Athens in Your Pocket

Nightlife
If long nights out in town is what you’re looking for,
you’ve come to the right place. Athens ranks among the
hottest nightlife destinations, with an electric, upbeat
atmosphere and thrilling urban vibe that will give you
a lesson or two in partying like there was no tomorrow.
Do as the locals do: venture out between 23:00 pm and
midnight, leave all your worries behind, indulge yourself in
spontaneous revelry and, this is most important, don’t even
consider venturing back before the early morning hours. In
many nightclubs the fun starts after about 01:00 am, when
the local “tsifteteli” songs (eastern style upbeat love songs
that inspire the ladies to sensuous undulating dancing,
similar to a simplified form of belly dance - often converted
to a table dance on the spur of the moment).
As in many things here, you will discover that in Athenian
nightlife moderation is out, all-out partying extravaganza
is in. Wherever you choose to spend your night, if the
weather has begun to warm up you’ll find the pavements
and terraces strewn with tables and loud groups of friends
chatting, teasing one another or people-watching.
A LIER MAN
This bar-restaurant belongs to the select club of
establishments that become trendy as soon as they open
their doors to the public. Tucked in a narrow street just
off the main Gazi square, it has been one of the big hits
of the last season. Although they serve food, the place is
primarily a bar with small rooms and smart decoration
where freestyle crowds pack themselves to enjoy good
music of different genres. When the weather is good a
couple of tables outside serve as a much needed chill out
retreat.QA4, Sofroniou 2 Gazi, MKerameikos, tel. (+30)
210 3426322. Open 20:00 - 02:00. P ­J ­K
ATHENS SPORTS BAR
It’s the only Australian-run bar in Athens and it caters to expats,
tourists and all sports fans who love watching a game
of their favourite sport the right way: with lots of beer and a
fun atmosphere. Mondays are pub quiz nights and Thursdays
Karaoke. Happy hour every evening 19:00-20:00QE8,
Veikou 3A, Makry, MAcropolis, tel. (+30) 210 9235811,
www.athenssportsbar.gr. Open 07:30 - late. €. P ­J ­B
Nightlife
Baba Au Rum is a leading rum and
cocktail bar in Athens. Awarded as one
of the World’s 50 Best Bars 2016 and
Best High End Bar in Greece 2017.
As far as drinking is concerned, the locals enjoy their drinks
but drunkenness is widely considered a sign of weakness,
not virility. While we’re on the subject, bear in mind that,
regrettably, a minority of bars and clubs serve methylated
spirits, so if you find that your first drink was too much of a
knock-out, play safe and order a glass of wine or a bottle of
beer, which cannot be adulterated, instead.
That having been said, go on out and enjoy the party
atmosphere of the safest city in Europe (and one of the
safest in the world) and act on your impulses, on the whim
of the moment - Athenian style.
BARS & PUBS
A FOR ATHENS
Classy cafe and cocktail bar offering exquisite views of
the Acropolis. You will pay for the privilege of course, but
that does not seem to bother the wealthy crowd of welldressed
gents and Bond girls who throng here for late night
high jinks that can go on well into the next morning.QC‐2,
2-4 Miaouli, tel. (+30) 2103244244. €€. A
ALEXANDER’S BAR
Cigars and cocktails in the bar of the Grande Bretagne hotel.
As classy and expensive as you would expect the place is a
magnet for business types and and older crowd that can
be doing with the trendier places in the city centre. As with
everything else at the Grande Bretagne it costs a bit more
than elsewhere, but that’s just how most people seem to
like it.Q1 Vasileos Georgiou Street (Grande Bretagne
Hotel), MSyntagma Square, tel. (+30) 210 333 0787,
www.gbrestaurants.gr/en/alexanders-bar.
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BABA AU RUM
Ask ten Athenians what’s the best cocktail bar in the city
and the chances are at least nine and a half will say Baba
Au Rum. This legendary Athens bar is a veritable cocktail lab.
The guys import directly most of the rare spirits, bitters and
syrups they use to produce their out-of-this-world cocktails.
