes, olives, garlic, vinegar & olive oil
Plain Fare Dishes
Gemista – Stuffed, oven baked vegetables – tomatoes and green/red peppers, rice onions, parsley, mint. Can also be prepared in addition with minced meat
Pastitsio – Traditional casserole – comparable to the Italian Lasagne – Layers of macaroni, tomato sauce with minced meat and béchamel with hard cheese
Papoutsakia – oven-baked, stuffed Eggplants – Eggplants, minced meat, tomatoes, onions, wine, cinnamon, pepper, olive-oil, allspice and béchamel
Fricassee – knuckle of lamb or kid (young goat meat) – spinach, spring onions, lettuce dill, parcel, lemon, egg
Soutzoukakia a la Smyrni - fried meatballs made out of minced beef with homemade tomato sauce
Keftedakia - Grilled or fried meatballs
Spetsofai - dish, prepared in the pan with sausage, green pepper, red peppers & tomato sauce
Kleftiko – traditional, oven cooked dish with lamb, peppers, potatoes and hard-cheese
Imam – Stuffed and oven-baked Eggplant - eggplant, tomatoes, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, nutmeg, sugar, cinnamon & cloves
Briam - Oven Baked Vegetables – zucchini, potatoes, sliced tomatoes, onions (dried ?)oil
Mousaka – Traditional Casserole/Bake – Layers of potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes with minced meat and béchamel
Oven Baked Giant Beans – large white beans, celery, carrots, onions, (coarsely ground-) pepper
Grilled Food
Souvlaki – pork/chicken/lamb-meat in small pieces on small skewer grilled and served with oregano, salt and lemon
Bifteki - grilled meatball made out of minced beef
Pansetes - grilled belly of pork
Seafood - Mezedes
Chtapodaki – grilled or boiled slices of octopus. Served with olive oil, vinegar and oregano
Mydopilafo – Mussels in shell, rice, onions and dill. Comparable to a risotto
Mydia saganaki – Mussels saganaki – Mussels with or without shell, prepared in a pan with olive oil, hot peppers, Feta, parsley and mustard
Shrimps Saganaki - Shrimps in olive oil prepared in a pan with hot pepper, Feta, parsley, chilies and fresh tomatoes
Shrimps on grill – large Shrimps, grilled and served with olive oil, oregano and lemon
Friend Squid – sliced, floured and fried slices of squid. Served with fresh lemon
Soupies Spanaki – cuttlefish-spinach - dish made out of cuttlefish, spinach, olive oil, onions, finely chopped, wine, fresh tomatoes, parsley, dill, salt and pepper
Soupies Stifado - cuttlefish stifado - a stew made out of cuttlefish, onions, olive oil, black pepper, bay leaves, garlic, red wine and fresh tomatoes
Grilled Squid – whole large squid, grilled and served with olive oil, oregano and lemon
Astakomakaronada – Lobster with pasta – lobster, spaghetti, onions, cloves, cinnamon, olive oil, tomatoes, wine and parsley, prepared in a pan
Sardines Plaki - Sardines, chopped onions, garlic, olive oil, parsley and fresh tomatoes prepared in the oven
Chtapodi sharas - Grilled octopus
Soupia Psiti - Grilled cuttlefish
Bakaliaros - Fried salted cod- typical dish on the Saints day on 25th March
Skoumpri - Smoked mackerel
Essentials - usually in addition with other food
Feta – traditional brine pickled goat-lamb-cheese. Needs to comply guidelines to be called Feta. As ‘Meze’ served with olive-oil and oregano.
Tzatziki – traditional spread made out of yoghurt, cucumber, garlic, dill, olive-oil and pepper
Melitzanosalata - Spread made out of Eggplant, parsley, olive oli and grilled red pepper. Can be found plain or enriched with mayonnaise
Fava - Spread made out of split peas and carrot. Often served with fresh onion)
Tyrokavteri - Spicy Cheese-spread made out of Feta and hot red peppers
