Walking along Tsimiski street, at the intersection with Pavlou Mela street, the smell of fresh butter enchants us… At this point, which is ideal for a stop during our walk in the city center, we will meet our favorite “Chatzi’s Dairy” (aka Galaktopoleio tou Chatzi) .

A beautiful place, with a special aesthetic, with minimal tables outside, invites us to live a nostalgic experience, transformed into “today”, in the bustling center of the city, as we mentally transport ourselves to other times, with our companions the syrup, the kaimaki and the magic of Constantinople…

A name with a long history that needs no special introduction, since it has been decorating Thessaloniki with its mastery of sweets from Constantinople since 1908. However, its “modern” version is impressive and the respect shown by its team is almost touching. – respect for its history, the route, but also for the “passing” of tradition into modern times. The reins have now been taken over by the 5th generation of the family, the sisters Yeliz and Izel Chatzi, who, in addition to their talent for making top quality sweets, have inherited from their ancestors the absolute dedication and love for their business.

The interior of Chatzi’s Dairy is dominated by the white of purity and the soft blue of tradition, while the industrial touches give the space its modern look. All the elements, carefully selected, in order to prepare us for the delicious pleasures that follow…

Authentic sweets from Constantinople

The sweets from Constantinople and especially the flavors that we will find at Chatzi’s Dairy, will hardly be found anywhere else in the city. All of them are handmade and truly made in the traditional way, with excellent raw materials dominated by buffalo milk.

Our personal first choices are the hanum burek – the galaktoboureko from Constantinople with a filling of buffalo milk cream and fresh butter, the baklava from Constantinople with walnut, but also the ekmek kadaifi with cream, pie from Constantinople baked with syrup & buffalo cream.

The kiunefe kadaifi with walnut deserves a special mention – lovers of the genre and connoisseurs know how hard-to-find it is, and at Chatzi’s Dairy, its deep flavor will enchant you. His tulumba is also incomparable, handmade, made by hand without the use of machines – like all products, of course.

Creams from Constantinople are a separate category. Baked rice pudding, the malebi, a chewy cream made from rice porridge and milk, in various flavors, the Kazan Dipi from Constantinople made from rice porridge, milk and ground chicken breast and the list goes on… Authentic, traditional flavors that can perfectly accompany the favorite Greek coffee roasted on sand, which is another “note” of nostalgic experience that we can enjoy at Chatzi’s Dairy.

The… superfoods of tradition

At Chatzi’s Dairy we will find small tasty, but also extremely healthy treasures, which have their roots in tradition and are now being reintroduced in the most excellent way. Asure is perhaps the crown of these treasures, as it is a wheat porridge, with raisin, walnut, aronia, dried fig, apricot and clove. Also, keskul, the cream with ground nuts and zerde, the jelly from Constantinople with saffron and rose water. The “fans” of a healthy – or even vegan – diet know very well how beneficial the above ingredients are for our health, which when accompanied by the expertise of the Chatzis family reach the highest level of taste and enjoyment.

The cool pleasures of summer

One of our most favorite pleasures during the summer in Thessaloniki, is the buffalo milk ice cream, offered by the Chatzi’s Dairy. When you try it, if you haven’t already, you’ll know that you’ve never tasted more authentic ice cream.

At the same time, an extremely refreshing pleasure and a special proposal, is the soft drink Boza, the first chronologically Balkan drink, with millet, corn, yeast, sugar and water, which has been on the menu of the Chatzi’s Dairy since the first day of its operation… The properties unique and beneficial, while it is “recommended” even for breastfeeding women.

Chatzi’s Dairy is a “refuge” of tastes, moments, nostalgia and coziness. With the glamor of past times, it “grounds” us in today in the most “warm” way, offering us pure, handmade products, flooded with love and passion – products that accompany us in every moment of our day and that have a special place in our heart After all, the old confectioners of Constantinople knew very well that sweets should please the soul and Chatzi’s Dairy is a teacher of this “philosophy”…