After years spent documenting the people, places and ideas shaping contemporary Greece, The Greek Foundation now has a place of its own in Thessaloniki. The new café and shop brings the project offline, creating a setting where some of those stories can beencountered away from the screen and around a table.
The day begins, naturally, with The Greek Foundation’s signature coffees, developed in collaboration with Taf and also available to take home alongside the café’s cups and plates. The menu, curated by Nikos Bakoulis, follows the rhythm of the day. Bakes and small bites from 72H – from cinnamon rolls to Thessaloniki’s much-loved koulouri –complete the morning, while later hours make room for Greek wines, small plates and The Greek Foundation’s signature unfiltered pilsner. A house tea blend created with Rhoeco adds another collaboration to the mix.
The approach is simple and informal,with good ingredients, Greek producers and the kind of hospitality that makes you want to stay a little longer than planned.There is plenty to look through, too. The Greek Foundation’s print editions sit within easy reach, ready to be picked up and browsed over coffee, while a selection of objects brings the work of contemporary Greek creatives into the room. Café and shop are not treated as separate ideas; books, food, drinks and objects simply share the same space.
At its heart, The Greek Foundation Café + Shop is a place to meet, take a break and spend some time. Rooted in Thessaloniki, it gives a physical address to a project that has long been interested in how contemporary Greek culture is made, shared and lived.
Visitors can drop by for coffee, stay for a bite, discover something on the shelves orsimply find a seat and see where the day goes.
The Greek Foundation Café + Shop
Chrysostomou Smyrnis 19 Thessaloniki, Greece
Instagram: @thegreekfoundation_cafe
Photos: Christy Dimitriadou
