It is 1984 and Dimitris Gakis, known as Takis, who has always cooked – from the army to the taverns where he worked – decides to open his own tavern to support the family he has just created, making his love a profession for life. A life full of delicious food and nice memories that resulted in the creation of “Asylo” a hangout of yesterday and today. The reins were handed over to his son Christos in 2016 who respectfully tries to keep the history unchanged and to develop what he received.

An “Asylum” for the flavors, for the company, for the unforgettable stories, for all those evenings when a guitar and a bouzouki set up a party out of nowhere. The “Asylo” of Thessaloniki, in the area of Evangelistria, which, although located in its bustling center, is hidden like another oasis and is very reminiscent of the village square.

Time travel

“Asylo” is like a time capsule that transports you to another, more authentic era, where everything was simpler, more real, more charming. After all, its name is not random at all, but rather fateful, as it came some time before Dimitris Gakis opened his tavern.

It was 1978, at night, and Dimitris Gakis and his wife were repairing the tavern that had existed since 1946, in order to operate it again. Suddenly an elderly man, who was being treated under police guard as a prisoner, escaped. The unfortunate man’s crime was that he owed a few thousand drachmas to the State.

In an attempt to hide, he ran towards the tavern and climbed a tree. When the police arrived to look for him, no one showed up. When the danger passed, the man came down from the tree, thanked those who did not betray him and while leaving wrote the word “asylum” (asylum in English) on a wall of the shop and since then the name and the essence of this tavern have remained unchanged.

New generation, same identity

In 2016, “Asylo” was taken over by the owner’s son, Christos, and he started by renovating the space, but maintaining the same philosophy and, of course, the food. After all, Mr. Takis remains in the tavern’s kitchen, for the special menu items that he himself curates to this day. His suzukas, his masterfully filleted liver, wild herbs, cheese-croquettes and some more, are masterfully prepared by his own hands.

What has been added to the menu are the spits, which bring out something different every day. Steak on a spit, pork or chicken kontosouvli, elassonitiko and kokoretsi made to order are some of the well-cooked options.

“Asylo” serves meat, good and nicely cooked, along with a satisfying variety of salads and appetizers that will make the group table enjoy the familiar flavors of the traditional Greek tavern.

Hunkiar beyendi is a new addition, which, cooked to perfection, undoubtedly drives the palate crazy.

Otherwise, everything that is made in the kitchen of “Asylo” is wonderful in its simplicity, because it is made with a lot of love and the best ingredients. The best meats, genuine feta cheese, Greek olive oil, hand-picked vegetables…

So the cuisine at “Asylo” is traditional and – keeping many of its original dishes – has been enriched with new but always the same philosophy of authenticity and quality.

As for the space, it may have been renovated, but it has lost none of its character. The beloved jukebox in its place, the wood stove that warms the space and warms our hearts as well, Kazantzidis still stands on the wall and the atmosphere in this tavern remains warm, familiar and welcoming, as if you are a guest at a friend’s house in the village .

Weddings and joys

One can easily understand how “Asylo” is not another tavern. It’s a feeling and within it the weddings and christenings of people who love the tavern are often held, some of whom even met there or had their first dates there. Students celebrate their graduation, eating and drinking to their success.

As for its patrons, there are still groups that make their weekly rendezvous there, consistently since “Asylo” first opened.

Some nights you will also find live music. As long as it’s not Monday, which is also the only day “Asylo” is closed.