Brettos on Kydathineon in Plaka has run since 1909 as Athens' oldest distillery and one of Europe's oldest bars, with a backlit wall of multi-hued bottles and house-made ouzo, brandy, cherry and mastic liqueurs from old Smyrna recipes.
Tip: The back-bar wall of glowing bottles is the photo seat; order the house ouzo or the cherry liqueur on ice. Open daily 10:00 to 02:00; walk in.
Address: Kydathineon 41, Athina 105 58, Athens
Au Revoir on Patision Avenue in Kypseli has run since 1958 as the city's oldest cocktail bar, an Aristomenis Provelegios interior unchanged through the decades and the room that drew Frank Sinatra on a 1960s Athens visit.
Tip: Cash-only bar; the green-leather banquettes and the original 1950s decor are intact. Victoria Metro L1 is the closest stop; the room is small, arrive early.
Off the Chain on Zoodochou Pigis in Exarchia is the indie after-hours bar that opens after the rest of the neighbourhood closes, with heavy rock, metal and indie programming and free entry into the small hours.
Tip: Doors after the other Exarchia bars close; the rock-and-metal programme runs to dawn. Cash bar is faster; Omonia Metro is the closest stop.
Cantina Social on Leokoriou in Psyrri is the hidden after-hours bar reached through a covered passage off the street, with cheap drinks, old industrial machines as decor and a DJ programme that runs until early morning.
Tip: Hard to find; take the unmarked passage from Leokoriou into the courtyard. Cash bar is fastest; Monastiraki Metro is the closest stop.
Six d.o.g.s. on Avramiotou off Athinas in Monastiraki runs a bar, gallery and live-music venue with a hidden back garden, open 365 days a year and one of the canonical late-night stops in central Athens.
Tip: The garden is the warm-weather seat; the indoor stage runs DJ and live programming. Monastiraki Metro is two blocks; concerts ticketed via the venue Instagram.
Death Disco on Ogigou in Psyrri has been the Athens goth, new wave and industrial reference since 2013, programming live bands like Solar Fake and Covenant alongside weekly EBM, dark electro and gothic-rock DJ nights.
Tip: The room is compact and ventilation is basic; arrive after 01:00 for the peak set. Tickets and event listings on the venue's Resident Advisor page.
Crust on Protogenous in Psyrri is the New York-style pizzeria with a basement indie club below, programming techno and live gigs once the upstairs slice counter slows down on the strip's trendiest block.
Tip: Pizza slice on the way out is part of the routine; the basement room shakes after midnight. Monastiraki Metro four blocks, Thiseio also walkable.