Why go
Choosing at Valenio starts with two questions: which origin, and which brew method. The counter runs espresso and filter side by side with cezve, the traditional pot preparation, and the beans come from the roastery under the same name.
Origins first, roasted in Ladadika
Valenio is a roastery and coffee shop rather than a general cafe with coffee on the side, and the two halves stay visible to each other. Roasting, wholesale, seminars, retail and service all sit under one name, run by a founder with two decades in coffee and a teaching background in coffee academies in Greece and abroad. The roastery works out of Ladadika, one of Thessaloniki’s older architectural quarters, in a workshop housed in an 1887 building, so the roasting, tasting and hospitality happen inside an old district rather than a generic shopfront. A separate Valenio Point keeps production, service and retail on distinct footings without splitting the identity.
A menu read by country
The list is origin-led. Rwanda, Ethiopia Sidamo, Kenya, Colombia, Guatemala, Brazil Monte Alegre and Brazil Geisha rotate through espresso and filter, and Colombia Huila Decaf CO2 keeps the same approach in a decaffeinated cup. Cezve and ibrik service sits alongside contemporary specialty preparation, which is unusual enough to be a reason for the second visit. Food is secondary but real: fresh pastries and light bites made with local ingredients, some of them vegan, with almond and oat milk behind the bar. The room is built for staying, art-led and warmly lit, with comfortable seating, quiet corners for reading or working, and a modern minimalism carrying Mediterranean detail.
Start with a single-origin filter
A single-origin filter is the clearest line into how Valenio buys and roasts, and it is the order that makes the geographic range of the menu worth something. Ethiopia Sidamo and Kenya lean bright, the Brazils and Guatemala sit fuller, and asking what came off the roaster most recently is a better question than picking by country alone. Espresso is the shorter, more concentrated route through the same beans. Cezve is the distinctive one, and the only preparation here that connects the specialty programme to the way coffee has been made in this part of the world for centuries. Valenio’s place among Europe’s 100 Best Coffee Shops for 2025 rests on that combination: careful sourcing, its own roasting, and a room that treats the cup as the point.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Valenio known for?
Valenio roasts its own coffee and serves it as espresso, filter and cezve, the traditional pot preparation, from a workshop in Thessaloniki's Ladadika quarter. The menu is organised by origin rather than by roast level, with Ethiopian, Kenyan, Rwandan, Colombian, Guatemalan and Brazilian lots rotating through, plus a decaffeinated Colombia.
What should you order first at Valenio?
Order a single-origin filter. It is the clearest line into how the roastery buys and roasts, and it makes the geographic spread of the menu count for something. Espresso is the shorter route through the same beans, and cezve is the distinctive local preparation. Pastries and light bites, some of them vegan, sit alongside.
