Athens has a booming craft beer scene, with buzzing taprooms, microbreweries and beer bars pouring Greek and international brews across neighbourhoods like Psiri, Koukaki and Petralona. Discover it alongside skip-the-line sightseeing tickets and tours from My Greece Tours for a hoppy side of the city.
This beer-lover’s guide is a flavourful corner of the Athens travel guide. The sections below cover the craft beer scene, the best beer bars and taprooms, Greek craft breweries, what to try, the beer styles, the neighbourhoods, the festival calendar, and tips for enjoying craft beer in Athens.
What is the Athens craft beer scene like?
Athens has enjoyed a craft beer revolution across the past decade. Independent taprooms, microbreweries and dedicated beer bars now pour Greek and international craft beers. The scene is welcoming, sociable and affordable, a modern alternative to wine and ouzo.
Beyond its famous wine, ouzo and tsipouro, Athens has developed a fast-growing craft beer scene that delights beer enthusiasts and casual drinkers alike. Over the past decade the city has experienced a brewing revolution. A new generation of drinkers looked beyond the mass-produced multinational lagers that long dominated the market. They wanted characterful, flavourful and interesting beers instead. The result is a landscape of dedicated craft beer bars with rotating tap lists, modern taprooms pouring fresh local brews, and a wave of Greek microbreweries.
These Greek breweries produce hoppy IPAs, pale ales, stouts, lagers and experimental styles, alongside imported international craft beers. The scene concentrates in central and up-and-coming neighbourhoods, and its venues tend to be relaxed and affordable. For beer lovers it offers a genuinely good alternative to traditional Greek drinking culture. Roughly a dozen standout venues in the centre reward the effort of seeking them out, and a short list rises above the rest.
What are the best beer bars and taprooms?
Barley Cargo on Kolokotroni Street is a long-standing favourite with hundreds of beers. Tapfield in Psiri offers a rotating multi-tap list, Strange Brew Taproom in Koukaki pours nomadic brews, and the Slowdown Taproom in Petralona brews on site.
The heart of the Athens craft beer scene lies in its dedicated bars and taprooms. Roughly a dozen have become firm favourites, worth seeking out for their selection and atmosphere. A long-standing institution is Barley Cargo, on the bustling Kolokotroni Street in the centre. It is a go-to for beer enthusiasts thanks to a range of hundreds of beers, including Greek and Athenian microbrews on tap and in bottle. In the lively Psiri district, Tapfield is a stylish multi-tap bar. It pours a rotating selection that champions the Greek brewing scene, while nearby Beer Time offers a long menu of Greek and European beers with homemade snacks.
Over in trendy Koukaki, the Strange Brew Taproom serves the beers of its nomadic brewing team. In Upper Petralona, the Slowdown Taproom brews its own beer on site and pours a wide range from across Greece. Other gems include the cosy Tales of Ales, a step from Monastiraki Square, and outlying spots in the northern suburb of Halandri. Each venue offers a broad range, knowledgeable staff and a welcoming atmosphere for sampling craft beer. Together they showcase Greek and global brewing. The Greek breweries behind them are flourishing. A guided Athens food tour can pair these stops with local bites.
What Greek craft breweries should you discover?
The Greek craft scene features independent microbreweries such as Noctua, Septem, Nissos, Voreia and Solo. They brew characterful beers, sometimes with Greek honey, herbs, mastic or citrus. Tasting these home-grown beers, often unavailable abroad, rewards any visit.
A particular pleasure of exploring craft beer in Athens is discovering the independent Greek microbreweries behind the scene. You will find their beers on the tap lists and shelves of the city’s beer bars, and they are often unavailable outside Greece. Over the past decade small, passionate Greek breweries have sprung up across the country and the capital. Named producers such as Septem, Noctua, Nissos, Voreia and Solo craft crisp pale ales, bold hoppy IPAs, rich stouts, refreshing lagers, wheat beers and experimental brews. Some give their beers a distinctively Greek twist by using local ingredients such as Greek honey, aromatic herbs, mastic or citrus.
Among the Athenian names to look out for is Noctua, whose name derives from the little owl associated with the goddess Athena, the city’s patron. Its beers carry owl-themed names. Independent Greek brewers such as Septem on Evia and Nissos on Tinos each bring their own character to the tap wall. Seeking out and tasting these home-grown craft beers, then comparing the breweries and styles, is the most rewarding part of the city’s beer scene. It offers a flavour of Greece in a glass. The breweries reflect real creativity. Knowing which styles to order helps newcomers.
What Greek craft beer styles should you try?
Try a Greek microbrew rather than a familiar international lager. Sample a hoppy IPA, a crisp pale ale, a refreshing craft lager, a malty amber or a rich stout. Tasting flights let you sample four to six beers.
To make the most of an Athens craft beer bar, it helps to know how to order and what to seek out. Ask the knowledgeable bar staff for their recommendations. Favour the Greek microbrews and local craft beers over the international lagers you could drink anywhere, because these home-grown beers are the point of the scene. Be adventurous with the styles on offer. Try a bold, citrusy and hoppy IPA, a crisp and easy-drinking pale ale, a refreshing craft lager or pilsner, a smooth and malty amber or red ale, or a rich dark stout or porter. Keep an eye out for seasonal specials, barrel-aged beers or local one-offs that the bar may be pouring.
A great way to explore without committing to full pints is to order a tasting flight. A flight is a set of small measures, usually four to six beers, that lets you sample widely and find your favourites. Ask for smaller servings if a full flight feels like too much. Craft beer bars often serve food or snacks designed to pair with the beers, from burgers to cheese boards, which enhances the experience. Open, curious drinking rewards you with excellent beers. The neighbourhoods shape the scene, so knowing where to head helps you plan the evening.
