Best Burgers in Thessaloniki: Where to Look

The best burgers in Thessaloniki are in the centre, between Aristotelous Square and Ladadika, the old warehouse quarter by the port, and in the bar streets around Valaoritou. Ano Poli, the upper town set against the Byzantine walls, has quieter tavernas, and Kalamaria in the south-east adds a long seafront strip of cafés and grills.

Thessaloniki is a student city. The Aristotle University is one of the largest in Greece, and its students keep the centre eating late and on a budget. The local table mixes Greek and Asia Minor cooking, brought by refugees who settled here after 1922: soutzoukakia, oblong meatballs scented with cumin, are a taverna staple, so cumin is the local seasoning to look for in a patty. Breakfast is bougatsa, a filo pie filled with cream or cheese, and the koulouri, a sesame bread ring, is sold on street corners all day.

Burgers in Thessaloniki: key facts

• Neighbourhoods to explore: Aristotelous Square, Ladadika, Valaoritou, Ano Poli and Kalamaria.
• Local flavour: cumin, from the Asia Minor tradition of soutzoukakia.
• Street bread: koulouri Thessalonikis, a sesame ring.
• Currency: the euro (EUR), used in Thessaloniki as across Greece.
• Getting around: metro line 1, opened on 30 November 2024, runs underground through the centre with 13 stations.

Every guide we publish on Thessaloniki is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. For Athens and the rest of the world, see our burger restaurant guides.