The Athenian Evening.
Considered bars and the quiet rituals of the Athenian evening — from neo-classical courtyards to Psyrri rooftops.
Line Wine Bar
The Bar in front of the Bar
A pavement cocktail bar on Petraki, opened 2021 as a pop-up that refused to leave. Eight zero-waste cocktails, changing daily, slogans on the wall, and a speakeasy called Rumble in the Jungle through the unmarked door behind. World's 50 Best, No. 47.
Au Revoir Bar
Explore →
Jazz in Jazz
A jazz and whisky bar with sailor's bones — opened 1978 in Crete by Kostas Spanos, moved to Kolonaki in 1995, now run by his nephew. Ten thousand vinyls, a working gramophone, classic cocktails, no signatures.
Trio Noon Bar
Trio Noon Bar opened in 2025 on Sismani in Neos Kosmos, built by three friends — Nikolas Ntais, Michalis Christou, and Hektor Liatsos — as the bar they wanted for themselves. A 23-square-metre room designed by architect Elina Loukou around the building's original quartz mosaic floor and glass walls, centred on a marble bar. Twisted classic cocktails, a small natural wine list, and snacks from chef Babis Axiotis, including a grilled cheese with kimchi mayonnaise that's become the order to make. Daily, 17:00 to midnight.
Before the Bar.
Restaurants where the evening properly begins.
Erli Athens
Materia Prima
Materia Prima is one of Athens’ defining destinations for natural and low-intervention wine, with two distinct outposts in Pagrati and Koukaki that together have helped shape the city’s contemporary wine culture. Founded by a team of passionate sommeliers and importers, the project is built around a deep commitment to artisanal producers, indigenous grape varieties, and wines that express a true sense of place. Its ever-evolving cellars feature carefully sourced Greek and international labels, championing small-scale winemakers who work with integrity, minimal intervention and respect for terroir. In Pagrati, the focus turns to grape varieties and vibrant street-food-inspired dishes, while Koukaki explores wine regions through a menu of refined comfort food and seasonal Mediterranean plates. Across both addresses, Materia Prima combines serious wine expertise with warm hospitality, creating an atmosphere where discovery, conversation and exceptional bottles take centre stage.
Birdman
Explore →
Pony Club
A new cocktail bar on Leoforos Vasileos Alexandrou, opened in 2026 on the Ilisia side of the city. Classic recipes handled with precision rather than reinvented, a short food menu built for sharing, and a daily rhythm — 17:00 to 01:00 — that suits an early drink as easily as a full night out. Tables spill outside for the warmer months.
Bel Ray Bar
Bel Ray is an all-day neighbourhood snack bar on the corner of Falirou in Koukaki — open from the first coffee to the last drink. A quiet fixture in the local scene with a loyal crowd and the kind of ease that can't be manufactured.
Stay Close.
Hotels in the neighbourhoods worth drinking in.
Magdalena Aperitivo
Magdalena opened in Pangrati at the end of May 2026, a straightforward aperitivo bar built around a single idea: a fictional, friendly host the founders encountered on their travels in Italy, lending the place its name and its welcome-everyone tone. The food is Italian and sourced almost entirely from Italy itself — cheeses, cured meats, olives. The drinks menu runs in four parts, opening with five lightly sparkling cocktails on tap.
FROM THE JOURNALAfter Midnight.
Read →Join the
Collection.
Are you an architect or developer of a significant Athenian property? Submit your project for archival consideration.
The Journal
Athens, in long form.
Culture
Athens Doesn't Pretend
The first thing you see landing in Athens is a sea of concrete apartment blocks covered in graffiti. That's not the city failing to be beautiful. That's the city telling you what it is.
6 min read
Culture
After Midnight
Athens doesn't begin until midnight. What happens between then and dawn is the city's real social life — and it runs on rules no one wrote down.
6 min read
Culture
The City That Sounds Like This Now
Athens has become the opening night for world tours. Here's why the biggest bands keep choosing it first.
4 min read