A journey into the flavors of Thessaly through three restaurants.
Whenever we hear or read about gastronomic excursions in Thessaly, more often than not Volos takes the spotlight as a reference point for tsipouro taverns, followed by Larissa and Trikala. More overlooked in mentions is Karditsa, specifically the downtown area rather than the outskirts like the popular Lake Plastira and Agrafa with their classic meat tavernas.
This time we clocked up the miles to sample the local tribute-style cuisine at Apomero, the refined rendition of Greek dishes at Pafsilipo, and the formidable frying at Gekas. In each place we found many reasons for the culinary center to shift and take the right tilt toward the center of Karditsa. Here are the main ones, focused on the land’s fine raw ingredients, tradition, and evolved ideas and techniques.
Apomero
For thirty years now, Anastasia Koufopoulou and her family have been stirring beloved Thessalian recipes in the pots of their nostalgic little restaurant. Their dishes pay homage to local roots and, beyond flavor, heritage, and taste memories, offer visitors the finest culinary care.
In their welcoming space, which feels more like a retro living-dining room, they treat travelers like family, with fine china and a freshly ironed white tablecloth. The same familiarity is released by flagship dishes of the local cuisine, like the dreamy batzina or the trahana pie. For the batzina, Anastasia uses pumpkin and boosts its flavor with local anthotyro and lavender from their garden.
Beyond pies, at Apomero they knead their own bread and elevate every pot-cooked dish. Karditsa has slow-simmered clay-pot fare in its DNA, and the cook, together with her daughter Stefania, puts their own touches on it. They make fragrant pork with leeks and celery, lemony lamb, chicken soup, quinces with minced meat, and many more. Among them we recommend the divine cabbage dolmades - they are balm to the stomach, especially thanks to the vegetable sauce that embraces them.
A notable addition to the menu is Mr. Vangelis’s meats. Anastasia’s husband was a butcher, and his expertise goes beyond selecting fine local proteins to grilling them to perfection. Don’t leave without finishing with the classic Karditsa pudding made by their own hands. Episkopou 47
Pafsilipo
The historic refreshment pavilion inside Pafsilipo Park was fully renovated in 2022 and transformed into a unique art deco restaurant. The revamped restaurant honors the site’s legacy, welcoming locals and visitors daily into its stylish spaces. The decor may have changed with modern touches and plenty of artworks, such as Thanasis Lalas’s murals, and the menu has been significantly upgraded, yet it remains the city’s main meeting place for happenings.
There, chef Apostolos Stergiopoulos unfolds his culinary talent, drawing in his own way on recipes from across Greece and beyond. Notably, with local seasonal ingredients and modern techniques he manages to integrate and harmonize familiar flavors with new experiences.
We tried the crisp minced-meat pies. Their highlight was the peppery kick and the crackling pastry. Among the mains, we singled out the trahanoto. An exquisitely mellow dish with character from chorizo and anavato from Elassona. However, the slow-cooked cheeks stole the show. The meat melted in the mouth, rich in aromatics and perfectly embraced by Elassona graviera and basil oil.
From the sea, the lovely sea bream fillet cooked savoro is worth it and is accompanied by a velvety pumpkin purée. For desserts they go all in, with a menu ranging from ekmek and pavlova to tiramisu. We tasted their soufflé variation, with pistachio cream, red-fruit sauce, crème anglaise, and almond crumble. Myrmidonon 2
Gekas
Who would have expected that right in the city, on the umbrella-lined pedestrian street, we’d find one of the best fish restaurants we’ve eaten at in general. The menu at this thoroughbred tsipouro tavern plays with seafood and scores big thanks to excellent frying and equally good charcoal. Beyond a few staple dishes, everything else that has to do with the seafood bounty changes according to the catch that comes in from Volos and Chalkida. So you should ask about the dishes of the day and the availability of fish of the day.
Of what we enjoyed, the grilled prawns arrive with their ideal juices, the smoked mackerel is top tier, the grilled squid is wonderfully tender, the octopus keeps all its flavor, the grilled sardines are best of, the red mullet and the baby cod are fried air-light and that’s how all the dishes are that arrive one after another.
If you want something to go alongside, the boiled vegetables and wild greens are a delight, while the taramosalata is as hardcore as it should be. On the plus side is the updated list of local and not only ouzos and tsipouros, as well as the little sweet they offer at the end. Kolokotroni 3
Source: Reader.gr
