THE CENTENARIAN SPACE THAT WAS FILLED WITH FLAVOR IN THE 20TH CENTURY
Right next to the Old Gate, which the Ottomans called "Eski Delik" ("Old Hole"), there is a space that was associated with enactments of flavors and retsina. People of every status and class enjoyed the golden yellow drink, having the neighboring walls as an imaginary wall that protected them from the noise of everyday life.
THE TAVERN "TO MACEDONIKO" WAS LOCATED ON PALAMIDOS STREET, AT THE CASTLES.
THE SECRET IN CASTLES.
Thessaloniki acquired walls right from its foundation, so that it could be protected from those who wanted to covet it. Over the centuries, the walls were repaired, extended, completed. Some parts were destroyed and some others were rebuilt, at the initiative of various Roman and Byzantine emperors.
The so-called "intermediate wall" separated the Upper Town from the Acropolis. In this part of the city's fortifications there are the well-known gates through which cars pass today: that of Anna Paleologina, a short distance from the Trigonio tower, the Eastern Gate (better known as "Portara") and a small gate on today's Palamidou Street. This gate was built by the Byzantines, but it was reopened by the Ottomans, after the fall of Thessaloniki in 1430. They called it "Eski Delik", which translates as "Old Hole". Literally glued to the wall, the historical tavern "To Makedoniko" operated until 2017.
LIVING HISTORY.
One of the two buildings in which the tavern was housed is one of the so-called "kastrospita" - poor buildings, one side of which "rests" on the Byzantine walls. The walker can see castellated houses (mainly refugees from Cappadocia and Pontus) along almost the entire length of the walls. In recent years, some of them have been demolished to "clean" and regenerate the surrounding area.
Anyone who can refer to historical records can see the "Macedonian" building (in photos older than a century) standing alone, without anything else next to it. It is not known if the history of the tavern begins with the construction of the building, but perhaps it is not a coincidence that, historically, part of the area was covered by vineyards belonging to Ottoman agades. Perhaps the retsina is karmically tied to space after all.
MEZEDES AND BUSES.
In the summers, the most favorite part of the store was the terrace with the low wall on one side, where the pots with the plants were, and the fence with the honeysuckle on the other.
On the nights you got a live orchestra the atmosphere was magical. You listened to the rebetika and enjoyed your retsina with the specialties: eggs with pastourma, strapatsada, lemon tongues, liver. Of course, there were also the "best sellers" – country sausage cut crosswise and split in half, ribs, burgers, and pancetta. The dishes came with the basics: half a lemon, plenty of onions and a yellow, slightly diluted (but lovely) mustard. Among the appetizers, the grilled feta cheese with pepper and plenty of oregano, the zucchini and the fried eggplants stood out. In the salads, there were no imaginative options – but also what to do with them, when there is the classic rustic or the spicy one. The batter, which was made in the shop, was also very good. On March 25th you could find cod with garlic and on Clean Monday octopus and stewed cuttlefish.
In the summers, the tavern regulars’ biggest concern was not whether the food would be good, but whether the drivers of the OASTH bus line 23 would be able to maneuver, literally passing the vehicle under the arch, without touching anywhere – and then back out and make their way back... The remarkable thing is that, thanks to their surgical maneuvers (and with some help from the people in the adjacent shops), they did it brilliantly. And after a minute of agony, you were back to your retsina and delicious burgers.
No one ever found out how the drivers maneuvered through the freezing winter nights, with Vardari freezing everything. And he doesn't know it, because he was probably inside, in the warmth of the wood stove, which was always glowing. On one wall was a large mirror, while you could leave your jacket or trench coat on the classic hanger bolted to the wall.
Literally everyone passed through this historical place - from students and soldiers to doctors and politicians who wanted to enjoy their food in peace with their company away from the "branded" shops of the center (and the eyes of the world). The adjacent wall functioned for this entire world as an imaginary "wall" from the problems of everyday life.
MOVIE TAVERN.
In 2017, the store closed for good, but those who passed by it at some point hope that someone will be found to acquire it and make use of the space.
Those who were not lucky enough to visit it can get a "smell" of "Makedoniko" through the film "Sarmakos - A History of the North" by Markos Papadopoulos. The film was shot in collaboration with students of the Film Department of AUTH and in 2020 it was screened at the 61st Thessaloniki Film Festival.
Several decades earlier, the movie "Barefoot Battalion" by Nikos Katsiotis, which was shown in cinemas in 1953, was filmed in the surrounding area. This was also the first film work of Mikis Theodorakis.
PHOTOS: SAKIS GIOUBASIS.
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