From Bougatsa to Bougatsan

At almost any time of the day you will pass a queue of locals waiting to get their hands on the city’s favorite pastry at one of Thessaloniki’s stalls. The flaky pie with a filling of custard cream and topped with a shake of caster sugar and cinnamon, known as ‘Bougatsa’, is indeed the city’s mainstay in sweet tooth satisfaction. In 2014, however, a hybrid was born when local café/paitisserie  Estrella located at Pavlou Mela 48, revamped the bougatsa, replacing the original casing with that of a soft and buttery croissant with a gooey creme anglaise filling, (and the option of a luxuriant chocolate glaze). When Estrella chef/manager and food blogger, Dimitris Koparanis, posted a photo of the new creation on Instagram, he and the dessert gained instant fame. Estrelle has sold over 50,000 bougatsans since, and it’s no surprise that their following continues going strong. It seems Koparanis has the right attitude. “We want everything to be a surprise,” says Koparanis. “We want people to have fun with the food.”