MediterraneanCocktail bar€€Old TownDaily 09:00-04:00
Dish Bar holds a corner of Agios Titos square in Heraklion, pairing Mediterranean plates with a cocktail list and its nineties dance nights.
Signature drink: Tom's Temptation
Food: Full Mediterranean menu
Order: Tom's Temptation, passionfruit, caramel and lime
Tip: The room is known for its nineties dance nights, so check the socials before planning an evening around one.
Cocktail barCocktail bar€Venetian HarbourSeasonal, April to October
The Dodo Cocktail Bar pours on the Sofokli Venizelou seafront in Heraklion, cheap by old-town standards and pointed straight out at the water.
Signature drink: Mojito Pirata
Food: Snacks
Order: The Mojito Pirata, with the sea in front of you
Tip: One of the cheaper cocktail lists on the Heraklion seafront, and a seasonal one: it runs roughly April to October.
MexicanResto bar€€Old Town
El Sur is the Latin-leaning resto bar on Arkoleon in Heraklion, mixing margaritas and mojitos beside a kitchen doing Mexican food and sushi.
Signature drink: Margarita
Food: Mexican and sushi
Order: A margarita, with tacos to keep it company
Tip: Arkoleon is a two-minute walk from Lions Square, and the kitchen runs as late as the bar does.
Cocktail barBar and club€€Old TownTue-Sat from 13:00 until early morning; Sun-Mon closed
La Brasserie stacks a terrace, a bar, a gallery and a club into one Korai Street address in Heraklion, and runs from lunch until the early hours.
Signature drink: Cocktails on the terrace
Food: Restaurant menu until late
Order: A cocktail on La Terrasse before the club opens
Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. The club floor opens at 22:00, with Latin nights and karaoke through the week.
Cocktail barCocktail bar€€Korai and ChandakosMon-Sat from 18:00
Bartenders Club on Chronaki Gianni in Heraklion is a bartending school and an old-school cocktail bar sharing one address in the city centre.
Signature drink: Old-school classics
Food: Snacks
Order: A classic, made by whoever is teaching that week
Tip: The same address runs a bartending school, so the people behind the stick are usually the ones writing the curriculum.
Cocktail barRooftop bar€€€Old TownDaily 19:00-02:00
Toucan Skybar takes the fifth floor above Plateia Eleftherias in Heraklion, the highest cocktail terrace in the city and the best sunset seat.
Signature drink: Cocktails with a city view
Food: Small plates
Order: A cocktail on the terrace, facing the harbour
Tip: Fifth floor on Plateia Eleftherias, so it catches the light long after the street below has gone dark.