An evening terrace in central Athens. Photo: Rakoon, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The short answer: for a drink in Kolonaki, start on the pedestrian stretches of Tsakalof and Milioni if you want people around you, go up to Ploutarchou and Patriarchou Ioakim for the bars that run late (Gorlomi, Deka, Mai Tai, Zurbaran), and finish on Deinokratous at Jazz in Jazz, a whisky and jazz bar at the same address since 1995. Rock n Roll, on the corner of the square at Loukianou 6, has been a Kolonaki institution since 1987. Getting home is easy: Syntagma and Evangelismos metro stations are about ten minutes' walk from the square, trains run until 02:00 on Fridays and all night on Saturdays, and app taxis work around the clock.
I have lived in Kolonaki for more than ten years and host guests in two apartments here, and "where should we go for a drink tonight?" is the question I am asked most after "where should we eat?". This guide follows the shape of a real evening: first how the neighbourhood's streets differ after dark, then the bars I send people to, street by street, and finally the practical part, getting home by metro, taxi or car.
Kolonaki after dark: five streets, five moods
Kolonaki is small. Kolonaki Square is about 650 metres from Syntagma metro station and about 730 metres from Evangelismos, roughly ten minutes on foot to either (OpenStreetMap pedestrian routing, checked 6 October 2026). Within that footprint the evening changes a great deal depending on which street you sit on, and if you want the history behind the streets and an interactive map of everything in this guide, our Kolonaki neighbourhood page has both.
| Street or area | Mood after dark | Go here for |
|---|---|---|
| Around Kolonaki Square | Busy, a meeting point | A first drink, waiting for friends |
| Tsakalof and Milioni | Pedestrian, tables outside, always people | Sitting with life around you |
| Haritos | Narrow, tree-shaded, a classic for decades | Wine and small plates |
| Ploutarchou and Patriarchou Ioakim | The late-night cluster | Cocktails and bars open until 02:00 or later |
| Upper Kolonaki: Deinokratous, Loukianou, Dexameni | Residential, quieter | A drink where you can hear each other |
Kolonaki Square
The square is the neighbourhood's meeting point, but for now it is also a building site: it is fenced off for the Kolonaki station of the new metro line 4, which Hellenic Metro is targeting for September 2032 (Hellenic Metro). The cafés and bars around its edges carry on as normal, and it still works for a first beer or as the place to meet. For a whole evening, most people drift a street or two further in.
Tsakalof and Milioni
Short pedestrianised stretches of Tsakalof and Milioni sit a few steps from the square, with tables outside and people around at most hours. If you have no plan and simply want to sit somewhere with life around you, start here.
Haritos
The short pedestrianised stretch of Haritos has been one of Kolonaki's classic evening spots for decades: narrow, shaded by trees, with people perching wherever there is room. Bars here change hands quickly, so trust a recent list over an old one.
Skoufa
A long street running from the square up towards Exarchia. The lower end is mostly cafés, which we cover in our favourite cafés in Kolonaki; the further up you go, the more small bars appear.
Upper Kolonaki, towards Lycabettus
Loukianou, Ploutarchou above Patriarchou Ioakim, Deinokratous and the lanes around Dexameni Square. Fewer tables, more of a residential feel, and streets where you can actually hear the person across from you. Dexameni Square also has its old kafeneio under the trees. If you want a drink with a view first, our guide to Lycabettus Hill and the funicular starts from exactly this corner: the funicular runs until 02:30, so a sunset at the top and a drink on the way down fit in one evening.
The bars, street by street
These are the places I send guests to. It is not a ranking, and it is not every bar in Kolonaki: it is bars of different kinds on different streets, each one checked as operating in 2025 or 2026. Opening hours below come from each bar's own site or Google listing, checked 10 and 11 October 2026; they change with the season, so look again before you go.
