The open-air cinema in Athens was never just about the film. It begins with the walk there: warm pavements, courtyard walls, the sound of plates and glasses from nearby restaurants, the city slipping from high heat into evening. The best cinema nights are simple and well-planned: a screening under the sky, followed by dinner or drinks (or both, for true Greek style outings) nearby.
This guide brings together the Athenian summer cinemas to know, in the city’s most attractive central neighbourhoods, along with some of the city’s best nearby bars and restaurants that can turn a movie night into a cinematic experience.
01
Cine Thisio, Thisio
A pedestrianized quarter at the foot of the Acropolis, popular for its evening promenade and views of the ancient monuments.
Open since 1935, Athens’ oldest operating open-air cinema still has one of the most beautiful settings in the city, on Apostolou Pavlou with the illuminated Acropolis visible from the seats. The canteen is part of the appeal, known for fresh cheese pie, homemade sour cherry drinks, spoon sweets, small baklava and tsipouro.
Post-Cinema Action
Bars
Smoking Barrels: An analog-music-and-alcohol bar on Herakleidon, with vinyl, drinks and the right low-lit rhythm for a Thissio cinema night.
Rudu: A small bar on the Herakleidon edge of Petralona, close enough for a post-film walk and better suited to night drinking than the more touristic rooftops around the station.
Restaurants
Kuzina: Modern Greek cooking on Adrianou, close to the pedestrian route and easy to combine with a screening.
Merceri: A small bistro on Herakleidon, run by chefs Melina Chomata and Maria Ntioudi, with a more interesting kitchen than the standard Thissio dinner route.
Explore the neighborhood beyond the screen
02
Cine Paris, Plaka
The historic old town nestled below the Acropolis, known for its neoclassical architecture, narrow streets and traditional tavernas.
Cine Paris is the essential 2026 addition. Reopened under Cinobo (a premium streaming service), it sits on a rooftop garden in Plaka with a direct Acropolis view and a program that includes new releases, classics and cinephile favorites. It gives Plaka back one of its best summer-night addresses.
Post-Cinema Action
Bars
Brettos: A Plaka classic since 1909, with backlit bottles, Greek liqueurs, ouzo, rakomelo and a bar interior that still feels distinctive.
Drunky Goat: A Greek-wine bar near Syntagma and Plaka, with a long local wine list, tapas, cheese platters and playful goat-themed interiors that keep the mood relaxed before a rooftop.
Restaurants
Athinaiki Taratsa: A rooftop restaurant and bar on Mitropoleos, with Greek and Levantine cooking, signature cocktails and wide views over the historic center.
To Kafeneio: A traditional Plaka meze restaurant housed in a building that dates back at least 400 years, serving Greek dishes, wine and meze on Epicharmou, just off Tripodon.
Follow your screening with something great on the plate
03
Pool Your Cinema at the GB, Syntagma
Athens’ central square, flanked by the Parliament building and luxury hotels — the city’s civic heart.
Pool Your Cinema brings the summer-screening ritual to the seventh floor of the Hotel Grande Bretagne, beside the rooftop pool, with city lights and Lycabettus in view. The experience is more hotel evening than neighborhood summer cinema: armchairs by the water, classic films and Hollywood titles, and a finger-food menu served with drinks (with a hefty but appropriately priced ticket for the level of service). The hotel’s events calendar still refers to its open-air cinema, while the latest fully published season I found was summer 2025, so the current dates should be checked before publication.
Post-Cinema Action
Bars
The Bar in Front of the Bar: A small, high-energy multi-awarded cocktail bar a few minutes from Syntagma, good for one sharp drink before returning to the square and heading up to the rooftop.
Baba au Rum: A landmark Athens cocktail bar (one of the World’s 50 Best Bars for 11 years) near Syntagma, known for its deep rum list, tropical drinks, serious bartending and lively downtown crowd, ideal for a polished drink before or after a central open-air screening.
Restaurants
Birdman: A compact Japanese grill pub and grill near Syntagma, with yakitori, gyoza, karaage, smash burgers, exquisite cocktails and a late-evening bar rhythm.
Okio: A stylish Michelin-guide Syntagma restaurant with Mediterranean-Asian dishes, a sharing-style menu and a lively downtown mood.
04
Zephyros, Petralona
A residential neighborhood just west of the Acropolis, known for its old-Athens character, local tavernas and a growing food scene.
Retro, green and deeply cinephile, Zephyros remains one of Athens’ most loyal film addresses. Its place on Troon keeps it close to Ano Petralona’s small restaurants and bars, while its programme still favors classics, re-releases, documentaries and selected world cinema.
Post-Cinema Action
Bars
Upupa Epops: A strong Petralona cocktail address with an all-day format and a leafy setting for a pre-film drink.
Line: A contemporary, innovative bar-restaurant known for fermentation, wine and cocktails, useful for readers following the newer Athens bar scene.
Restaurants
Oikonomou: A historic taverna almost beside the cinema, open since the 1930s and one of the most natural pairings in Ano Petralona.
Afaia: A modern Greek restaurant in Petralona with seasonal cooking, an easy neighborhood mood and a menu built for sharing, making it a strong dinner stop before a screening at Zephyros.
Explore the neighborhoods tables in depth
Dive deeper into the neighbourhood:
Petralona: The new and old face of the central neighbourhood
Petralona: A Journey into the Heart of Athens’ Folk Culture
05
Ekran, Exarcheia
A bohemian, student-driven neighborhood north of the center, known for independent bookshops, street art and a strong café culture.
Ekran remains one of the defining summer cinemas of Exarcheia and Neapoli, tied to downtown film culture, student nights and Greek song. Its facade, with Georges Méliès’ moon, gives it one of the city’s most recognizable cinema images, while the programme keeps its cinephile character.
Post-Cinema Action
Bars
Warehouse: A stylish Exarcheia wine bar with coffee, Greek wines, spirits and sharing plates, a strong pairing before a cinephile screening.
Ziraf: A recent Exarcheia wine address with Afro beats, open windows, more than 135 wine labels and Mediterranean comfort food.
Restaurants
Pharaoh: A wood-fire restaurant, wine bar and listening bar on Solomou, with natural wines and vinyl sets.
Stepa: A cool Neapoli restaurant and bar with small plates, drinks and an easy downtown mood, close enough to work before or after a screening at Ekran.
Keep the night going with something good to eat
06
Cine Oasis, Pangrati
A leafy residential neighborhood next to the Panathenaic Stadium, with a village-like square life and a lively local dining scene.
Hidden in Pangrati, Oasis has the character of an old neighborhood garden, with greenery, a nostalgic entrance and decorative ceramic kouroi and korai. Its current listings place it firmly in the summer circuit, close to some of the most useful night addresses in Pangrati.
Post-Cinema Action
Bars
Terroirist: A wine bar-bistrot near Varnava Square, with small-producer wines, comfort-style food and the lively Pangrati energy that works well before or after a summer screening.
Abstract: A colorful bar-bistro on a quiet pedestrian street, with cocktails, hot dogs, outdoor tables and a young local crowd that suits a low-key cinema night.
Restaurants nearby
Mavro Provato: A reliable Pangrati favorite for Greek dishes, meze, good ingredients and a full neighborhood crowd, close enough for dinner before walking to the cinema.
Amen: A contemporary Greek restaurant in Pangrati with Cretan references, cocktails and a polished dinner mood, close enough to work naturally before a screening at Oasis.
