Coffee first, wine later, a little bitterness before dinner, something cold and effervescent when the pavements begin to glow with late evening sunlight. Over the past few years, the city has developed a sharper appetite for spritz culture, not as borrowed Italian theater, but as a useful urban pleasure: low-alcohol drinks, vermouth, Greek wine, small plates, outdoor tables, and the hour of the day when work loosens its grip.
The new spritzerias and aperitivo bars of Athens are not identical. Some lean Italian, with cicchetti, pizza, vermouth, and Campari. Others bring in Greek cheeses, island breads, cured meats, bottarga, retsina, and wines from small producers. What links them is a rhythm the city understands instinctively: a drink before dinner that may turn into dinner, a table taken early that stays occupied longer than planned, and the simple brilliance of something bitter, cold, and sparkling in the glass.
01
Felicita
At this Rouf aperitivo and wine bar, the long bar, the courtyard-like setting, and the steady early-evening pulse make the place one of the most complete examples of Athens’ spritz culture. The team of Konstantinos Bolas, Alexandros Kamperis, and Giorgos Mathioudakis built it around aperitivo, wine, low-alcohol drinking, and food made for sharing. The drinks program by Mario Iliopoulos includes aperitivi with and without alcohol, twisted classics, spritzes, and cocktails whose names draw from Italian cinema. Chef Nikos Dinapogias has expanded the kitchen’s identity with cicchetti, sharing plates, seasonal dishes, and weekend lunch and family-table menus.
Meg. Vasiliou 40, Rouf
02
Louza
This Greek spritzeria arrived with a clear local point of view: spritz, wine, and small plates filtered through Greek ingredients and habits. The setting is industrial and minimal, with tables on the pedestrian street and a soundtrack built for the after-office hour. The menu follows the name’s Cycladic hint, with Kimolos ladenia in two versions, bruschette with Greek cheeses and jams, tomato carpaccio with pickled onion, caper leaves, and mozzarella, along with wines from the Greek vineyard. The drinks list includes classic aperitivi, signature spritzes, Cappuccino Spritz, and a white Negroni variation.
Chrysospiliotissis 4, Historic Center
03
Profitis
In Pangrati, this spritzeria opened near Prophet Elias Square with a name, decor, and cocktail language that all draw from the neighborhood’s ecclesiastical reference. Candles, devotional details, and dark, intimate lighting give the place its visual character, while the team behind Tragos in Psyrri brings the bar experience. The wine list was created by sommelier Giorgos Karampinis, while the spritzes move from classic serves to signatures named after prophets. Ezekiel combines mezcal, prosecco, and pink-grapefruit soda; Job uses blended Scotch whisky; Jonah brings together Campari, pineapple syrup, and white vermouth. Cold cuts, cheeses, and bruschette keep the drinking grounded.
Profitis Ilias Square 5, Pangrati
04
Ma Che Vuoi
On Kalamiotou, this Italian all-day restaurant and spritzeria occupies a central Athens address already familiar to the city’s food crowd. The concept brings together aperitivo, pizza, handmade pasta, and Italian drinking culture, with owners Angelos Bouras and Giorgos Fitagoridis placing house-made preparation at the center of the project. The kitchen makes its own cured meats, sausages, bread, fresh pasta, sauces, and pizza dough, while the drinks list gives space to Aperol Spritz, Italian-style spritzes, and wines from regions such as Piedmont, Tuscany, and Sicily. It works equally well for an early drink, a casual dinner, or a full Italian-leaning meal downtown.
Kalamiotou 15, Historic Center
05
Amore
In Neos Kosmos, this Greco-Italian spritzeria by Skevi Erotokritou has become one of the city’s clearest expressions of the aperitivo habit. The space has the look of a small Italian bar, with mosaic flooring, checked tablecloths, a good-looking bar, and pavement tables that fill early. The drinks list is built around vermouth, Aperol, Campari, Averna, and Cynar, with classic aperitivo cocktails such as Negroni, Americano, Garibaldi, and Sbagliato. The menu keeps to the logic of small plates: banderillas, selected cold cuts and cheeses, bread, cherry tomatoes, pickles, and bottarga with roasted almonds.
Menechmou 1-3, Neos Kosmos
06
Glug Glug
On Karitsi Square, this tiny wine bar and spritz spot has grown with the renewed energy of one of central Athens’ most atmospheric squares. Tables spread behind the church of Agios Georgios, making it an easy stop for a glass after work or before a longer night in the center. The list focuses on classic spritzes and wine, accompanied by pizzetti, cheeses, and cold cuts. It keeps the format simple and useful: good drinks, a compact food selection, and a location that turns a short stop into an easy downtown ritual.
Plateia Karytsi 5, Historic Center
07
Odori Vermuteria di Atene
A long-standing reference point for vermouth and aperitivo in Athens, this all-day Italian address remains one of the city’s most dependable choices for spritz, wine, Neapolitan pizza, and casual Italian cooking. Its square-side tables are almost always busy, while the interior keeps the warmth of an old Italian country house without losing its urban tempo. A recent renovation gave the restaurant more space for food while preserving the bar’s central energy. Vermouth remains the protagonist, joined by wine, pizza, and an Italian kitchen that works from lunch into the night.
Skouleniou 2, Historic Center
08
Drupes & Drips
In Koukaki, this was one of the first Athens bars to understand how naturally spritz could fit into the city’s daily rhythm. It works through a simple and persuasive formula: sparkling wine, dry wine, Campari, Aperol, bottles from a well-kept wine list, and food that knows how to sit beside the glass. The address has long attracted people who want something informal and well made, with enough Italian feeling to suit the drink and enough Athenian ease to make it feel local.
Zitrou 20, Koukaki
09
Aperitif
Under the plane tree in Pangrati, this bar keeps close to the Italian aperitivo habit, with spritzes, stronger drinks, and cicchetti served in one of the neighborhood’s most relaxed outdoor settings. The idea is clear and durable: low-alcohol drinks, small bites, and the pleasure of a table that can work before dinner, after the office, or as the entire evening. It opened in 2022 and remains one of the area’s natural addresses for people who want an aperitivo without ceremony.
Dikaiarchou 57A, Pangrati
10
Vibes
The suburb of Argyroupoli’s entry into the spritz conversation opened in early 2026 with a clear format: wood-fired pizza, spritzes, and an industrial-minimal room with neon signage that pulls you in from the street. The pizzaiolos toss dough in front of you before it hits the oven, charcuterie and cheese platters are built for sharing, and there is a dessert pizza to close. The drinks lean aperitivo, with spritzes taking the lead and the energy building as the evening moves on. The space is large, with clean lines and an edge that reads more southern-suburbs nightlife than Italian nostalgia. Open daily from 6 pm, it signals how far the aperitivo habit has spread beyond the center and is worth the hike.
Marinou Geroulanou 110, Argyroupoli
