Taverna Giorgis

Taverna Giorgis occupies the main square of Tsagarada, a cluster of hamlets in the forests of east Pelion in the Magnesia regional unit of Thessaly, Greece, at an altitude of approximately 550 metres above the Aegean Sea. The taverna's defining feature is its position beneath one of the largest and oldest plane trees in Greece — a specimen estimated to be over one thousand years old, with a trunk circumference exceeding fourteen metres, that shades the entire square and creates a naturally cool dining environment even in midsummer. The kitchen serves the traditional cuisine of mountain Pelion, which has a character distinct from the coastal seafood of Volos and the plains cooking of Larissa. Wild mushrooms foraged from the Pelion forests, sautéed in butter with garlic and thyme, are one of the kitchen's most praised preparations and change character depending on the species available each season. Trout from mountain streams, cooked simply with lemon and herbs, reflects the inland nature of the upper Pelion highlands. Chickpea soup, slow-simmered with rosemary, lemon, and olive oil, is a constant on the menu year-round. Chestnut cake, prepared with flour from Pelion chestnuts harvested in autumn, provides a regional conclusion to the meal. The taverna operates year-round but reduces to Friday through Sunday service in winter, when the access roads from the coast can become snow-affected. The lunch stop under the ancient plane tree has become an established part of the east Pelion driving circuit for Greek and European visitors alike.