Xaroupi

Xaroupi is a modern Cretan restaurant at Doxis 4 in Ladadika, Thessaloniki, in Central Macedonia, Greece. It opened in 2017 and brings Cretan ingredients and cooking technique to a northern Greek port city, which sets it apart from the Macedonian and Aegean menus around it. Typical spending is about €25-50 per person, positioning it as a mid-range choice in the district.

The signature dishes reflect the island's cooking. Gammopilafo is a Cretan wedding-style rice dish, here served with hogget, the meat of a sheep older than a lamb and with a deeper flavour. A lamb stew is paired with skioufichta, a hand-shaped Cretan pasta, flavoured with carob. For dessert or a sweet-savoury finish, a phyllo pastry is filled with sheep's cheese and served with quince jam, echoing the cheese-and-honey pastries of Crete. Many ingredients are of Cretan origin, which is the main point of the restaurant's identity.

The dining room is informal and welcoming, in keeping with a taverna-style approach, and there is no dress code. Ladadika's evening atmosphere is lively, and tables on the pedestrian street are popular when the weather allows. A Sunday brunch is also served, which gives the restaurant an additional daytime audience.

On the drinks side, Cretan wines and raki, the island's grape spirit, are the natural accompaniments to the food, alongside mainland Greek options. Staff can generally explain unfamiliar Cretan items for visitors new to the cuisine.

Reservations are recommended, particularly at weekends and for Sunday brunch. Booking a day or two ahead is usually sufficient. The restaurant's own website is www.xaroupi.gr and its telephone number is +30 2310 526262. Opening hours are not listed in the available data, so visitors should confirm before travelling.