Greece › Athens › Best Bars
By Santorini Dave
The 17 Best Bars in Athens
- Original Gourmet Food Tour of Athens – Awesome walking tour of the best food and restaurants in central Athens
1. Baba Au Rum – Monastiraki • $$
Website • +30 21171 09140 • Nearest Metro: Monastiraki
The leader of Athens’ cocktail bar revival, Baba Au Rum offers beautifully crafted drinks in a lively setting. Rum is the specialty here with over 150 carefully selected labels on the menu, though the bar offers a range of high-quality spirits from around the globe. Spicy, sweet, and complex cocktails are assembled using local, organic herbs and spices, alongside homemade sodas, orgeat, and aromatic seltzers. Open Sunday through Friday from 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. and on Saturdays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.2. Juan Rodriguez Bar – Compañia de Bebida – Psirri • $$
Website • +30 69864 32909 • Nearest Metro: Monastiraki
All-day bar with an extensive, reasonably priced, craft cocktail menu that favors tropical flavors with drinks inspired by famous musicians, writers, and artists. Vintage, Latin-American-themed decor creates a warm, festive ambiance. Though popular for brunch, this is one of the few bars serving food late into the night; the kitchen is usually open until about 2:00 a.m. Open daily from 10:00 a.m. ’til 3:00 a.m. with indoor and outdoor seating.3. six d.o.g.s. – Monastiraki • $
Website • +30 21032 10510 • Nearest Metro: Monastiraki
Eclectic cultural center combining a bar, club, café, restaurant, and garden – seamlessly rolled into one trendy space. The venue hosts DJs, live bands, art exhibits, and more. The menu features a wide range of signature cocktails, Greek and international beers, and casual fare with vegan and vegetarian options. Though located near the tourist hotspot of Monastiraki, this is more popular with locals than travelers. Open 365 days a year from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.4. Noel – Monastiraki • $$
Website • +30 21121 59534 • Nearest Metro: Monastiraki
Parisian-style, Christmas-themed bar with a lively atmosphere and over-the-top decorations. The furnishing gives off a nostalgic vibe – somewhat baroque, somewhat art-deco – with lots of gold, velvet, fringe, and rich colors. Go for the delicious cocktails and magical atmosphere (but skip the food). Open Sundays through Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. and Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.5. 360° Cocktail Bar – Monastiraki • $$
Website • +30 21032 10006 • Nearest Metro: Monastiraki
Cosmopolitan rooftop bar and restaurant with the striking views of the Acropolis. The wine list features a variety of regional Greek varieties, while the food menu suggests regional dishes for the perfect pairing. A variety of signature cocktails is on offer, as well. A popular sunset perch and romantic dinner spot, reservations are recommended to secure tables with the best views. Open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.6. The Clumsies – Monastiraki • $$
Website • +30 21032 32682 • Nearest Metro: Monastiraki
Classy yet unassuming bar offering skillfully-made cocktails, comfort food, and a welcoming setting in an old townhouse. The drink menu changes regularly but always features inventive cocktails and well-made classics. Their VIP section, The Room, offers an exclusive drink menu, fireplace, and billiard table; The Room has a slightly formal air, seats up to 10, and is available by reservation only. Open all day from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.7. Alexander’s Bar – Syntagma • $$$
Website • +30 21033 30787 • Nearest Metro: Syntagma
Refined bar set in the 5-star Hotel Grande Bretagne on Syntagma Square. Alexander’s Bar offers an extensive list of rare whiskeys (especially Scotch and single-malts), brandies, and cognacs. The decor is sophisticated, filled with rich mahogany, dark marble, white columns, and an 18th-century tapestry of Alexander the Great (the bar’s namesake) above the bar. The dress code is smart casual. Open from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.8. Bad Tooth – Psirri • $
Website • +30 21309 07715 • Nearest Metro: Monastiraki
Graffiti-filled, DIY punk bar with DJs nightly, live bands occasionally, and hip hop every Tuesday. If you’re lucky, you may catch a local act rapping in Greek. Modest but carefully curated selection of good-quality spirits and beers. Bad Tooth is open super late, until about 5 or 6 in the morning on the weekends.9. The 7 Jokers – Syntagma • $
Website • +30 21032 19225 • Nearest Metro: Syntagma
