Food Tour with a Local Chef: Markets, Tastings & Lunch
Description
Discover Thessaloniki's food culture with a local chef, exploring its historic market, tasting seasonal Greek specialties and finishing with a restaurant lunch shaped by the day's freshest ingredients. You'll learn not only what you're tasting, but how these ingredients are used in Greek kitchens and why seasonality is so important to Greek cuisine. The experience continues with a sit-down lunch at one of Thessaloniki's carefully selected independent restaurants. These are places where the daily menu is driven by the market and the season rather than a standard tourist menu. Menus and tastings change according to the season and the day's best ingredients. This means that there is no rigid menu to follow — instead, you experience Thessaloniki as we would eat it ourselves: according to what is fresh, local and at its best that day!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your local chef and begin your culinary journey with an introduction to Thessaloniki's food culture. Learn about the city's multicultural culinary heritage, the importance of seasonality in Greek cooking, and what makes Thessaloniki's cuisine unique.
Explore the lively Kapani (Vlali) Market, Thessaloniki's historic central food market. Walk through the market's fishmongers, butchers, produce stalls, spice shops and specialty food stores while discovering the ingredients that form the foundation of Greek cuisine. Along the way, enjoy a selection of seasonal tastings, including Greek cheeses, cured meats, olives, olive oil, honey, traditional specialties and other local delicacies. Your chef guide will introduce you to the products, explain how they are used in Greek cooking and share stories about the city's food traditions.
Finish your culinary journey with a sit-down lunch at a carefully selected independent restaurant around Athonos Square. Enjoy contemporary Greek cooking based on seasonal ingredients and the chef's daily selection. Depending on the season and what's freshest that day, dishes may include local seafood, seasonal vegetables, Greek cheeses, legumes, handmade specialties and modern interpretations of traditional Greek dishes. The menu changes every day, allowing you to experience Greek cuisine as locals do — according to the season, the market and the best ingredients available that day.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(18)
Our guide was amazing! She was knowledgable, friendly, great at getting us acquainted with Greek food and what to expect during our ten days there. We went with a couple who has lived in Thessaloniki and they enjoyed it as well.
Tonya was amazing! She was fun, insightful and full of information. The food we sampled was delicious and very generously portioned. We learned about olives and discovered a type of black olive that ripens on the tree. The spice vendor was so engaging and passionately knowledgeable about his trade. The final lunch was incredible - locally sourced food, beautifully presented and delicious.
Our guide Tonia was a true pro and you can tell she knows very well the local food scene since she used to work as a chef in the area. We visited all the best spots that only locals seem to visit and every stop was more delicious than the last one. We were extremely happy that we booked this on the first day in Thessaloniki especially since we received a follow up email with lots of great recommendations on where to go next. If food is your passion, then this is the perfect start for your trip!
We loved our tour with Tonia! She was super friendly, funny, and informative. The food was excellent and really ran the gamut from honey and olives to appetizers and desserts, followed by a full meal of several courses. We were so full by the end! I’ll add that this was my 19-year-old son’s first food tour. When I asked him at the end whether he’d like to do more food tours when we travel, he enthusiastically said yes, and asked if all the guides are as friendly and easy going as Tonia. Thank you, Tonia!
You get an intimate look at local street markets and restaurants from a knowledgable charismatic guide. You will have more than food. You will get to know the importance of food in the Greek culture.
We had a wonderful time with our guide Tonia. She took the time to get to know us at the beginning of the tour, and then explained Greek culture and how they purchase each ingredient at a different shop. Then she took us to the best shops that were committed to the best quality for each item. This was the first time we had ever met, and I have no financial interest in the business. I highly recommend if you're in Thessaloniki you should take a few hours, and enjoy the food like a local. I wish we had markets like this at home in the United States. Tonia was wonderful! We felt like we had a new friend at the end of a tour.
We had a fantastic time with Tonia. Starting in the refurbished Modiano Market, Tonia gave us some excellent tasters of some sought after tastes and flavours which were specially prepared. We visited some excellent producers in three markets where we could try some products and in some we also made some purchases, but there was no pressure to buy anything. We then proceeded to a small restaurant for lunch, and had some fabulous food which was superb. We would never have found the this place by ourselves or been able to read the menu! Tonia was so helpful throughout our tour, she knows so much and we learnt a lot about various foods. I’d highly recommend this tour if you’re in Thessaloniki!
Tonia was wonderful! All about quality food, products and experiences. We had a great time learning about Greek food, walking through the market areas and, best of all, tasting everything!
Let me start by saying that they adjusted this tour for us because of how hot it was. I have done a lot of food tour and I have never had such consideration for us. We had Tonia and she was absolutely amazing. The food and the drinks were absolutely wonderful. Highly recommend this company for your food tour. She is very considerate of all our needs.
This was the best tour we took during our stay in Greece. Chef Tonia was an absolute pleasure to spend time with. Her knowledge of food, included explaining the clean sources of food, the hospitality of the Greek people related to food, the familial joy and bonding around growing & sharing food. Also, the creative thoughtful ways this culture makes use of old traditions to prevent food waste. Tonia herself was so passionate and enthusiastic about sharing her love of the culture & food. The things she prepared for us were amazing. The ingredients came from her family garden & her own recipes. Chef Tonia took us to a food market and a couple of restaurants to enjoy authentic Greek food & learn about Greek spices, oils & balsamic vinegar , etc. This young chef’s warm joyful personality and depth of knowledge make her an ideal food tour guide! Take this tour, you won’t regret it!
