Where to sit, sip and slow down in Athens.
Coffee shops, bakeries with seats and the places Athens lingers in over a cortado.
Taf Coffee on Emmanouil Benaki in Exarchia is the founding Athens third-wave coffee bar from 2009, an in-house roastery with the Rosebud blend as the daily.
DrinkSingle-origin espresso, Rosebud house blend
TipThe roastery on the bar is also a small retail shop; ask for the morning's single-origin filter.
The Underdog on Iraklidon in Thissio Athens is the third-wave coffee bar and micro-roastery from 2011, in a restored neoclassical building with a brunch.
DrinkCold brew and weekend brunch in a neoclassical building
TipThe cold brew is the order; the brunch at weekends pulls a queue from 10:30.
Mind the Cup on Aimiliou Veaki in Peristeri Athens is a specialty coffee roastery and bar on a pedestrian street, a third-wave Athens destination outside.
DrinkSingle-origin espresso and filter from in-house roastery
TipThe pedestrian street outside is the spillover terrace; closed Sundays from October.
Little Tree on Kavalloti in Koukaki is the small bookshop café near the Acropolis Museum in Athens, a quiet room with filter coffee, handmade sweets.
DrinkFilter coffee and handmade sweets
TipThe pavement bench faces the Acropolis Museum; closed Sundays in winter.
Kostarelos in Kolonaki Athens is the dine-in dairy of three generations of cheesemakers, where morning espresso comes with a cheese sandwich and a Kolonaki.
DrinkEspresso with the morning cheese-sandwich counter
TipThe morning rush ends by 10:30; the lunch sandwich service runs through to 15:00.
Krinos on Aiolou in central Athens has fried loukoumades on the same recipe and decor since 1923, a sit-down counter for the doughnut with honey and a Greek.
DrinkLoukoumades with honey, Greek coffee
TipClosed Sundays; the queue moves fast and the seated counter at the back is the destination.
Lukumades on Aiolou and Agia Irini Square in Athens is the modern loukoumades shop with filled and topped doughnuts and a hipster-leaning counter just steps.
DrinkFilled and topped loukoumades with espresso
TipThe injected loukoumades with cream are the order; queue runs longest on summer weekends.
Drupes and Drips in Makrygianni near the Acropolis Museum in Athens flips between third-wave coffee in the morning and a spritzeria in the evening.
DrinkThird-wave coffee by day, wine by evening
TipCoffee runs through the morning; the bar flips to spritz and Italian wines from 13:00 onwards.
Ariston on Voulis behind Syntagma in Athens is the 1910 takeaway-pie bakery where the morning Greek coffee comes alongside the spanakopita on the counter.
DrinkSpanakopita with a Greek coffee at the counter
TipStand-up counter only; closed Sundays. The morning pies fly out before 10:00.
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