Who would have thought that there would be so many amazing bars in Athens! I prefer bars with beautiful views especially rooftop terraces. Today I’ll be sharing my suggestions on the best bars in Athens! Two of them are rooftop bars with Acropolis views and two of them are part of the World’s Top 50 Bars!
1. A for Athens – Rooftop Bar
A for Athens is a boutique hotel located in the Monastiraki station. On top of the hotel is their bar & restaurant of the same name – A for Athens. There is a covered patio area (most popular during the day), inside area, and one higher level patio but with no cover. If you are coming in a party of two, you’ll likely sit in the communal bar area as the tables right next to the ledge are all for 6 people! It is usually quite busy as it is one of the best bars in Athens! The view of the Acropolis is really beautiful here especially on the patio with no cover.
View of Acropolis from the upper patio
In terms of cocktails, there is usually a theme and currently it is based on Odyssey and exploration (check out their menu here). Each cocktail costs about 12 euros and is on the high end of things in Athens. I actually came here for coffee as it was during the day! It’s totally normal to order an espresso freddo (~ 4 euros) and sit for an hour with no judgement from the servers. The coffee was good but nothing to write home about. You can’t beat this view though!
Area: Monastiraki
View of Acropolis: Yes
Average Price of Cocktails: 12 Euros
Food: Full Menu
Tripadvisor
2. Couleur Locale – Rooftop Bar
Best seats in the house – Couleur Locale
After lots of research, it was pretty conclusive that Couleur Locale is the best rooftop bar in Athens! I was really excited to visit this bar and it did not disappointed! It has a lovely vibe and some pretty greenery around the edges. There are a few seats along the ledge and you’ll have to get lucky to get them! I came about an hour before the sunset and settled for one of the most inside spots at a communal table. You can still easily see the Acropolis, but you probably just can’t get a good photo!
Couleur Locale, view of the Acropolis is to the left
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting the drinks to be good as I thought that the view would sell itself. But I was so pleasantly surprised at the taste of my Aperol Spritz. The flavours were balanced with good bubbles and even the ice was up to par. The cocktail menu is split up between classics and their signature creations. There’s also a collection of “Early Drinks” which I think are on the lighter side (find their cocktail menu here).
If you had to choose between Couleur Locale or A for Athens, I would choose Couleur Locale as the vibe and value is better. The venue is also bigger so you can have a better chance of snagging a seat!
Area: Monastiraki
View of Acropolis: Yes
Average Price of Cocktails: 8 – 12 Euros
Food: Yes, but dinner menu is mostly burgers and pizza
Tripadvisor
3. Odori Vermuteria Di Atene
Odori Vermuteria Di Atene serves Italian food such as pasta and pizza and specializes in drinks featuring vermouth. The setting is so beautiful and reminds me of the quintessential European dining experience. The tables spill out onto the streets while the floor to ceiling windows opens up the interior bar and tables.
I thoroughly enjoyed my drink which was a more herbal, earthy cocktail. It was very different from the normal fruity cocktails I have but was still very refreshing in the heat!
Area: Commercial Center
View of Acropolis: No
Average Price of Cocktails: 8 – 12 Euros
Food: Yes, we had some delicious pasta
Tripadvisor
4. Baba Au Rum – World’s #22 Bar
Taking inspirations from his travels, the owner of Baba Au Rum creates cocktails with flavours from around the world! All of the cocktails here have a rum base but it’s not your average rum & coke. The decor reminds me of a Caribbean island and if you like fancy glassware, you’ll be happy to know that there’s many unique tiki glasses for the bartenders to choose from!
I can’t remember what my first drink was, but if you want to something strong, go for the Zombie! It was probably a 4 or 5 shot drink and yet it tasted so smooth! Be careful that you don’t act like a Zombie after drinking it though! Here is a snippet of their menu. I like that each cocktail has a description of the ingredients and inspiration. The Baba Au Rum cocktail as seen on the bottom left has been on the menu since 2009!
On a side note, this place has the prettiest bathroom ever!
Area: Commercial Center
View of Acropolis: No
Average Price of Cocktails: 9 – 12 Euros
Food: No
Tripadvisor
5. The Clumsies – World’s #7 Bar
Last but not least is the top rated bar in Athens – The Clumsies! They are actually ranked #7 in the world in 2018 and I can totally see why! I came here twice during my 3 days in Athens! From the outside, you wouldn’t even know this was a bar. There is no signage and the only indication that we found the right place is the small doorbell underneath the “39”.
Inside, the decor creates 3 totally different vibes over 2 levels. Enjoy your drink at the bar with dark leather chairs, the tropical living room, or the cozy bedroom upstairs.
Living room area with long communal table
I love how much effort they put towards creativity in the cocktails, menu, and decor. To read the menu, you need to shine a flashlight into the book to activate the “magic ink”. It was such a fun way to engage with your group and huddle together to read the menu! The ink will disappear within 10-15 seconds so you gotta be quick to read it!
Unfortunately I can’t remember the name of either of the drinks I have here. But both were delicious and very innovative. I know that the second one had notes of matcha! The owners of the Clumsies are definitely trailblazers for putting Athens on the map for serious cocktail lovers.
Area: Commercial Center
View of Acropolis: No
Average Price of Cocktails: 10 – 14 Euros
Food: Yes
Tripadvisor
Other Tips
A couple other bars that would have been interesting to check out but didn’t have the time to: The Gin Joint, Loser Bar, and Rabbithole. For wine lovers, I really enjoyed Heteroclito for well curated wines. You can also visit Wine O’Clock, Oinoscent, and Cinque Wine.
Also, if you’d like to buy alcohol to drink in your hotel, I’d highly recommend Alfa Sigma Liquor Store. They had amazing selection and really cheap prices! You can also find The Clumsies cocktails at Ergon which was an upscale grocery store.
