During our time in Athens, we tried to test as many specialty coffee shops as possible. In other cities, like Porto, it was actually possible to try all of them within a month. Athens is such a huge city though that testing all coffee shops was impossible. Still, we managed to try a lot of them! We selected our top three and we will provide you with a long list of other cafés we liked as well. The other cafés are in no special order.
Our top three coffee shops in Athens
4m specialty coffee
When you enter 4m specialty coffee, the owner will greet you with a smile and instantly the atmosphere will catch you. 4m specialty coffee is a really small café with only two seating options. But believe us, sitting there is just amazing. Not only the atmosphere of this place is catching but also their coffee is of extremely high quality!
Little tree books and coffee
The best breakfast spot in Athens! We tried going there twice before getting a table, but it was worth coming again. Little Tree Books and Coffee is a bookshop with a café. On the inside, they have about six tables so if you’re coming on a rainy day you must be a little lucky to get a table. On sunny days you can also sit outside and enjoy your breakfast or lunch. Fiana had an avocado toast and honestly, it was the best avocado toast she had in forever. Also, Felix’s toast with ham and cheese was amazing since both had an extremely high quality. Not only their food but also their coffee was very good! So overall, it really might be the best place to have breakfast in Athens!
Milligram Specialty Coffee
Located ten minutes away from the beach, Milligram Specialty Coffee is the perfect place to grab a late afternoon coffee, walk to the beach and watch the sunset. You can just take tram 6 from Syntagma and get off at Panagitsa station, walk about 5 minutes to your coffee and another 10 minutes to the beach. Probably our favourite way to end the day.
Other cafés we liked:
The Underdog
Winning several coffee championships, The Underdog offers the highest quality coffee! With their location next to Acropolis, you might think the café is always packed but since it is so spacious, you will probably find a spot anyways. We can highly recommend having a Freddo Espresso or Freddo Cappuccino at this café. You can accompany it with a yummy brunch or just sip your coffee and have a break after exploring Acropolis.
Just Made 33
Our favourite spot at Just Made 33 is inside at their coffee bar. You can watch the barista make coffee while sipping your own. Both their flat white and their Greek coffee are very good. Though, especially if you want to try Greek coffee, we recommend going to Just Made 33.
Fika
The name alone catches us since we love Sweden! But also besides our bias, their coffee is of high quality and their croissants may be the best you can get in Athens. What also surprised Fiana is their offering of sprout milk. We never tried sprout milk before but it was interesting because it doesn’t leave you with a weird feeling in your mouth like other milk alternatives do.
Flat White Café
Another café with a name that catches us – Flat White. Before road-tripping Australia 4 1/2 years ago, we didn’t know about Flat White. Ever since then it is our favourite type of coffee. Flat White Café located 5 minutes away from Acropolis Museum offers a super decent coffee! You can sit outside and watch the traffic passing by or if you’re looking for some tranquillity you can sit inside and enjoy your coffee.
Plegma Shop
Located close to the Panathenaic Stadium, you can enjoy a walk around the stadium and afterwards grab a coffee at Plegma Shop. We received these small biscuits with our coffee, we don’t actually know what they were but for sure they were delicious! Also, their coffee was really good and the barista was super friendly.
Rabbit Punch
Using the coffee from The Underdog, Rabbit Punch offers a super good cappuccino and freddo espresso. Their location is not super central as is The Underdog’s, hence I guess you won’t pass by just by chance. If you’re in that part of Athens though, we highly recommend checking out that café.
Faba Coffee Roasters
Look at this beautiful freddo cappuccino – it was probably the most beautiful we had. Also, their Greek coffee is amazing! The only small problem is Faba’s location. For sure, you won’t go there just be chance. But we can highly recommend taking the metro to the closest metro station, enjoying a coffee at Faba Coffee Roasters and then walking up Lycabettus Hill. It makes up for an amazing afternoon in Athens!
Anana Coffee
On a snowy day in Athens (yep, we also didn’t know these existed) we explored the local fish and meat market and afterwards need a place to warm up and have a coffee. That’s when we came across Anana Coffee and we must say their coffee is really good! Also, they offer different things to eat with many vegan options. We haven’t tried their food ourselves but it looked very good.
Coffee Berry
Coffee Berry is an Athens based coffee chain hence their cafés don’t offer the cosy, cool vibe you might be looking for when being on the hunt for specialty coffee. But still, considering they are a coffee chain, the coffee itself is quite decent. Plus, they have vegan croissants which is a large plus.
Cultivos Coffee
Like Coffee Berry, Cultivos Coffee is an Athens based chain. With locations in different neighbourhoods, you should always find one of their cafés when you’re in a hurry to get a decent coffee. They also offer both vegan and non-vegan croissants and banana bread.
Peek a Bloom
As a coffee and cocktail bar, Peek a Bloom offers good coffee. The atmosphere is very cool as the centre of the café/bar is its bar. We bet it must be super cool to actually go there at night and have a drink while enjoying the nice atmosphere. Besides indoor seating, they also have a super cool backyard, tucked away from the busy streets of Athens. We would probably recommend going to Peek a Bloom in the evening but even if you want to enjoy your midday coffee it’s a nice place to go to.
Ermou 18 Beyond the Horizon
You’ll find hundreds of rooftop bars in Athens from which you can enjoy the view of the Acropolis while sipping a coffee or drink. That’s the one we choose, and we liked it a lot! We felt like it isn’t filled with tourists but mostly locals themselves. Ermou 18’s coffee isn’t specialty roastery quality but is still decent and well, you have a view of Acropolis…
Naif
Located in the neighbourhood Neos Cosmos, Naif is a spot highly frequented by locals. Again, we had to come twice before grabbing a spot to enjoy a coffee. But not only their coffee is tasty, also their food is amazing. You should check it out for either lunch or dinner.
Bel Ray
One of the many amazing brunch spots in Athens. Bel Ray is located in the hipster district of Koukaki and is a super popular place to visit. We went there on a rainy Sunday and were super lucky to get the last table. It is probably a good idea to come before 11 o’clock if you want to be sure to get a table. Filled with locals, it is one of the places to be though and there Croque Madame was insanely good!
Madly Coffee House Alimos
Another café close to the beach – Madly Coffee House Alimos is our second best recommendation when you’re looking for a coffee to enjoy while walking along the beach or watching the sunset. They also have other locations around the city but that’s the one we tried. Their coffee is super decent and especially with the location worth a visit.
If you know any other good café in Athens, comment below so we can check it out when we’re in Athens next time!
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