Drupes and Drips in Makrygianni near the Acropolis Museum in Athens brings Veneto aperitivo culture to the city: a short Italian wine list and spritz in a tiny corner bar.
Food program: Cicchetti and small plates
Tip: Spritzes run EUR7 to EUR9; the small plates are for sharing, not for solo dining.
Address: Zitrou 20, Athina 117 42, Athens
Lazy Duck on Agia Irini Square in Athens is the elevated cocktail bar in the Ernst Ziller neoclassical building that used to house Tailor Made, with tables on the square.
Signature drink: Elevated cocktails in a neoclassical room
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: The square seating is walk-up; the ground-floor room takes bookings after 21:00.
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.
Signature drink: Greek wines by the glass with bistro fare
Food: Mediterranean bistro
Tip: Dine inside the arcade in winter; the courtyard tables open from April through October.
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.
