By the Glass in central Athens is the Ralli Gallery wine bar a few steps from the National Gardens, with a Greek wine focus and a small Mediterranean carte.
Food program: Mediterranean bistro
Tip: Dine inside the arcade in winter; the courtyard tables open from April through October.
Address: G. Souri 3 & Filellinon, Syntagma, Athina, Athens
Heteroclito on Fokionos and Petraki in Athens has poured a 200-label all-Greek wine list since 2012, with 20 by-the-glass picks and a back-bar of small plates.
Signature drink: 200-label Greek wine list, 20 by the glass
Food: Cheese boards and small plates
Tip: Pavement tables fill from 19:00; book ahead for the natural-wine flights of the night.
The Clumsies on Praxitelous is the Athens cocktail bar of record, on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2015 from Nikos Bakoulis and Vasilis Kyritsis.
Signature drink: Specialty coffee by day, signature cocktails by night
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Specialty coffee runs from 10:00; bookings open six weeks ahead for the back room.
Baba au Rum on Kleitiou has poured tiki and rum-led cocktails in central Athens for over a decade, with 11 consecutive years on the World's 50 Best Bars list to its name.
Signature drink: Rum tiki and tropical cocktails
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Back bar holds over 400 rums; ask the bartender for the agricole flight to start.
Heteroclito on Fokionos and Petraki in Athens has poured a 200-label all-Greek wine list since 2012, with 20 by-the-glass picks and a back-bar of small plates.
Signature drink: 200-label Greek wine list, 20 by the glass
Food: Cheese boards and small plates
Tip: Pavement tables fill from 19:00; book ahead for the natural-wine flights of the night.
The Clumsies on Praxitelous is the Athens cocktail bar of record, on the World's 50 Best Bars list every year since 2015 from Nikos Bakoulis and Vasilis Kyritsis.
Signature drink: Specialty coffee by day, signature cocktails by night
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Specialty coffee runs from 10:00; bookings open six weeks ahead for the back room.
Line in Athens is the second venture from the Clumsies team Nikos Bakoulis and Vasilis Kyritsis, ranked No. 8 on the World's 50 Best Bars 2025 in a converted gallery.
Signature drink: Greek-spirits cocktails in a converted gallery
Food: Small plates
Tip: Booking-only after 19:00 Thursday through Saturday; weekday early sittings are easier.
Baba au Rum on Kleitiou has poured tiki and rum-led cocktails in central Athens for over a decade, with 11 consecutive years on the World's 50 Best Bars list to its name.
Signature drink: Rum tiki and tropical cocktails
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Back bar holds over 400 rums; ask the bartender for the agricole flight to start.
A for Athens is the rooftop bar above the hotel of the same name on Monastiraki Square, with the head-on view of the Acropolis that defined the genre in central Athens.
Signature drink: Acropolis-view cocktails at sunset
Food: Mediterranean small plates
Tip: Sunset on weekends fills 45 minutes before the doors open; arrive by 18:30 in summer.
Couleur Locale on Normanou is the multi-floor Monastiraki Athens hideaway with a rooftop terrace that climbs to a clear view of the Acropolis and Plaka.
Signature drink: Day-to-night Acropolis-view cocktails
Food: Tapas and finger food
Tip: The rooftop terrace on the 2nd and 3rd floor is the destination; the ground floor is the queue.
