Volos’ Best Historic Restaurants & Stores
Volos’ Best Historic Restaurants and Stores
It is not only the museums of a city that take you to a trip back in time. It is also those restaurants and stores that served generations of residents and visitors. A small enduring retail shop that has stood the test of time and is still in business today, a cafeteria that became a timeless classic, a candy store where you can buy the perfect souvenir to bring home, a restaurant that first opened two centuries ago. Remember these names and when you visit Volos, soak up some local history and culture in one of these historic places: Avra, Minerva, Pappous, Kokkoras, Papagiannopoulos.
1. Founded in 1883, only two years after the liberation of Volos from the Ottomans, Avra is a legend in its own right. Tucked away literally at the edge of the city lays claim to being Volos’ oldest restaurant. Avra continues to flourish today with a menu for all tastes and a dish that is inextricably linked with Mt. Pelion: spetzofai, the only entrée that is on their menu daily.
2. Minerva is a Volos institution. This landmark of Volos’ sea front is the only place that appeals to both teenagers and older generations. Order their super mocha ice cream or the legendary “pasta fournou”.
3. The small retail shop next to the city’s courthouse named “O Pappous” (the grandfather) is always packed with lines of people. The grapemust loukoumia they sell make the perfect souvenir to bring home from the city of Volos.
4. If you like “Greek coffee” then venture inside the iconic store of “Kokkoras” (the rooster) on Kartali street. Their door is always wide open and the roasting of the coffee beans takes place literally on the sidewalk. Blonde, medium, or dark their coffee is placed warm in a paper bag to take home and enjoy.
5.The confectionary shop of Papagiannopoulos celebrates this year their 100th anniversary. It is the only of the original factories in Volos that still operates within the urban plan of the city. Although now they are located across from the Volos Train Station, soon they will return to their original location on November 2nd Str in a facility that resembles a beautiful town house more than a factory.