Thasos
Stroll past the Old Harbour for a quiet sunset drink at Karnagio, where outdoor seating straddles a rocky promontory lapped by waves. You can also clamber…
Must-see nightlife in Greece
Nafplio
Chilled-out cafe by day, buzzy bar by night, the 'Black Cat' has live performers some nights and DJs always. There are comfy seats outside and an eclectic…
Ios
Combining a terrific rock and alternative music playlist with homemade shots (including chocolate- and caramel-flavoured ones). Orange has frequently been…
Ioannina
This sweet house-turned-cafe is so relaxed and welcoming, you could easily spend hours here – there's coffee, homemade sweets, salads and a lovely garden…
Iraklio
Norwegian brewer Kjetil Jikiun started Norway's first craft brewery (Nøgne Ø) before he founded Crete's first craft brewery (he's clearly a man of firsts)…
Iraklio
This rather idyllic open-air bar gets a whole lot right, with charming servers slinging creative cocktails to a diverse crowd of holidaymakers and locals…
Hora (Naxos)
Perched upstairs above Hora's busy waterfront, this sleek place has lovely sunset views looking out over the yacht harbour. Open year-round, Rum Bar plays…
Dodecanese
At the far end of the harbour, nestled below the monastery, this gorgeous cafe-cum-bar has it all: a pretty plaza setting with tamarisk trees, a sea view,…
Paros
Climb the steps up to this waterfront spot beneath the kastro with no shortage of outdoor areas, including a sunset-primed rooftop terrace. Go for one of…
Skopelos
Tucked into a moodily converted 100-year-old house where a side (hidden) door once led to the kitchen, mellow yet hugely popular Paraporti mixes Athens…
Kalymnos
This rather surreal space celebrates art, wine and food. It's part home (it was a former house built in the early 1970s), part gallery, and part garden…
Small Cyclades
A favourite gathering spot at sunset, this chilled-out outdoor bar overlooking Livadi Beach has great appeal for cocktail lovers: its original concoctions…
Corfu Town
You can smell the coffee beans roasting from 25m down the street, and whether your favoured beverage comes from these beans or is something a little more…
Samothraki
Run by the jovial Iordanis Iordaninis for more than 20 years, this is the centre of the action in Loutra, with live music, impromptu vendors, artists and…
Dodecanese
Escape the harbour hubbub by climbing to a fabulous panoramic roof terrace then blissing out over sunset cocktails (€7 to €9) amid plump pillows and white…
Lesvos
With its orange lanterns and super-eclectic music mix, little Parasol on the waterfront does cocktails to match its South Seas decor. As the day rolls on,…
Amorgos
Its cosy terrace overlooking the valley, Seladi is a just a few minutes' walk from the ruins of the ancient settlement. It's a mellow place for a coffee…
Paros
The owner opened this elevated cafe-bar in the former home of his grandparents – how fortunate that it’s right in the hub of Naoussa’s small port (above…
Symi
This ultrawelcoming quayside bar, 100m along Harani Bay beyond the clock tower, has tables on a tree-shaded terrace, plus it offers stone benches carved…
Paros
On the main pedestrian street in Old Town, this bustling cafe and brunch spot by day transforms into a popular cocktail bar by night, with the sultry…
Small Cyclades
This rooftop bar right on top of Perigiali Supermarket is lovingly run by local couple Nikos and Anna. There are brunch menus plus cocktails, drinks and…
Ioannina
This lovely cafe in a stone house inside the citadel draws just as many locals as visitors. It serves food, but most people come for a coffee and chat in…
Preveza
This 'art cafe' is a pretty place to enjoy a morning or afternoon coffee or, by night, a Belgian beer and some acoustic music.
Small Cyclades
Up the stone steps at the port, this cafe-bar serves the younger crowd year-round. Out of season, it opens at 5pm, has Monday night movies and various…
Athens
Nominally, this place sells coffee and cake. But it's really about its dazzling decor, which conjures up childhood fantasies. Precisely which one depends…
Athens
One of the best of Athens' breed of maximalist-designed cafe-bars, Noel's slogan is 'where it's always Christmas' – meaning the candlelit cocktail-party…
Syntagma & Plaka
Once upon a time (1972 to be exact), this was a modern bar – the sort with an actual European-style bar. Now it's a worn-at-the-edges but atmospheric time…
Piraeus
This seaside rooftop bar in the Mikrolimano district offers a bit of Hollywood style and views that stretch past the harbour towards the Acropolis and…
Gazi, Keramikos & Metaxourgio
Occupying a Bauhaus apartment building, this multilevel warren has a great rooftop bar, restaurant, basement club and tiny art-house cinema. Expect live…
Athens
The core of this super-creative events space is a rustic, multilevel back garden, a great place for quiet daytime chats over coffee or a relaxed drink…
Syntagma & Plaka
Plaka is short on bars in general, but Brettos, both a bar and a distillery, makes up for it. More than a century old, its walls glow with stacks of…
Athens
Exceptionally good music – obscure funk and soul that makes you feel like you're living a Quentin Tarantino movie – plays at this little bar on a…
Syntagma & Plaka
If you think Greek beer begins and ends with Alfa, head here to learn more. The big open-front bar stocks the products of many Greek microbreweries, as…
Athens
This lovely old-style coffee house is a perfect place to take a break from shopping on the Monastiraki strip. Head upstairs for a seat on an open balcony…
Dodecanese
Set in the abandoned village of Mikro Horio, this place has a delightful veranda bar with amazing views of the village that is lit up atmospherically for…
Gazi, Keramikos & Metaxourgio
If you ever thought the problem with skateboarding was that there was nowhere to drink a coffee while you did it, Latraac have solved this for you. A…
Rethymno
While Cretans are still developing a thirst for craft beer, Bricks is doing its best to convert them with its selection of 30 ales produced by Greek…
Meteora & Thessaly
The name of this hip and hugely popular central tsipouradhiko, the flagship of a small Greek chain, is a pun on zen and mezed, short for mezedhes. Little…
Thessaloniki
A marvellously mixed crowd plies this unpretentious waterfront bar, named after the gulf that forms the view. The chequerboard-tiled interior embraces…
