Where to Drink: Athens, Greece 🇬🇷
Every year, more than 15,000 bartenders fly to Athens from across Europe (and the world) to network and learn from each other at the annual Athens Bar Show. And it's not a leap to say that this annual gathering helped turns Athens into into a world-class cocktail city.
They have five bars on the World's Best Bars list this year—falling behind only NYC, London, CDMX, and Singapore in terms of quantity. And, while my favorite bars are never the ones who top the list, I do think it can be a good gauge of a city's cocktail scene.
You can find a decent cocktail in any city of a certain size but only a dozen or so cities have a true cocktail culture.
These cities are characterized by (1) a dozen or more great cocktail bars and (2) an F&B scene that has been so leveled-up by those bars that you can usually get a decent cocktail at even mid-tier restaurants and neighborhood bars.
This is definitely the case for Athens!
An Old Fashioned from Ham on Rye (left) and a Paloma from Subject (right) in Athens
Great Cocktail Bars in Athens
Line
When you want to make a night of it
Line is arguably the most famous cocktail bar in the city and rightly so. Especially when you want to venture outside of the city center and make a night out of it.
The bar itself is a rehabbed warehouse just west of the center. It's got an artsy, industrial vibe with a long bar and plenty of big tables. (Most cocktail bars in Athens have small tables closely bunched together, if they have them at all, so Line stands out in this way.) Paired with their surprisingly good food menu, I think it's a no-brainer for a date night or drink with friends. You'll have some semblance of privacy and actually be able to hear each other talk.
The drinks are creative and made using some pretty advanced techniques, but you won't find a consommé cocktail here. Everything is approachable but still interesting enough to be memorable.
My favorite was the Highball (pictured above) which splits the base between whiskey and Metaxa (a local brandy), before adding notes of banana, beetroot, and caramel apples.
It's the perfect example of why Line is great—these flavors don't compete or overwhelm the drink, they just give the classic cocktail a little extra oomph.
Walk In
When you want to start early
Walk In is owned by the same folks as Line so they share a similar industrial-with-pops-of-color aesthetic. In this case, the space is a little more casual and bright, which fits their daytime hours.
The bar functions as a cafe with sandwiches and pastries during the day and then they move to cocktails, wine, and a full food menu at night. This makes Walk In a great place to finish up some emails and start happy hour. (The tables are a decent size, the wi-fi is fast, and there are plugs available, so I did exactly this twice during my visit to Athens.)
Similar to Line, the drinks are complex enough to be interesting while not doing too much. Because of the bar's daytime/happy-hour concept, the drinks are even simpler here. They're all riffs on classic cocktails—think Paloma, Gin Fizz, Old Fashioned—and mostly stay on the light, refreshing side of things.
Barro Negro
When you just want some agave
It's no secret that I'm a big mezcal fan, but it's rare that an agave bar in Europe makes it on my list of local favorites. It's just hard to compete with the quality available in the US and Mexico! Barro Negro makes the cut though.
Not only do they have a large back bar of high-quality of agave spirits, but the cocktails are great. They have all the classics you'd expect for a Mexican-inspired bar (Palomas, Margartias) but also ones that go beyond the standards (Batangas, Cantaritos, even Tepache) and they make all of them their own with a little twist.
It's too hard to pick a favorite so I won't... but I will say that the bitter-heads among us should try the Oaxaca Negroni, which is obviously made with mezcal.
Ham on Rye
When you just want your favorite classic
I always make a point to ask local bartenders about their favorite bars, and I'm pretty sure every single one name dropped this place. And I see why!
The space is so hip-looking that I was worried it was going to feel too cool, but that's not the vibe at all. The bartenders are friendly and welcoming, and the menu boasts every classic cocktail you can think of (and probably a few you can't).
If you just want to cozy up to a dim bar and enjoy a Negroni or a Hanky Panky, this is your spot. No matter what you're craving, they'll be able to deliver.
Subject of Athens
When you want to pretend you're a local
This cocktail bar was so new that it didn't even have a Google Maps listening when I visited. And it's probably the first one I'd go back to!
It's got a super modern decor with a vague space theme and some amazing cocktails. I was so bummed to have only visited on my last night in town because I would've loved to come again and again. It's exactly the type of neighborhood bar I'd make my local if I lived nearby.
A lot of good cocktail bars can feel a bit formal or stilted because the precision with which they make drinks carries over to the ambiance and decor... but Subject is just full of friends having a good time together. There's nothing delicate or precious about it, and it's a little rowdy without being loud-for-loud's-sake.
I drank way too many Palomas in Greece, but theirs (pictured below) stands out as a favorite. As does their Junglebird, which is made with Appleton rum, Campari, coconut fermented pineapple, and sesame.
Looking for more recs?
I've included my annotated Google Map below.
This has all the deets for the cocktail bars above, plus a dozen more. And a handful of things to eat and do between drinks!