Valenio

Valantis Lambrianidis runs this walk in coffee counter on Iktinou, a pedestrian street of cafes just south of Agia Sofia in central Thessaloniki, after years working as a bartender turned barista and head barista who trained with specialists across Europe. He now holds the SCA Coffee Diploma, works as an Authorised SCA Trainer and sits as a certified World Coffee Events judge for national and international championships, and the Iktinou room reflects that background as a tasting and retail stop rather than a sit down cafe, with staff pulling coffee to order while customers choose beans or brewing gear to take home.

The beans themselves are roasted at a separate workshop inside a building from 1887 in the Ladadika district, a short walk away, where Valenio also runs cupping sessions and barista seminars. Selections rotate through single origin lots picked from farms across the tropical coffee belt, including Brazil, Ethiopia and Costa Rica, sold whole bean or ground for home brewing.