Athens After Dinner

Athens is an entertaining city, some would say on a par with the great entertainment centers of the world. A common query I get from my friends in Greece who love to go out is "OK...which is better in terms of nightlife... Athens or New York?" This is a more difficult question than it would seem because Athens Rocks!  On any summer night there are outdoor concerts from your favorite rock stars to classical music, ballet, Byzantine music, the Acropolis Sound and Light and the Dora Stratou Dancers. There are giant indoor-outdoor discos and clubs where the most famous Greek singers perform nightly to packed houses. In the winter Athens club scene comes alive with shows ranging from blues-rock-jazz to traditional Rembetika, laika and of course punk-rap and whatever is happening in the west. The clubs are located around the city with many of the bars and quieter places in Psiri. In the summer all the big clubs by the sea open up. These are discos and giant progressive techno clubs that hold thousands of people mostly outdoors where you can enjoy the night though some are indoors in giant converted warehouses.

Two of the best places to see a show are at the Herod Atticus Theatre next to the Acropolis which shows mostly classical, ballet and theatre, and the Lykavettos Outdoor Theater on top of Lykavettos mountain where you can see anyone from Ray Davies to Nikos Papazoglou. If there are major concerts going on you will know about it because posters will be everywhere, in fact by the time I get from the airport to my hotel I pretty much know what is going on in Athens just from looking at the posters affixed to the light poles. Artists of the magnitude of the Rolling Stones, Springsteen and Pink Floyd usually play the Olympic Stadium.

There are excellent ouzeries and cafes all over the city where you can quietly drink, snack and talk all night long. Those in Psiri are a bit pricier then what you will find in a less reknown area of the city but you pay for your environment and in many cases it's worth it. If you are a night owl, a night in Psiri, beginning at an ouzerie like Platia Iroon and then hitting the bars and clubs in the area like Embros,Thirio, and the always popular Latin club Mi Cubanita. Also check pout the Gazi neighborhood which you can get to by taking the metro and getting off at Kerameikos.

The ouzeries in Plaka are a nice mixture of Greek youth and adventurous foreigners so see the ouzerie section of restaurants . Just as each neighborhood has a favorite taverna the same goes for ouzeries. If you want to find a cool place to hang out just ask everyone from the concierge at the hotel, the waiter at lunch, the guy at the jewelery store or the woman at the bank or exchange shop. There are some clubs and restaurants on Misicleous Street where you can see Rembetika and Laika stars during the winter like the Misikleous Music Club on the corner of Lysiou. There is a great Rembetika Club in the Central Market called Stoa Ton Athanaton where you can see some old-time heroes of Rembetika.

Babis Tsertos

My choice for where to go to hear good Greek music is the Perivoli T Ouranou Club at 19 Lysicratus in the Plaka where Babis Tsertos sometimes plays. Tsertos in my opinion is the finest Laika and Rembetika singer in Greece with a captivating and beautiful voice and good taste for the finest material from the last seventyfive years of Greek popular music. His album Erotopoleion is a near masterpiece. His rendition of the old song Pino kai Metho (I drink and Get Drunk) is the national anthem of Psiri or anyone who lives life for the enjoyment of it. If you are looking for authentic, quality Greek music this is the guy. The phone number for the club is 21O  3235517. (Keep in mind that these clubs are not open in the summer.) If Tsertos has moved on to another club you can find him by getting the weekly music and arts magazine called Athinorama.

Rock clubs like Rodon and An (where I actually did a concert) are close to the Polytechnic University in the area called Exarchia, the wild west of youth culture where young people fill the cafes and bars and they even have rock concerts in the square. Mike's Irish Bar in the basement of the Athens Tower in Ambelokipi has a college town bar atmosphere and features bands like Johnny Vavousa and the Cadilacs who have been playing traditional Chuck Berry-style rock and roll for the last 20 years and play it well. The Half-Note Jazz Club in Metz, across from the First Cemetery, brings name acts from the USA and Europe. Check out who is playing at House of Art at the corner of Satouri and Sarri in Psiri. The list of famous people who have played there continues to grow. There are some excellent Greek bands like Blueswire who sound like they were born and raised and have been playing in Chicago for the last thirty years instead of Athens and Thessaloniki. The band Socrates are a legend and if you like high energy rock music with a guitarist that Hendrix would envy look for them. House of Art does a yearly blues festival and brings in some known acts and on Sundays they feature a Beatles tribute band. You can e-mail them at info@house-of-art.gr

My favorite hangout is the James Joyce Pub at Astiggos 12 in Monastiraki. With an extensive bar menu, lots of imported beers, great music and lots of energetic X-pats who seem to be mostly Irish and Greek-Irish. They open at noon daily and stay open late. Their bigscreen TVs show sports from all over the world including NFL Football, Major League Baseball and NBA Basketball as well as Cricket, European Football and whatever else happens to be on. In my opinion this is the best bar in Athens and over the Christmas holidays I ended most nights here. But I could easily begin my nights there too because they have great food. Introduce yourself to Diedra and Tom (the tall guy) and settle in for a night of beer and conversation with whoever happens to be sitting next to you since they will most likely speak English. Some nights they have live music. To find it from Monastiraki just walk down Hepheston or Iphestos (next to the old metro station) to the end. Turn right and then left and it is half way down the block across from the big hole the American School of Archaeology left.

