Zeme Τσιπουράδικο

The guardian of the Greek mezze and tsipouro, Zeme continues a Thessaloniki culinary tradition on the rising Olympus road

Thessaloniki may not have the connection that Volos has with the tsipouro and the inventive side dishes that accompany it, but it has its own history around this particular drink. The city received a large influx of refugees from Asia Minor, many of whom settled here and brought with them the habits and culture of the table. In their Persianate gatherings, the tsipouro gradually took the place of the ouzo and rakia that accompanied their meals in Smyrna and other regions of Asia Minor.

Several decades ago, by the way, when we said in Thessaloniki «let’s go to the taverns,» we often meant the Athos Square and the dozens of taverns that gathered students, workers, and groups of friends, with a rich repertoire of dishes on the table.

Today, the word «tsipouro» does not sound as often as a geographical designation. However, there is a restaurant that stubbornly continues this tradition and serves as the custodian of an authentic Greek drink and the gastronomic culture that accompanies it. It is the Zeme, a rearrangement of the word «mezze».

The Zeme It is the creation of a group of people from the kitchen and the service, with coordinated by Theophilos Argyridis, He is the head of the team and responsible for marketing. Coming from the field of communication, he sees the project as a whole and the team views the taverna not just as another restaurant, but as a comprehensive gastronomic offering.

The Zeme It’s a popular, lively tavern: groups of people, reggae and Greek rap on the loudspeakers, people coming and going, and a neighborhood that comes to life that you learn about through it.

It is located at the beginning of Olympos Street, At number 1, on a street that in recent years has evolved into one of the city’s interesting gastronomic destinations. And that has its own significance. The Thessaloniki of taste is not limited to Neos Kosmos Avenue or the eateries around Aristotelous Square. Olympos is now another street where the modern gastronomic history of the city is being written, and Zeme has chosen to participate in it, with respect for tradition.

Its most important advantage is that it does not simply use the term «clericalist,» but takes seriously all that it entails. By doing so, “The Road of Repentance” The Zeme team has devoted time to researching the sake and the mezze that accompany it, traveling to different regions of Greece, seeking producers, local labels, and gastronomic traditions.

These discoveries do not remain at the level of the collection, but are organized into the cellar and the restaurant menu. Thrace, Northern Aegean, Epirus, Evia until today: every trip returns with a set menu that lives for a week in the shop, while every month one of the producers that the team met is hosted in the restaurant. “Gastronomic Showcase” of the store, with its product on the menu and its story on the serving plate.

You can see the trips for free on YouTube — and then you understand why the plate in front of you has that flavor.

And here is perhaps the greatest peculiarity of Zeme. In his wine cellar-library, which dominates the room, more than 1,000 bottles of wine are kept. 500 labels of Greek spirits from all over Greece, Many of these have arisen through the culinary explorations of its people. The choice of tsipouro thus becomes part of the visit itself and forms the starting point for a table that evolves around the mezé.

This winter, the collection also gains a permanent home: The Museum of Stagnation opens in the basement of Zeme, along with a podcast studio for people of Greek taste.

The kitchen suggests more than 35 appetizers, inspired by the gastronomic traditions of different regions of Greece. The table can accommodate both Little Earthlings. They are small plates, all handmade, all made the same day from seasonal raw ingredients from local producers. From the classic appetizers of the taverns to mezze that you won't find anywhere else, like the Gavospairo of Naoussa. You order a lot, put it in the middle, and try everything.

The Zeme, Ultimately, it is not just another tavern described in a few lines. It is a whole philosophy around the spirit, the Greek mezze, research, and gastronomic tradition. A philosophy worth getting to know up close, at a table where the spirit takes center stage and a small gastronomic journey through Greece unfolds around it.