![\"Liv](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1756569612_472_0_author-picjpglU.jpg\")
<\/p>\nA review of Kallos Cafe & Wine Bar where small plates transport you to sunnier climes<\/p>\n
Liv is the Tourism Writer for the Manchester Evening News. She is an NCTJ-trained senior reporter who joined the team in 2021. She previously worked as a reporter for The Bolton News. <\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_Review-of-Kallos-Cafe-Wine-Bar-Salford.jpg\")
The lamb flatbread and feta wrapped in pastry at Kallos Cafe & Wine Bar, Salford(Image: Liv Clarke)<\/p>\n
You can\u2019t deny it now, there\u2019s a whiff of autumn in the air. The wind is changing, the evenings are getting darker and it felt like that hot spell over the bank holiday was probably the last hurrah of the summer.<\/p>\n
If you find yourself craving that summer-holiday feeling, there are pockets of it to be found across Greater Manchester which take the form of bars and restaurants<\/a> transporting you to distant lands.<\/p>\n One such place is Kallos Cafe & Wine Bar on Bankside Boulevard in Salford<\/a> which opened in March this year. It\u2019s located in the basement of the Cortland at Colliers Yard apartment complex, one of the latest developments to open up in the Blackfriars area.<\/p>\n This is an area that\u2019s undergone a construction boom in recent years, rivalling Ancoats with its swish flats and city-living lifestyle. While it may still be developing, the nearby food and drinks scene already has deep roots.<\/p>\n Stay connected with our City Life newsletter here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Head west down nearby Chapel Street and you\u2019ll find popular tapas restaurant Porta, coffee and brunch spot Procaffeinated and the Italian restaurant Vero Modero, which is said to be a favourite of City footballer Erlin Haaland<\/a>. Kallos is in good company then.<\/p>\n Following a short walk from Exchange Square down Greengate, we arrived early for our 7.30pm booking and half wondered if the table would be free earlier, given it was a Thursday night. How wrong we were as the restaurant was packed.<\/p>\n So while we waited we opted to have some drinks at the small outdoor seating area, intending to soak up the last of the summer. It didn\u2019t quite turn out that way, sipping our drinks under the cloudy Salford sky as the wind whipped past the apartment complexes. Still, I bet it\u2019s lovely when the sun is shining.<\/p>\n It did mean the welcome we had entering the restaurant once our table was ready did feel particularly warm. Descending down the steps it felt like entering a cave-like space, reminiscent of an white-washed tavern in Santorini.<\/p>\n It may be in the basement, but Kallos is light and airy, and avoids the fussiness some Greek restaurants play into. Instead it has a bit of Rudy\u2019s DNA to it – think exposed concrete and visible pipes.<\/p>\n Yet it doesn\u2019t feel raw or unfinished, in fact marble-topped tables, glowing candles and pale wooden chairs added a chicness to the proceedings. Staff were incredibly attentive, bringing a bottle of water to the table immediately and promptly serving us.<\/p>\n There\u2019s an open kitchen where you can see the dishes being prepared, and I eagerly watched puffy flat breads being removed from the oven – one of the things I was keen to try.<\/p>\n We\u2019re given the menus and informed the dishes are inspired by Greece, Turkey and Spain – a fusion of Mediterranean cuisine. The menu is divided up into bread and dips, meze, the aforementioned flatbreads and an assortment of tinned fish.<\/p>\n Ordering a mixture of meze and flatbreads, we were informed that everything would arrive when it\u2019s ready, similar to tapas.<\/p>\n As the name would suggest, Kallos specialises in Greek wines (it even hosts Greek wine tasting nights) and I enjoyed a glass of Liatiko (\u00a39), a red wine, as we waited, while my boyfriend had a Mythos beer (\u00a34.50).<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t long before the first dish arrived: crispy baby potatoes served with Greek pickled chilli mayo (\u00a34). Well, these were the crispiest potatoes I\u2019ve ever had, their exteriors had an excellent crunch to them yet they were delightfully soft and fluffy inside.<\/p>\n Shortly after two more plates arrived: the feta wrapped filo pastry (\u00a310.50) and the first of the flatbreads: lamb shoulder with Myzithra cheese (\u00a311.50).<\/p>\n The feta was drizzled with honey and scattered with sesame seeds and cutting into it the crisp pastry gave way to the soft cheese within. This really was a plate of contrasts: a collision of textures with that tantalising combination of sweet and salty flavours. Definitely one of the standouts of the meal.<\/p>\n Around us the restaurant was bustling with a diverse mix of diners. Beside our table were a couple of multi-generational families sat together, while young women gossiped at tables for two. Kallos may not be located in the heart of the city but it certainly has a bustling atmosphere many central food spots lack.<\/p>\n More dishes soon followed. A huge plate of butter bean stew (\u00a38) appeared topped with a generous dollop of hummus which we mopped up with the flatbread crusts. A rich tomato base yet still packing freshness, it\u2019s the sort of thing you could eat all year round.<\/p>\n A second flatbread, this time a spanakopita-inspired affair with feta and spinach, topped with piles of parmesan (\u00a38) arrived. We both preferred the lamb version but this was still delicious in its own right.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1756569616_959_0_Review-of-Kallos-Cafe-Wine-Bar-Salford.jpg\")
The flatbread with lamb shoulder(Image: Liv Clarke)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1756569617_756_0_Review-of-Kallos-Cafe-Wine-Bar-Salford.jpg\")
The feta encased in crisp fillo pastry (Image: Liv Clarke)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1756569619_411_0_Review-of-Kallos-Cafe-Wine-Bar-Salford.jpg\")
The butter bean stew topped with hummus(Image: Liv Clarke)<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1756569620_844_0_Review-of-Kallos-Cafe-Wine-Bar-Salford.jpg\")
The baklava and Portokalopita, both served with ice cream (Image: Liv Clarke)<\/p>\n