Café-bars, bar restaurants, dive bars, rooftop bars, after-hours bars, wine bars, jazz bars, whisky bars, spritz bars, beer bars, hotel bars… Athens is a city of drinkers. Hidden in arcades, spilling across squares, squeezed onto pavements, or perched on rooftops, there are bars on every street corner in Athens. With a strong cocktail game (two of the world’s 50 best bars are in Athens) and a new generation of bartenders championing Greek spirits and mixers (look out for Otto’s Vermouth, Puro tsipouro, Kernel’s Mahlepi, and 3 Cents Aegean tonics), the city’s fine drinking scene is thriving. After-work drinks are a relatively new thing, as Athenians have discovered the aperitivo, but the party really gets started after midnight.
Epta Martyres
Epta Martyres
Part tapas bar, part wine bar, this little joint is the epitome of neo-Athenian cool. With classic Thonet chairs and round marble tables, the packed, candlelit interior positively radiates warmth. Aside from the long, intriguing Greco-Gallic wine list, it’s the well-priced little dishes that come with every round of drinks that steal the show – a tradition borrowed from the ‘tsipouradika’ of Volos, where every carafe of ouzo or tsipouro comes with a complimentary meze. Here, the surprise dishes might be oysters or gravlax. Reservations require forward planning, but it’s walk-ins only at the bar, and it is also open for a laidback lunch.
Address: Menechmou 3b, Neos Kosmos, Athens
Website: instagram.com/eptamartyres.athens/
Eprepe
Eprepe (which loosely translates as ‘it was meant to be’) launched the lively café-bar scene on pedestrian Agias Zonis, the most happening street in Kypseli. Whether you pick one of the colourful metal tables outside or a wooden window seat, this corner bar is perfectly positioned for a piece of the action. Wines by the glass are decently priced, but the twisted classic cocktails are the headliners here. Adventurous (and occasionally overwrought) small plates change often but might include semi-cured mackerel with creamed leeks or a ribeye with kimchi and chimichurri. The young staff have plenty of inner-city attitude, which can be either endearing or annoying. Order another wildflower gin spritz or citrus-and-smoke martini, and you won’t even notice.
Address: Agias Zonis 1, Kypseli, Athens
Website: instagram.com/eprepe_bar/