PARAFONO is a live-music club dedicated to jazz and blues - located near the center of Athens. For almost 25 years it has attracted a devoted following of music lovers that come to hear the most respected names in jazz and blues. Its cabaret setting, superb sound system and lively audience are what make Parafono the ideal venue in which to experience some of the very best JAZZ and BLUES entertainment offered in Greece. Sunday night is Dan & Katey's HOOTENANNY Country, Rock, Acoustic Jam so if you are a musician bring the tools of your trade. Parafono is on 1 S. Kirinis str & 130a Asklipiou str which is on the back side of Lykavettos. You can phone 210 644-6512 for directions or e-mail them at mail@parafono.gr

One of the most enjoyable and unique ways to spend an evening in Athens is by going to one of the outdoor cinemas like the Cine Paris in the Plaka. There are others around the city, some on rooftops and some in parks and some on valuable pieces of property in the center that make you wonder how they could hold out so long. Most of the cinemas show films in their original language which 90% of the time happens to be English. Unlike other European countries Greece does not dub foreign films into Greek. They just have Greek subtitles at the bottom of the screen. Unlike theaters in other countries Greek cimenas have a bar and sell beer, brandy, ouzo and of course snacks to go with them. Usually there is a man with a cart selling hot nuts in the vicinity of the Cine Paris and I buy a variety to eat in the theater. Greek Cinemas also have an intermission and you can go out and buy some more if you run out. (Hold on to your ticket stub). When the movie is over you are right by the cafes of the square where you can discuss the film while watching people. The movies used to change every couple days but in the last two years the theaters have been forced to sign contracts with the distributors and keep the films there longer. If you are only in Athens for a couple days this won't bother you but if you live there and you are stuck with The Mummy Returns for a month life can seem cruel. In the off-season there are plenty of movie theaters downtown. The Athens News lists the movies playing in Athens. Another easy outdoor theater to get to is in Thission.

If you want a nice quiet adventure follow Adrianou street towards Monastiriki and take a left on Misikleous street and continue to the top of the stairs until you come to the road that rings the Acropolis. You will know you are on it because there will be woods and the Acropolis on your left and a view of the city on your right. Keep walking past the last shops and cafes until you come to a big rock on your right, the hill of Aeropagus. When your eyes have grown accustomed to the darkness find the stairs cut in the stone. You may want to take off your shoes because it's a little slippery. Actually better yet, take the brand new stairs they built which are easier and safer since tTo break an ankle so early on your trip would be unfortunate. Climb the steps to the top and find a seat on the rock. In front of you stretches Athens. Behind you is the Acropolis. Enjoy the moment. To get home walk on the small road with the Acropolis on your right and the Panarama of Athens below on your left until you can't go any further. Walk down the steps and make your first right where you can follow Tripodon Street, back through the Plaka to the statue of Lysikratos.

With all the new pedestrian streets and squares that surround the Acropolis you can walk for hours in the evening and when you get tired there is always a cafe-bar or restaurant to take a break at.

Here is some more Helpful Athens Nightlife Information

The Athenoroma magazine has a listing in Greek and there is one in this guide as well but you may want to call and make sure a club is open before you go since many of them are seasonal. The Athens News will list any interesting concerts. Odyssey Magazine has a summer guide and lists performances for the entire season.

 For a listing of bars and clubs in Athens see Nightclub Listings .

For restaurants click here

OZON Magazine is a guide to Athens' events/clubs/art/shops etc. It is distributed freely round trendy cafes and bars and galleries and it is bilingual. Look for it.

Many places close in Athens when the weather gets warm but Stoa Athanaton in the Central Market of Athens (in the meat section) is one of the best places to hear authentic rembetika. Also the Platia Iroon Taverna in Psiri has 3 guys who just hang out and jam at night. In the daytime go to Kapni Karea Cafe which is between Metropolis and Ermou Streets in this little alley a block down from the small church of Kapni Karea in the middle of Ermou street. There is usually good music going on there in the afternoon.

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