Aknos: A restaurant honouring the culinary tradition of Halkidiki

The restaurant evokes memories of Halkidiki's culinary past.

Aknos is located in a lovely square in a village of Halkidiki, just a breath away from the sea. It is a restaurant that connects the village's past and present.

The restaurant's name is symbolic and related to the philosophy that is the star of its cuisine. In the local dialect, Aknos means "lazy."

The amazing, imaginative dishes you'll try here may not have the slightest hint of laziness in them, but the idea behind the feeling you'll feel washing over you while sitting at the quaint tables of this cute, traditional restaurant is exactly that sense of relaxation—and summer carelessness.

A sense of sweet laziness pulses through us during the holiday season when we know that time belongs to us and we are in no rush for anything.

In this very beautiful and well-kept space that looks like a traditional cafe, in a part of Pefkohori that brings to mind a scene from a movie, the ever-creative chef Evmorfos Arnidis serves his version of Greek cuisine that respects its past but looks with a fresh and experimental disposition towards the future.

In Aknos, the concept of sustainability takes on flesh and blood since the restaurant applies the "hundred-kilometre" policy, which means that all the products that enter its kitchen cannot come from places more than 100 kilometres away.

Local history and culinary tradition are everywhere, with a special concept that largely characterises the restaurant's menu: in every dish you try here, there is also a different ingredient of local origin in this beautiful and beloved village of Halkidiki. This helps connect visitors with the location and stimulates their desire to discover more about the region's culinary identity.

It is worth starting your meal by trying some of the very good cold appetisers - authentic tzatziki that goes perfectly with everything—cool salads with Halkidiki feta cheese and saganaki.

Then, there are some hot dishes with a long Macedonian tradition, such as eggs with potatoes, juicy veal stewed in ragout, mushrooms with Grevena cheese, and meat pie.

If you love well-cooked meat, the only thing is certain: in Aknos, you will find something that will delight you. Careful cuts such as the rib steak dish, which is incredibly grilled and keeps all the aromas and juicy secrets inside it; the tagliata, which is marinated with fresh herbs; the juicy souvlaki; and the incredibly tasty grilled pancetta.

Then, there are the stews that define the concept of hospitality from the beginning. Warm and downright homey, they bring to mind favourite moments from the summers of our childhood and those who come from Macedonia, or Halkidiki in particular, cannot but feel deep emotion when trying them.

The taste and experience of the food here are completed with the wines, which come from the local vineyards and complement a culinary story with strong locality—a story that makes us love an entire destination and its character—the hallmark of Macedonia.

The article first appeared in Travel.

READ MORE: The culinary glory of Naxos at the most emblematic beach.