Entertainment in Greece
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Koukouvagia
If you have wheels then take a 10-minute drive up to hill where the great statesman Eleftherios Venizelos is buried. This owl-themed café and bar (with an extraordinary owl décor collection) enjoys panoramic views of Hania. It's a cool place to hang on summer's nights. The pita creations are excellent, as are the large selection of cakes and desserts.
reviewed
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Booze Cooperativa
By day, this laid-back arty hangout is full of hip young Athenians playing chess and backgammon and working on their Macs (with free wi-fi) on the 6m-long table; later it transforms into a happening bar that rocks till late. The basement hosts art exhibitions and there’s a theatre upstairs.
reviewed
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Bios
A multifaceted venue popular with an alternative arty crowd and with a lively café and bar. At times you’ll find videos screening, performances on the rooftop, films in the tiny cinema, live bands and exhibitions in various spaces in the rambling former paint factory.
reviewed
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Brettos
A Plaka landmark, this quaint bar has a stunning backlit wall of coloured bottles, old wine barrels and an authentic old-fashioned character. It’s a quiet spot for a night- (or day-) cap, with a tempting range of homemade brews to imbibe or take away.
reviewed
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Art House
Go up the old stair and open the door to the party at standing-room-only Art House, full of dark curves and Vulcan tints in the arches, mottled walls and worn wood floors. Music is funk and Eurohouse, the clientele mid-twenties.
reviewed
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Skoufaki
One of the first to open on Kolonaki’s popular bar strip, heading away from the square, Skoufaki is a cosy, arty hangout with good coffee and a friendly upbeat evening crowd.
reviewed
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Thission
Across from the Acropolis, this is a lovely old-style cinema in a garden setting. Sit towards the back if you want to catch a glimpse of the glowing edifice.
reviewed
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Soul Sugar
Soul Sugar plays funk, disco and house into the small hours, and serves great cocktails.
reviewed
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Orange Bar
A more easy-paced music bar playing rock, indie and Brit-pop just outside the war zone.
reviewed
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Loxias
Thessaloniki's first bookstore-ouzerie, Loxias is that great rarity, a café with culture. Educated Greeks started gravitating years ago to this whimsical steki (hangout) to discuss philosophy or literature over ouzo and snacks. Loxias is decorated with wine casks, bursting bookshelves in the basement shop, and photos of Greek writers, Montenegrin princesses and the dervishes of old Hania.
Charismatic owner Ioannis Kyprianidis has revived the old Thessaloniki tradition of the bookshop as a place for ideas - assisted by Greek firewater and good European beers, of course. Romantics can duck the commotion out on the back balcony's table for two, which overlooks Roman ruins.
reviewed
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Remeo+
The bouzoukia, commonly called skyladika (doghouses) because of the crooning singers, are a Greek institution. Pricey, smoky and a tad sleazy, they are nonetheless packed out most nights. If you're feeling game, try veteran Remeo+ but be warned - prices can be outrageously inflated if you sit at a table, with bottles of whisky sold at exorbitant prices.
reviewed
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Grand Café
Perhaps the best regular bar in Thasos (Limenas), the Grand Café has soft corner couches and caters to a mixed Greek/international crowd. In the same area as the town's few nightclubs, it's visible from its checkerboard pillars out the front. Friendly owner Dimitris Dimitriadis insists he was not named after the street on which his bar is located.
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National Theatre of Greece
Designed by Ernst Ziller, the columned façade of this 1901 building was inspired in part by Hadrian’s Library; the interior was based on Vienna’s People’s Theatre. It served as the Royal Theatre for the king’s guests until 1908. Damaged in the 1999 earthquake, it underwent a major refurbishment and was due to raise the curtain in 2008.
reviewed
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Baccara Bar Restaurant
A sure sign that a city has arrived is when it spawns fully formed temples to conspicuous consumption. The see-and-be-seen Baccara, with its cavernous interior, fusion menu and tropical fishtank that runs the length of the entire back wall, is such a place. There's no middle ground; you'll either detest it or be impressed.
reviewed
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Gagarin 205 Club
Gagarin 205 Club is primarily a rock venue, with gigs on Friday and Saturday nights featuring leading rock and underground music bands as well as local groups of various musical persuasions. It also runs DJ events, a cult Greek cinema festival and a music film festival. Tickets are available from Ticket House.
reviewed
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Mostrou
A classic Plaka taverna, popular for its live music (Thursday to Sunday). It has a full-sized stage and dance floor and gets very lively. A good place for traditional music and dancing if you can't face a nightclub or rembetika club. In summer, there's more sedate live music on the terrace.
reviewed
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Flou
What the French call Bobo (bohemian bourgoise, darling) characterises this cosy bar on a White Tower sidestreet. Exuding neon and a je ne sais quoi eclectic retro décor, Flou gets packed on weekends with an early-thirties crowd and plays a shameless selection of vintage pop.
reviewed
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Taximi
Most of Greece’s major rembetika exponents have played here since it opened 20 years ago at the beginning of the rembetika revival. It has gone a little upmarket – and expensive – but it is still a popular for authentic rembetika. It’s best to go weeknights as it gets packed.
reviewed
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Stoa Athanaton
Located in the middle of Athens Central Market, this classic rembetika (Greek blues) club has been around since 1930. It is open day and night and is always lively, with veteran rembetes (exponents of rembetika ) and loyal patrons.
reviewed
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Nipiagogio
One of the first bars to open in Gazi, this popular place in a former kindergarten (as the name in Greek suggests) plays on the children’s toy theme in its décor. Inside it’s one of the liveliest small clubs, while there’s a fantastic courtyard for summer.
reviewed
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Fortezza
This café, bar and restaurant, installed in the old Venetian ramparts across the harbour, is the best place in town for a sunset drink. A free barge takes you across the water, from the bottom of Sarpidona to the sea wall wrapping around the harbour.
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Kafe Nikis 35
Another waterfront bar, but much more stylish than the generic ones around it, this snug, friendly café just under street level is perfect for a Sunday morning macchiato. Get a window table and feel the dappled sunlight dancing through the blinds.
reviewed
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k44
This two-level multi-use warehouse on the railway line is the ‘in’ place for the hip and alternative arts scene. The front bar is a vast concrete space hosting alternative DJ nights and special events, with art exhibitions and artists studios upstairs.
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Palea Plakiotiki Taverna Stamatopoulos
Palea Plakiotiki Taverna Stamatopoulos is something of a Plaka institution, with reasonable food and live music nightly. It's popular with locals and can get extremely busy later in the evening, so you'll need to get in early to be assured of a table.
reviewed
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Fortuna
Sougia has two open-air clubs that can get surprisingly lively for such a small resort. Fortuna, on your left before the entrance to the town, has had an impressive makeover and is a great place for a late night drink. Both kick off after midnight.
reviewed