| Bar | Address | What it is | Hours (as listed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock n Roll | Loukianou 6 | Bar and restaurant since 1987 | Tue to Sun 20:00 to 04:00 (Sat from 15:00), closed Mon |
| Poco a Poco | Loukianou 13 | Coffee by day, cocktails at night | Daily 09:00 to 01:00 |
| Minnie the Moocher | Tsakalof 6 | Cocktail bar by the square | Daily 11:00 to 03:00, Fri and Sat to 04:00 |
| Le Rosé | Kapsali 3 | Wine bistro built around rosé | Daily 09:00 to 01:00; book ahead |
| Gorlomi | Ploutarchou 9 | Italian restaurant and lounge | Tue to Sat 19:00 to 03:00, Sun 13:00 to 03:00, closed Mon |
| Zelus | Ploutarchou 9, below Gorlomi | Club | Thu to Sat, 00:00 to 05:00 |
| Deka | Ploutarchou 10 | Neighbourhood bar | Tue to Thu 10:00 to 01:00, Fri and Sat to 02:00, Sun to 00:00, closed Mon |
| Mai Tai | Ploutarchou 18 | Cocktail bar | Daily from 09:00 (Sat from 10:00), to 02:00, Fri to Sun to 03:00 |
| Zurbaran | Patriarchou Ioakim 38 | All-day café, restaurant and bar | Daily 10:00 to 02:00, Fri and Sat to 03:00 |
| Ante Post | Patriarchou Ioakim 46 | Wine bar and café | Daily 09:30 to 02:30 |
| Una Mas | Haritos 35 | Wine bar | Mon to Sat 18:00 to 01:00 |
| Jazz in Jazz | Deinokratous 4 | Jazz and whisky bar | Daily 19:00 to 03:00 |
| Fellows | Rizari 2, by Evangelismos metro | Garden bistro with cocktails | Daily 09:30 to 01:00 |
Around the square and Loukianou
Rock n Roll, Loukianou 6. On the corner of the square, operating since 1987 according to its own site, and still one of the places Athenians mean when they say they are going out in Kolonaki. It is a restaurant early and a bar later, it fills up from Thursday to Saturday, and its Google listing gives closing at 04:00. Reservations through its website.
Poco a Poco, Loukianou 13. A small place that does coffee in the morning and signature cocktails from late afternoon; a Google review from October 2026 mentions a DJ playing on the night of the visit. Website.
Minnie the Moocher, Tsakalof 6. A cocktail bar named after the Cab Calloway song, with jazz on the speakers and vintage décor, a few steps from the square. Open late every night according to its listing. Facebook.
Le Rosé, Kapsali 3. A tiny corner bistro off the square built around rosé wine, where you can eat as well as drink; the room is small, so book. We describe the food in where to eat like a local in Kolonaki. Facebook.
Ploutarchou and Patriarchou Ioakim: the late cluster
Where these two streets cross is the part of Kolonaki that stays up latest, and you can walk between all five places below in a couple of minutes.
Gorlomi and Zelus, Ploutarchou 9. Gorlomi is an Italian restaurant and lounge with a long wine list, open until 03:00 according to its listing, which makes it a good place to start with dinner and stay on. Underneath it, at the same address, is Zelus, the club, which opens from Thursday to Saturday nights according to its Google listing. Gorlomi's website.
Deka, Ploutarchou 10. Across the street. Deka means "ten" in Greek, and the bar is named after its street number; you will hear it called Ten as well. A neighbourhood bar from morning coffee to late drinks, closed on Mondays. Google Maps.
Mai Tai, Ploutarchou 18. A cocktail bar a little further up the same street, open from the morning and until 03:00 at weekends. Google Maps.
Zurbaran, Patriarchou Ioakim 38. An all-day café and restaurant that turns into a bar at night and stays open until the small hours, with tables out on the pavement. Website.
Ante Post, Patriarchou Ioakim 46. A wine bar that is also a café, open from 09:30 until 02:30 every day: the kind of place where, as one Google reviewer put it in September 2026, coffee turns into wine. Google Maps.
Haritos
Una Mas, Haritos 35. A small wine bar with food on Kolonaki's classic bar street, open in the evenings from Monday to Saturday; its Google reviews from August to October 2026 praise the wine list and the quiet. Google Maps.
Deinokratous
Jazz in Jazz, Deinokratous 4. At this address since 1995 (Greek City Times, September 2024), its walls covered in memorabilia, with a serious whisky collection, classic cocktails made to your taste and early jazz on vinyl. It opens at 19:00. In past years it has closed for the summer and reopened on 1 September (Athens Insider, October 2024), so check before going in July or August. Google Maps.
Near Evangelismos
Fellows, Rizari 2, next to Evangelismos metro. A garden bistro, coffee and brunch by day, dinner and cocktails in the evening, according to its own site. The garden makes it the calmest option on a warm night. Website.
Planning the night
When to go
Athenians go out late. Bars are quiet before 22:00 and busiest from about 23:00, and Thursday to Saturday is when Kolonaki is full. If you are a big group and want a table on those nights, arrive early or message the bar ahead.
Eating first
Gorlomi, Le Rosé, Rock n Roll and Fellows all serve proper food, so you can eat and drink in one place. For dinner first and a bar after, our guide to eating like a local in Kolonaki lists the restaurants we use, most of them within five minutes' walk of the bars above.