Casual, rock-n-roll bar offering creative cocktails, draft beers, and an excellent liquor selection, including rare and special edition spirits. Popular within the industry, this is where Athens’ bartenders drink after their shifts, so it gets busiest very late at night around 2:00 a.m. This late-night standby is open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. weekdays, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. on Sundays.10. Heteroclito – Syntagma • $$
Website • +30 21032 39406 • Nearest Metro: Monastiraki and Syntagma
The best wine bar in Athens, Heteroclito highlights native Greek wines, with a special emphasis on natural wines. Over 200 Greek labels are on offer at any given time, and their “by the glass” selection changes every month, while Greek cheeses, cold cuts, and other small bites are on offer to accompany any selection. Open Monday through Friday from 12:30 p.m. to midnight, Saturdays from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., and Sundays from 6:00 p.m. to midnight.11. Brettos – Plaka • $
Website • +30 21032 32110 • Nearest Metro: Syntagma
A Plaka landmark since 1909, Brettos is a cozy bar and distillery offering a wide variety of spirits and cocktails. Their house-made products line the shelves in a rainbow of colors and include 5 types of ouzo, 2 types of brandy, tsipouro, rakomelo, and 40+ flavors of liqueur. Open all day from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.12. 42 Barstronomy – City Center • $$
Website • +30 21300 52153 • Nearest Metro: Syntagma
Upscale yet slightly quirky all-day bar and bistro with seasonal, signature cocktails, wines from Greece and abroad, and an eclectic, international food menu. Immediatly eye-catching, the exterior is covered in flowers and foliage, while inside the decor blends mid-century modern decor with luxury, neoclassical design. Head downstairs to Angus Hudson Butler’s Lounge, a swanky private space with butler service, top-shelf spirits, and a la minute charcuterie prepped in front of each guest and featuring rare and sought-after meats and cheeses.13. Intriga – Exarcheia • $
Website • +30 21033 00936 • Nearest Metro: Omonia
One of the oldest bars in Athens (since 1981), Intriga is a tiny, locals bar in the graffiti-covered, antiestablishment, gallery-studded neighborhood of Exarcheia. Come here for cheap drinks (beer and basic cocktails), a classic rock/punk soundtrack, and the occasional photography exhibit in the upstairs gallery. Outdoor seating is recommended; it gets pretty smoky in the main bar. Hours are not exact; Intriga operates as a café by day, then switches into a bar in the early evening and goes until 2:00 a.m. or so.14. Odori Vermuteria – Monastiraki • $$
Website • +30 21033 14674 • Nearest Metro: Monastiraki
Italian-style vermouth bar (the first vermouth bar in Greece) and restaurant, specializing in aromatic, cocktails, Greek and Italian wines, and Neapolitan pizzas. The cocktail menu features a mix of original drinks, and fresh, modern spins on traditional drinks. Odori offers a casual, romantic atmosphere with a botanical garden theme, offering indoor and outdoor seating on their large terrace. Open Mondays through Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m., and on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.15. Beatniks Road Bar – Exarcheia • $
Website • +30 21552 5 880 • Nearest Metro: Omonia and Panepistímio
Inspired by the Beat Generation rebels, especially Kerouac and Burroughs, Beatniks Road Bar is a bluesy haven for classic cocktails and Greek spirits. The bar is designed to feel like a 1950s blues hall, with a checkerboard floor, red accents, and trumpets hanging over the bar top. DJs spin early rock, blues, garage, and even a little surf on Fridays and Saturdays; live bands play about once a month. Like all bars in Exarcheia, this is more popular with locals than travelers. Open from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.16. Closer Reloaded – Exarcheia • $
Website • +30 21036 47437 • Nearest Metro: Panepistimio
Atmospheric, artsy bar with excellent cocktails and a focus on music. A long list of local DJs spin alternative, indie, post-punk, and rock, plus regular open mics, occasional live bands, and special events like feminist poetry nights. An Athenian institution, Closer has been serving the Exarcheia neighborhood since 1999.17. Strakastrüka – Koukaki • $
Website • +30 21111 63126 • Nearest Metro: Syngrou Fix
Named for a small but loud firecracker, Strakastrüka is a small but loud rock/metal bar with a broad, ever-changing selection of Greek (and international) craft beers on tap or by the bottle. A limited pizza menu is on offer well into the night. Friendly bartenders and a relaxed atmosphere with covered, outdoor seating.
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