Their excellent award winning menu-booklet includes two
main sections of drinks: The Avant Garde Cocktails inspired
by the social movement of modernism and of course the
Rum Society. The menu also includes an impressive rum
spirit list, one of the biggest in Europe. The place itself has a
unique, 1950s unique retro - exotic style. During the summer
season many people stand outside, right in the heart of
the city’s historic triangle.QE‐2, Kleitiou 6, MSyntagma,
Monastiraki, tel. (+30) 211 7109140, www.babaaurum.
com. Open 19:00 - 03:00, Sat 13:00 - 04:00. P ­J ­B
BALTHAZAR
A classic ‘see and be seen’ bar (and restaurant) for the affluent
crowds of the city, housed in an old grand neoclassical
mansion with a beautiful garden. Food is Mediterranean
and priced for the celebrity clientele, but the music can be
too loud for those who prefer to enjoy a quiet dinner. Do
not dress too casual.Q27 Tsocha Anastassiou, tel. (+30)
6942559231/(+30) 210 6412300-9, www.balthazar.gr.
Open 20:00- late. €€€. B
BALUX
Right by the water in Glyfada this superb cafe and bar
(which also serves some very good food) offers amazing
views out to sea and plays host to some great parties. A
DJ will spin the tunes late in the evening as a cool crowd
of thirtysomethings and above sips cocktails out on
the terrace or chilling on one of the comfy sofas. Dress
up.QLeoforos Poseidonos 58, tel. (+30) 210 89 83 577,
www.baluxcafe.com. Open 09:00 - 03:00. €€. A­U­B­
W
BIOS
A point of reference for the alternative-progressive Athenian
youth. A minimal bar, a stage for live performances, a basement
club hosting experimental djs and two small art house cinemas,
all under the same industrial roof of a beautiful bauhaus
building with a quiet roof garden with a distinct downtown
feel. Founder Vassilis Charalampidis, a designer and his team,
have embarked on a ‘creative exploration of the multiple
manifestations of urban culture’, at the same time bringing
Athenian nightlife a step closer to Berlin, London and New
York. Its quiet roof garden has a distinct downtown feel.QB4,
Pireos 84, Kerameikos, MKerameikos, Thissio, tel. (+30) 210
3425335, www.bios.gr. Open 11:00 - 3:00. P ­J ­W
BLACK DUCK MULTIPLARTE
An all-day multilevel hang-out in downtown Athens with
a café-bar on the ground floor, a restaurant upstairs and a
gallery in the basement. Every last detail of the decoration
has been taken care of and the staff is very professional.
The cuisine is Mediterranean and everything is prepared
with fresh ingredients. There are daily specials along the
good selection of main courses, salads and desserts of
the menu and a comprehensive wine list. In the evening
the music (from jazz and world to funk and soul) gets
louder, the barmen prepare delicious Black Duck cocktails
and the stylish crowds loosen up in one of the area’s
coolest hotspots.QE‐2, Hristou Lada 9, MSyntagma,
Panepistimio, tel. 210 3234760, www.blackduck.gr.
Open 10:00 - 01:30, Sun 18:00 - 01:30. P ­J ­A ­K
Kleitiou 5 TK 10560 Athens,
www.babaaurum.com
info@babaaurum.com
BOOGIE BAR
Achingly cool the decor at this rather good cocktail bar
looks as though it cost a million euros and that the whole
place is out of your league, but fortunately the prices of
drinks is more than reasonable. Good sounds, a very casual
vibe and a crowd of friendly locals out for a decent night
make this one of our top Athens nightlife picks.Q236
Mesogeion street, MHolargos, tel. (+30) 21 5550 5908.
Open 10:00 - 03:00, Fri, Sat 10:00 - 05:00. €€. A ­B
BRETTOS
A unique store and one of the oldest Athenian family distilleries,
selling its own brand of traditional sweet liquors during the day
and a bar serving these same spirits in the evening. The colourful
bottles on the shelves covering its walls are artfully lit and make
the place one of the most recognisable attractions of Plaka. Bring
your camera: Switched at low shutter speeds, it will produce
some interesting pictures to take home.QE‐5, Kydathineon
41, Plaka, MSyntagma, tel. (+30) 210 3232110, www.
brettosplaka.com. Open 10:00 - 02:00. €. P ­J
DRUNK (SINATRA)
New drinking spots are mushrooming in the city centre’s
narrow streets, but Drunk remains very much the king of
Athens nightlife. It’s always packed with the city’s trendiest
crowds, top djs rotate behind its decks and supreme
cocktails are mixed on an industrial scale behind its bar.
QE‐2, Thiseos 16, MSyntagma, Monastiraki, tel. (+30)
210 3313733. Open 10:00 - 04:00. P ­J ­B ­W
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April - June 2017 27