Greek Meze Class in Thessaloniki: Cook with Maria

Cook traditional Greek meze in a home kitchen with a Thessaloniki native

A three-hour cooking class in Thessaloniki where you learn to prepare four Greek starters, two main courses and taste them with ouzo, taught by Maria in her apartment overlooking the Byzantine Walls. The class covers dishes like fava, taramasalata, stuffed vine leaves and Greek meatballs, using ingredients sourced from the city's Modiano and Capani markets. Maria speaks English and Greek, and lunch is included.

The experience

Maria's apartment sits above Thessaloniki's Byzantine Walls, and that's where you'll spend three hours learning the cooking that shaped her childhood in the city. She teaches the way Northern Greece's traditional cuisine actually works: starting with the markets of Modiano and Capani, where she sources the fresh ingredients that anchor every dish. The lesson moves through four starters (fava made from yellow split peas, taramasalata built from fish roe, smoked eggplant dip, and Greek salad with feta), then two mains: Greek meatballs and stuffed vine leaves. You're not watching a demonstration. You're making these dishes alongside her in a working kitchen.

The class ends with lunch: you eat what you've made, share stories and swap recipes over two glasses of ouzo per person. Maria is known for making guests feel at home, and the apartment itself (vivid, warm, overlooking the walls) is part of that. The whole experience is built around the flavors that came north from Asia Minor and stayed rooted in Thessaloniki's cooking ever since.

What’s included

• Three-hour cooking lesson with Maria.
• four Greek starters and two main courses that you prepare and eat.
• two glasses of ouzo per person.
• instruction in English or Greek.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 12:00

Book up to1d before

GroupUp to 6

Live guideEnglish and Greek

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 15 days ago

Good to know

Pets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by IT IS GREEK

Is this one for you?The class runs three hours and asks you to stand and cook in the kitchen, so it suits someone with a morning or afternoon free and comfort moving around while learning. Maria teaches in English and Greek, so language is not a barrier.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Greek.

What dishes do I actually make during the three hours?

You prepare four starters (traditional Greek fava, taramasalata, smoked eggplant dip, and Greek salad with feta), and two mains: Greek meatballs and stuffed vine leaves. Each one uses techniques and ingredients Maria learned growing up in Thessaloniki.

Is this a hands-on class or a demonstration?

You cook alongside Maria in her apartment kitchen, not watching from the side. She teaches you the steps and the reasoning behind each dish as you make them together.

What's included in the price?

Lunch (the dishes you've cooked) plus two glasses of ouzo per person and Maria's instruction in English or Greek throughout the three hours.

Where does Maria source the ingredients she teaches with?

She collects them from Modiano and Capani, the main markets in Thessaloniki, so the class centers on the fresh, local produce that defines Northern Greek cooking.