It is no small feat to enter a historic space, which for decades hosted ministers, actors, intellectuals and countless Sunday family dinners, such as “Olympos Naoussa”. The once beloved restaurant of the residents of Thessaloniki, with its urban cuisine and magnificent decoration, on Nikis Avenue, has been writing new history for three years now, having reintroduced itself to the residents and visitors of the city.

Time may have initially stopped in 1994, when it closed then – after first being distinguished as one of the best in the world – today, however, it has returned and has once again won over old and new customers: from those who caught it open in the past, to their grandchildren! After all, flavors never stop. On the contrary, at “Olympos Naoussa” they are reborn, with respect for the past and an eye on the future.

Now part of the luxurious five-star boutique hotel “On Residence” and its spaces, which extend across the floors of the building, “Olympos Naoussa” has been reborn, on the ground floor, with all due respect for the old architecture and the old style. Old-style tiles, comfortable seats with retro color and design touches and large tables, white walls with plaster details, large mirrors, crystal glasses and a decoration that, as a whole, “speaks” softly, telling something of the past. As if experiencing history brought to the present, every corner, every dish, is a reinvention of tradition – a marriage of yesterday with today.

The space itself balances between urban elegance and art deco nostalgia, with a nobility that seems to appeal to each guest individually — even though the restaurant is full of people!

The menu that marries seasons

The Executive Chef of “Olympos Naoussa” since the restaurant’s reopening, Dimitris Tassioulas, and his team, transform the classic into modern, with delicacy.

From kakavia, to seafood dolma, with crab, rice, kale and sea urchin sauce and from the politiko manti, to goat spaghetti with Limnos Flomari and giouvarlakia, the menu combines a deep knowledge of traditional recipes with a modern approach, creating a gastronomic experience that respects the past, without fearing it.

Somehow, the black pork steak (Iberico) becomes a dish that awakens the senses with its aromatic sauce, the moussaka is presented with Black Angus rib eye, vegetable mille-feuille and fluffy béchamel, the sea bass is enriched with lemon vinaigrette with chives.

The menu “plays” on many levels, but the kitchen team knows what they are doing. With its flavors, it proves that tradition does not mean stagnation, but also that if the deep knowledge of traditional recipes is combined with the skills of a modern approach, the result can be unique!

Other classic dishes, such as the hunkiar beyendi made with smoked eggplant cannoli and tender veal cheeks, are brought back with a more refined feel, without losing their authenticity, making the connection with the past also modern.

Try the nettle velouté with soft tsalafouti cheese, lavender and fried rice, the imaginative salads on the menu, with a multitude of different ingredients, the mille-feuille of roasted vegetables with cream cheese with Anevato from Grevena and briam distillate, the sharp potatoes, the smoked greens.

In pasta, the Constantinople mussels dolma is another flavor that will captivate you, while in the “entrées” you will also find Greveni pancetta. Lamb chops, beef short rib, grilled lobster spaghetti, Athos cod, steamed stonefish, beef fillet and sole meuniere, are also some of the – not few – choices on the menu.

Tongue Meunier

As for the sweet finale, the nougatine paste, the orange pie, the cheesecake, will remind you of the sweets your mothers and grandmothers used to make, rendered here with an extra touch of good cooking.

The Easter menu and what May has in store

From May, the kitchen team has a new, fresh menu in store, which is expected to offer an even more exciting gastronomic experience.

Until then, however, hurry up and try the Easter menu. Specifically, the Easter menu will include a series of suggestions that will range from the traditional magiritsa – with smoked mushroom and liver – the dolmadakia with minced beef and egg-lemon foam, to ravioli made of slow-cooked lamb and frozen goat cheese, beef ossobuco, wild boar cheeks and beef diaphragm tagliata.

Accordingly, on Easter Sunday, you will have the opportunity to try a variety of premium Greek cheeses and a rustic salad with anevato, capers and common purslane, to goat spaghetti with dry anthotyro, lamb in a stew and lamb giouvetsi and of course, the traditional lamb on a spit, as only here they know how to offer you.

A sense of fullness on every visit

Did the old patrons of “Olympos Naoussa” have envisioned the restaurant’s current menu? We know, for sure, that several of them, now grandparents, contributed significantly to the revival of the recipes with their testimonies and that they still choose them today, for their family or friends’ meals. Like everyone else who passes through the restaurant’s doors.

If you haven’t visited “Olympos Naoussa” yet, now is the time. If you have already tasted its wonderful dishes, keep your impatience for the next visit and the new round of pleasures to come!

In the end, you will leave with a sense of fullness and not excess. And this, in a city that knows how to eat, like Thessaloniki, counts doubly.

Tip: “Olympos Naoussa” opens its doors from Monday to Sunday, from 07.00 to 10.30 for breakfast and from 13.00 to 23.00 for restaurant meals.