Mourga — Restaurant in Municipality of Thessaloniki

What an utter disappointment. If I could give 0 stars for the food as a whole I would. The reviews and even some of our friends suggestions for Thessaloniki made us really look forward to trying this place. As cooks ourselves the menu had us excited. It sounded innovative and fun. I don’t even know where to start with the issues of the food but a BIG one was the quality of olive oil they used to season everything. I’m from the Mediterranean region. I know bad olive oil when I taste it. It was obviously either light, air or heat exposed. Bitter in the worst way and it was on everything. Just left the most unpleasant after taste and made things inedible. We tried our hardest to finish what we were served, but it was dreadful. Absolutely drowned all of the fresh seafood. The food was also horribly over salted, and my husband and don’t usually mind higher salt levels. Seafood was badly cooked. Over cooked, rubber tire of shrimps was atrocious that came with basted eggs and cheese that you were meant to mix. They obviously did not temper the pan as the eggs stuck to it and the flavour of the whole thing was just bad. Really bad. We also found it very lazy of the kitchen to use the same olive oil, lemon emulsion on multiple dishes. Maybe if the olive oil was decent it wouldn’t have been as bad but still, why would you want multiple dishes to taste the same?! The “fruit salad” which was just a slice of melon (which was ok) and some rock hard, no aroma nectarines with cheese was boring. I’m sure you could have found some flavourful nectarines somewhere, especially if they are apparently going to market daily. Cucumber and yogurt was ok, the cucumbers were tasty and a nice quality yogurt but again that rancid olive oil. The smoked mussels were very good and well cooked, the amaranth underneath was bland, boring mush. Texture? Finally the squid at the end was just the rotten cherry on top of the bad cake. SO BADLY executed. It was tough. Like I can’t get my knife through it, let alone chew it tough. Mediterranean squid do tend to have some texture, we’ve both cooked with it many times and of course eaten it at restaurants plenty of times. I don’t even understand how they managed this. I have never, in my 15 years with my husband, heard him say “I refuse to eat this.” Out of respect for the animal and the product he/I would never do this. So you can imagine, it was bad. On a bright note, wine was very good and service was nice and attentive. The restaurant is beautiful and the red egg bbq is gorgeous in the center on the kitchen. It’s really a shame that this was such an awful meal as most of the ingredients are premium. Maybe we should have said something at the time but we both just wanted to leave. We still tipped well as the service was good and the food is not their fault but we will certainly never go back. I can not imagine why this place has any good reviews. Please do yourself a favour and go somewhere else. There are plenty of great restaurants in...

We came in with high hopes and really wanted to like this place, especially since the concept and menu sounded intriguing. In fairness, we didn’t try the full menu, so this review is based on a limited selection of dishes.

We ordered a salad, two starters, a main, and the two types of bread. Let’s start with the bread — unfortunately, both options were extremely underwhelming. Very small (apricot-sized) and quite possibly the worst bread I’ve ever had. 0/10.

The tomato, strawberry, and peach salad had a lovely idea behind it, but lacked basic seasoning and overall flavor. It felt like a missed opportunity. 3/10.

Service-wise, we weren’t informed in advance that dishes would come out one at a time. That would’ve been helpful to know, especially since we were hoping for a quick lunch (we had our puppy with us and I’m currently pregnant, plus it was very hot both inside and out).

The zucchini dish was another letdown — I eat zucchini regularly and these were by far the most bland I’ve ever had. Again, no seasoning, no flavor. 0/10.

The shrimp starter was the highlight of our meal. Tasty, well-prepared, and nicely balanced. 7/10.

The squid dish, sadly, had a strange bitter aftertaste and little else going on flavor-wise. 6/10.

Finally, the Mahi Mahi, recommended by our server (and the priciest item we ordered), was cooked well according to my husband, but not to my personal taste. 5/10.

One thing worth noting: the staff were very polite and welcoming, and the restaurant was empty when we arrived, so service was attentive throughout. However, the entire experience took almost two hours and we only managed to finish the salad and shrimp.

While we appreciated the ideas behind the dishes, the execution really didn’t land for us. Sadly, we won’t be returning or recommending it — but perhaps others might have better luck with different...

Mourga! After reading mixed reviews, I wasn't sure what to expect, so I decided to visit the restaurant myself. We arrived 15 minutes before opening and were warmly welcomed and seated promptly. Unfortunately, what followed was far from what I had hoped for.

The first disappointment came when we waited 45 minutes for bread to arrive—hardly a good start. Then, the first dish of raw fish arrived, but it was underwhelming. The flavors of olive and pepper overwhelmed the dish, and the portion was quite small for the price.

Next, we were served boiled vegetables with smoked tomato, which was another letdown. While the vegetables were fine, the dish was described as having a smoky flavor, which was practically nonexistent. The white tarama and mussels that followed were also bland and tasteless.

The squid, however, was a slight improvement. It was decent, with a reasonable portion size, but still nothing extraordinary. Then came a dish they called a "salad," which was essentially four pieces of cucumber, a few greens for decoration, and some yogurt at the bottom. Again, it was uninspiring and overpriced.

We also tried the strips, a dish that was cleverly conceived and immediately caught my attention. Unfortunately, they were overcooked, which was disappointing given the promising concept.

Finally, after a long wait, the grilled fish arrived. This dish was actually well-prepared and flavorful, with an adequate portion size, which was a relief after the earlier disappointments.

Overall, Mourga was a letdown. While there were a few redeeming moments, the experience didn't justify the high prices. The restaurant needs to rethink and redefine what it means to offer a gourmet...