Thessaloniki’s love for flaky pies is actually pretty impressive. It probably helps that it’s a great, quick breakfast that you can eat on the go. Seeing people munching on a slice of pie in a paper bag is an extremely common sight in the morning.
I stumbled across Archontis while wandering around Thessaloniki one morning. They seemed to have a decent crowd going, so I figured I’d give them a shot.
There’s a Greek dessert called tsoureki — a sweet, bready pastry that’s typically served for Easter, though some places serve it year round. One of those places: Terkenlis, a Thessaloniki bakery that serves a beloved take on the dessert.
Sure, you could eat a healthy breakfast. Or you could eat a slice of bougatsa, a pastry that finds a sweet, creamy filling wrapped in crispy phyllo dough. It’s served with an extra sprinkling of powdered sugar and cinnamon on top. It’s basically dessert for breakfast, and it’s great.
There’s a deep fried pastry in India called kachori that’s a popular street food snack. It’s super popular in Jaipur; walk around the city and it won’t be long before you come across a vendor selling the stuff.
After my absurdly horrible ramen experience at the Sapporo airport, the Food Gods clearly decided to take pity on me, basically dropping an amazing pastry right in my lap.
About 90 percent of the things I eat while I’m travelling are either based on research or popularity (i.e. if I see a line for food, I’m probably going to stand in that line regardless of what it’s for).
Occasionally, however, I’ll see something like the dorayaki ice cream sundae at Sazae x Ishiya. I hadn’t heard anything about it, and there were no crowds. But come on: look at that thing. That’s way too delightful to pass up. I had to try it.
I don’t need much convincing to eat a fried McDonald’s pie. That crispy, crackily exterior is basically the best thing ever, and no one is ever going to convince me otherwise.
Rue de Passy actually does a pretty great job of recapturing the vibe of a Parisian patisserie (apparently the owner learned to make pastries in France).
Add this to the always-growing list of line-based discoveries. The line-up at Yanagiya Taiyaki is pretty intense, even by Tokyo’s line-loving standards.