Kapani — also known as Vlali — is the oldest market in the city, a network of covered lanes and open alleys behind Egnatia Street where butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers, olive sellers, cheese merchants, and spice dealers have been trading for centuries. It is noisier, messier, and more alive than the restored Modiano next door, and if you want to shop like a Thessalonikian rather than a tourist, this is where you come.
The best time to visit is weekday mornings, when the stalls are fully stocked and the commerce is at its most vigorous. The fish market in the back corner has extraordinarily fresh seafood — the boats come in to the port nearby and the catch reaches the stalls within hours. A cluster of cheap lunch spots around the market's edges serve grilled meat and fried fish to the stallholders and locals at prices well below anything on the tourist waterfront.