Where are the best craft-beer neighbourhoods in Athens?
The scene centres on Psiri and Monastiraki, the trendy quarters of Koukaki and Petralona, and the streets around Kolokotroni. More taprooms sit in Pangrati and Halandri. Central venues are walkable, so a beer crawl on foot works well.
The craft beer scene of Athens concentrates in particular neighbourhoods, so knowing where to head helps you plan a good evening or a fun beer crawl. The epicentre is the cluster of lively, bohemian central districts. Psiri, just off Monastiraki, is packed with beer bars and taprooms amid its buzzing nightlife, and the central streets around Kolokotroni are home to long-standing favourites. Toward the Acropolis, the fashionable district of Koukaki has cool taprooms. Characterful, working-class Petralona, a little further out, hosts on-site brewing taprooms and a relaxed local vibe. Beyond the centre, more craft beer spots dot the residential district of Pangrati and the northern suburb of Halandri.
These districts pair well with the wider drinking scene. Gazi and Exarcheia add late bars and alternative venues within a short walk or metro ride. The central venues sit close enough to explore on foot, which makes a craft beer crawl between four or five spots an enjoyable way to spend a night. Drinkers who want cocktails or wine as well can dip into the Athens cocktail bars and Athens wine bars nearby, or catch a sunset from the Athens rooftop bars before settling into a taproom.
When do craft-beer festivals happen in Athens?
Athens runs beer festivals through the warmer half of the year, with the Athens Beer Festival a highlight and Oktoberfest-style events arriving in autumn. Taprooms also host tap takeovers and brewery nights year-round, so drinkers find special pours often.
Beyond the everyday bar scene, Athens hosts organised beer events that gather brewers and drinkers in one place. The Athens Beer Festival is the headline gathering, bringing Greek and international breweries together with food stalls and live music, and it usually lands in the warmer half of the year. Autumn brings Oktoberfest-style celebrations to the city, echoing the German tradition with steins, sausages and hearty lagers. Summer street events and open-air markets sometimes fold craft beer into their line-ups, so a festival pour can turn up alongside food trucks and music.
The taprooms themselves keep the calendar busy between the big dates. Venues such as the Slowdown Taproom and Strange Brew run tap takeovers, brewery-guest nights and seasonal launches through the year. These smaller events give drinkers a chance to meet the brewers, sample one-off batches and taste beers before they reach wider distribution. Collaboration brews between two breweries turn up on these nights, and prize draws or brewery merchandise sometimes sweeten the visit. Check a venue’s social feed before you go, since dates shift and special kegs empty quickly. A festival visit pairs naturally with the wider Athens nightlife, letting you roll from a tasting session into the city’s late bars.
Which tips help you enjoy craft beer in Athens?
Head out in the evening when the bars come alive, explore the walkable central venues on foot, and try a beer crawl. Pace yourself across the strong craft beers, pair them with bar food, and chat to the staff for recommendations.
To enjoy the scene at its best, head out in the evening when the bars and taprooms come alive. Take advantage of the central venues sitting close enough to explore on foot, which makes a craft beer crawl between four or five spots an enjoyable way to spend a night. Pace yourself across the often-strong craft beers, since IPAs and stouts can climb well above the strength of a standard lager. Pair the beers with the bar food, chat with the friendly, beer-loving staff for recommendations, and embrace the relaxed, sociable atmosphere.
With these habits you are set for a great night out. Some operators run guided craft beer tours that take you to four or five of the best venues with an expert, a social way to discover the scene if you would rather not plan your own crawl. Street food makes a solid partner for a session, so consider grabbing a bite from the Athens street food stalls between stops. Drink water between rounds, note the metro’s last departure if you head to the suburbs, and carry a little cash, since smaller taprooms sometimes prefer it over cards. The questions below cover the points visitors ask most.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Athens have a craft beer scene?
Yes, Athens has a booming craft beer scene that has grown rapidly over the past decade, with taprooms, microbreweries and dedicated beer bars pouring Greek and international craft beers. Beer lovers find rotating tap lists, local Greek microbrews and imported beers far beyond the old mass-produced lagers, concentrated in central and up-and-coming neighbourhoods like Psiri, Koukaki and Petralona.
Where can you drink craft beer in Athens?
You can drink craft beer at bars and taprooms across central Athens, such as Barley Cargo on Kolokotroni Street with its huge selection, Tapfield and Beer Time in Psiri, Strange Brew Taproom in Koukaki, the Slowdown Taproom in Petralona, and Tales of Ales near Monastiraki. These central, walkable venues pour a broad range of Greek and international craft beers in a welcoming atmosphere.
What Greek craft beers should you try?
In Athens, try Greek microbrews rather than familiar international lagers, and ask the staff for recommendations. Sample a hoppy IPA, a crisp pale ale, a refreshing lager or a rich stout, and look for local brewers like Noctua, Septem and Nissos, plus beers made with Greek ingredients such as honey or herbs. Tasting flights let you try four to six beers, and pairing beer with bar food enhances the experience.
When is the best time for craft beer in Athens?
Craft beer bars in Athens run year-round, though evenings are the liveliest time to visit. The warmer half of the year brings beer festivals such as the Athens Beer Festival, while autumn adds Oktoberfest-style events. Taprooms host tap takeovers and brewery nights across the seasons, so drinkers can find special pours whenever they visit the city.