August
Many Athenians leave the city in August, and some bars close for the month or for the whole summer, like Jazz in Jazz in past years. Check a bar's listing on the day before you walk over.
Getting home
The two stations serving the neighbourhood are Evangelismos (line 3) and Syntagma (lines 2 and 3). Our guide to getting around Athens covers tickets and the airport run in more detail.
The metro after midnight
| Night | Metro lines 2 and 3 |
|---|---|
| Sunday to Thursday | Service ends around midnight |
| Friday | Lines 2 and 3 run until about 02:00 from Syntagma; airport-bound Line 3 service ends earlier |
| Saturday | All night, roughly every 15 minutes after 00:20; line 3 does not reach the airport between 00:20 and 05:30, and the first airport train from Evangelismos is at 05:55 |
Sources: the Friday extension has applied since November 2024 (4Troxoi, 6 November 2024); the Saturday 24-hour service since 13 September 2025 (To Vima, 9 September 2025). On Saturday nights the overnight line 3 runs only between Doukissis Plakentias and Dimotiko Theatro (OASA 24-hour service page, checked 6 October 2026).
Line 3 engineering works
Through 2026 STASY has been replacing track on line 3 in phases, closing a different stretch of the line on weeknight evenings, with replacement buses on the closed section. From 26 July 2026, for example, the line 3 platforms at Syntagma, Evangelismos and Megaro Moussikis closed at 21:40 from Sunday to Thursday, while Syntagma stayed open for line 2 (Ta Nea, 25 July 2026). Which stations are affected changes with each phase, so check STASY's announcements on the day. In October 2026 the works moved out to the Ampelokipoi to Chalandri section (11 to 15 and 18 to 22 October, Sunday to Thursday): Syntagma and Evangelismos keep normal hours, but after 21:40 line 3 trains to the airport start from Chalandri, not from the centre (ERT, 10 October 2026). When Evangelismos is closed, line 2 from Syntagma is still a ten minute walk from the square, and a taxi is the simplest fallback late at night.
By taxi
Taxis in Athens are yellow and licensed, and a ride within the centre is short. The easiest way to get one is through a ride app that takes your card:
| App | What it books | iPhone | Android |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uber | Licensed taxis (in Greece) | iPhone | Android |
| Bolt | A ride | iPhone | Android |
| FREENOW by Lyft | Licensed taxis | iPhone | Android |
| Lemon | Licensed taxis | iPhone | Android |
To phone for one instead: Parthenon +30 210 532 3300 or Kosmos +30 210 411 8300 (both can be called from a foreign phone). Kosmos also has the short number 18300, from a Greek mobile. Taxis are required by law to accept cards, but ask before you get in. If your night ends with an early flight, remember that the airport has a flat taxi fare to and from the centre, per car: €50 by day and €65 from 00:00 to 05:00, since 18 September 2026 (decision 147620/2026).
If you came by car
The blue-lined bays in Kolonaki are for residents only, at all hours. The white visitor bays are paid Monday to Friday 09:00 to 21:00 and Saturday 09:00 to 16:00, so an evening out after those times falls outside the paid hours (City of Athens, 17 September 2026). You pay through the city's free AthensWay app, which replaced myAthensPass on 21 September 2026, or at a participating sales point; the app reminds you before your time runs out and lets you extend it remotely. Finding a free white bay on a Friday night is the hard part, so if you have a hire car, leave it where you are staying.
Where to go next
- Before the bars: a sunset on Lycabettus Hill, then dinner from where to eat like a local in Kolonaki.
- The morning after: coffee on the same streets in our favourite cafés in Kolonaki.
- The rest of the neighbourhood: museums, shops and everyday life in our local's guide to Kolonaki, and where we do and do not walk late at night in is Athens safe?.
- A short trip: our two to three day Athens itinerary sends you back to Kolonaki for dinner more than once, and a bar here is the natural next stop.
Staying within walking distance
The simplest way to enjoy a night out in Kolonaki is not to need a ride afterwards. Both of our apartments are inside the neighbourhood: the one-bedroom on Deinokratous, on the same street as Jazz in Jazz and about 100 metres from the Lycabettus funicular, and the two-bedroom on Ipsilantou, a few steps from Evangelismos metro, which sleeps up to six. If you are still deciding on a part of town, where to stay in Kolonaki explains which side of the hill suits which trip. You can see both apartments or book direct.
Last updated 11 October 2026. Photo: Rakoon, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.