Their fanatical fans argue that we should be able to enjoy them all year round since melomakarona (Greek Christmas Honey Cookies) are a truly excellent dessert with a unique taste. Fortunately, as the years go by, they make their appearance earlier and earlier in the windows of pastry shops and bakeries.
Tradition calls for them to be crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, with plenty of grated walnut on top, mussed with olive oil, orange and cinnamon cloves. However, they come in different versions: morsels, crispy like biscuits, covered in chocolate, filled with nuts, etc.
Olive Magazine has compiled a list of the best placed to get melomakarona's in Athens and Thessaloniki.
In Athens
Choc O Rock Pastry Lab
The combination of olive oil and milk butter gives them an aromatic flavor, while the Greek flower honey perfectly complements their taste. They are among some of the best in Athens.
105 Voutsina St., Cholargos, tel.: 211 0122 512
Sweet shop
Honeyed as it should be, with intense aromas of olive oil and orange, subtle presence of spices and plenty of coarsely grated walnut. These honey melomakarona's literally melt in your mouth.
Vas. 21 Sofias, Maroussi, tel.: 210 6123 888
Riviera
The traditional sweets of this patisserie have been famous throughout Attica for four decades for their freshness and authenticity of taste. In the same sense, the melomakarona's she makes are just like mum's and grandma's homemade ones.
119 Tritonos, Paleo Faliro, tel.: 210 9826 670
Sintrivani
The raw materials and the traditional recipe that has remained the same and unchanged for many decades make the difference. The excellent honey they use and the excellent honey-making technique give the perfect texture to these melomakarona.
Irini 4, New Philadelphia, tel.: 210 2518 152
Sweet Alchemy by Stelios Parliaros
The leading Greek confectioner makes melomakarona in an absolutely traditional way. Crispy on the outside, honeyed on the inside and particularly aromatic, they are eaten two by two.
24 Irodotou Street, Kolonaki, tel.: 210 7240 205
Petek
Here the queues for the melomakarona form from the morning. They are crispy and fragrant, bathed in honey. The store's trademark, however, is the bite-sized walnut-filled ones.
September 3, 81, Pl. Victoria, tel.: 210 8223 955
Metropolitikon
One of the few places in Athens where we can find melomakarona almost all year round. Classic in size and taste, with the characteristic engraving on the surface. Try the mini ones, i.e. the morsels, but also the ones with the chocolate coating, they are excellent.
39 Voulis, Syntagma, tel.: 210 3240 654
Thessaloniki
Miltos
Although his traditional melomakarona are excellent, the ones that stand out are the "teased" ones. The chestnut-filled melomakarona he makes are worth trying, as are the chocolate ones.
Steliou Kazantzidis 37, Thermi, tel.: 2310 476 187
Everof
Fresh, handmade melomakarona are made daily, with the purest ingredients, in this traditional pastry shop. The elegant gift packages it has are sure to cheer up your loved ones.
11 Vasileos Georgiou Avenue, tel.: 2310 814 284
Isli Porfyridis
The most famous version of melomakarona, beyond the classic one, at its best. Honeyed isli from Asia Minor, filled with walnut and cinnamon, "embroidered" by hand with a lot of art. They also make them with a couverture coating, they like it a lot.
Agia Sofias 56, tel.: 2310 229 677
READ MORE: The most fluffy and buttery croissants in Athens and Thessaloniki!
