Diavasi and Diogonios for the best soutzoukakia, and arguably the best gyros in Thessaloniki

Soutzoukakia at Diagonios.

It’s hard to separate these two. Diavasi and Diogonios are just metres apart in the concrete ‘foothills’ of Thessaloniki’s iconic White Tower.

Both are persisting freeze-frame snapshots of Thessaloniki’s culinary heritage, in the heart of the city, but in evolving, ever-modernising contexts; the swift service and contemporary neo-taverna settings create a rare and novel dichotomy with long-standing menus that stem back to the 1970s.

Both Diavasi (pictured above) and Diagonios (pictured below) share a lot in common and, in fact, the story begins with the opening of Diagonios in 1977. The split came after a fire in 1999, with Diagonios moving to its new location and the original site at Pavlou Mela becoming Diavasi.

It’s hard to distinguish between the two when it comes to naming the best soutzoukakia in Thessaloniki. Handmade with good quality meat, hardly seasoned, and cooked to order. As is the gyros, which arguably deserves more attention than it gets (relative to the soutzoukakia): crispy, caramelised and juicy all at once. It’s easily up there with the best gyros, not just in the beautiful city, but in all of Greece. As are the soutzoukakia – without much debate.

📍 Diavasi: Pavlou Mela 13, Thessaloniki 546 22, Greece

📍 Diagonios: Plateia Fanarioton 2, Thessaloniki 546 22, Greece