A ROAD IN THE EASTERN SMELLS NICE OF SUTZUKAKIA AND RETSINA
In the urban "oasis" of Vafopoulou Street, a restaurant has been a timeless hangout for foodies everywhere who love juicy, well-cooked meats and "homemade" retsina since 1961.
THE "KRONOS" TAVERN IS LOCATED AT 30 VAFOPOULOU STREET, IN THE DEPO AREA.
A MAGICAL SPOT.
Some corners of the city have their own dynamics. They are nearby downtown, offering you the possibility to break the urban mold, but also valuable "respites" from the noise of the city and the pressure of everyday life.
Such a "magical" spot in Thessaloniki is Vafopoulou Street. You get it from the first glance – a straight road that takes you out of Vasilissis Olgas Avenue in Antheon Street, with tall plane trees shading your path, making this spot not only Instagram-friendly, but extremely welcoming (especially in the summer, the plane trees along the entire length of the street offer plenty of shade and precious corners of coolness in the heat of the city).
Thanks to good fortune, but also to the systematic efforts of energetic, active, and curious residents, the urban "oasis" of Vafopoulou Street was spared the fate of most of the streets in this area of Thessaloniki – in many of the side streets the norm includes an almost complete absence of greenery and complete domination of the sheet metal of cars and two-wheelers. In Vafopoulou Street the picture is completely different. And not today, but for many decades. And yes: the passionate food and good retsina that accompanies it played their role here as well.
THE SHOW HAS STARTED.
Vafopoulou Street began to function as an urban "lighthouse", attracting generations of residents of Thessaloniki, in the distant 1939. In this year, just one year before the nightmare of the second world war, the opening of the "Kronos" cinema can be found, at number 28 of today's street.
It was a building built with the aesthetics of Modernism, with its left end more elevated than the rest of the building. On this side was the inscription "Kronos" with neon lights, in accordance with the aesthetics of the time (neon lights were also around the circular, porthole-like windows of the building, giving it a quite futuristic image for the distant 1939). At the end of the 1950s (somewhere between 1957-1960) the inscription "summer" was added to the cinema, with the screenings being hosted in the summer months on the roof of the building. The last mention of the operation of the cinema can be found in May 1979 (the newspapers of the time included it in the program of cinemas with the films "Erotiaris galatas" and "Duel in the red sun"), while the summer cinema on the roof had suspended its screenings three years earlier (1976).
Some years of silence followed, with the historic building reopening in the period 1986-1987 as "Disco Kronos" - in fact, the young people of the time remember that the specific space had a very strict "door", which almost forbade entry to the children of the second half of the 1980s who were not accompanied by a girlfriend. Since then, silence.
FOOD SERVICES, THE CONSTANT VALUE.
If, however, the "Kronos" cinema has not left its mark on Vafopoulou street for decades, another "temple" still exists to this day, making this spot in the city a "must-visit" destination for foodies everywhere of all ages who crave delicious, well-cooked meats, accompanied by retsina.
It all started in 1961, when the tavern "Kronos" opened its doors, at number 30 Vafopoulou street. The recipe was simple and tested. In a wonderful part of the city, under the plane trees, the visitor could find simple and delicious cuisine: meaty suzukakia, musky and wonderfully seasoned (a trademark of the tavern since its very first day of operation), "butch" gyros (with ideal ratio of fat to meat – you'll know it as soon as you bite into it, as the delicious cutlet comes with crispy and spicy fat, making every bite a real gastronomic experience), but also skewered steak in a "brave" portion, perfectly slow-cooked to such an extent that it literally falls apart by trying to cut it with your cutlery. Up close, all the popular stews, with classic recipes (that make you exclaim at every bite "this is like my mom's!"), but also the established Thessaloniki ointments - always handmade - and salads completely fresh and cool.
We already wrote that retsina is a "trademark" of "Kronos", being an additional reason why even today it is preferred by residents of Thessaloniki of all generations. What we did not write is that it is not just any retsina, but retsina that the owners themselves brew, in wooden barrels. And it is these barrels that form an ideal setting for those who find themselves in the "Kronos" hall during the months when the temperature makes the tables outside inhospitable, along with the owners' amazing collection of old games, inscriptions, and collectibles from decades past, which complete the decoration of the (admittedly atmospheric) interior.
However, the most important thing has always been (and still is) the taste. Good food accompanied by good retsina. It's a recipe for success that can't fail – and one that probably ensures “Kronos” will be around for generations to come.
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