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 neighbourhoods, and tips for enjoying craft beer in Athens.
What is the Athens craft beer scene like?
Athens has enjoyed a craft beer revolution over the past decade, with a growing number of taprooms, microbreweries and dedicated beer bars pouring an exciting range of Greek and international craft beers. Beer lovers can find well-curated tap lists, local microbrews and obscure imports far beyond the old mass-produced lagers. Concentrated in central and up-and-coming neighbourhoods, the scene is welcoming, sociable and affordable, offering a fun, modern and authentic alternative to the city’s wine and ouzo traditions.
Beyond its famous wine, ouzo and tsipouro, Athens has in recent years developed a vibrant and rapidly growing craft beer scene that delights beer enthusiasts and casual drinkers alike. Over the past decade or so, the city has experienced something of a brewing revolution, as a new generation of drinkers looked beyond the mass-produced multinational lagers that long dominated the market in favour of more characterful, flavourful and interesting beers. The result is a flourishing landscape of dedicated craft beer bars with well-curated, ever-changing tap lists, modern taprooms pouring fresh local brews, and a wave of Greek microbreweries producing everything from hoppy IPAs and pale ales to stouts, lagers and experimental styles, alongside a tempting selection of imported international craft beers.
This scene is concentrated in the central and up-and-coming neighbourhoods of the city, and its venues tend to be welcoming, sociable, relaxed and affordable. For beer lovers, it offers a fun, contemporary and genuinely good alternative to the more traditional Greek drinking culture. The best venues are well worth seeking out. Several stand out as favourites.
What are the best beer bars and taprooms?
Athens has several excellent craft beer venues. Barley Cargo on Kolokotroni Street is a long-standing favourite with a huge selection, including many Greek microbrews. Tapfield in Psiri offers a discerning multi-tap list, while Strange Brew Taproom in Koukaki pours its own nomadic brews. The Slowdown Taproom in Petralona brews on site, and spots like Tales of Ales near Monastiraki and Beer Time in Psiri add to the choice. Each offers a great range and atmosphere for sampling craft beer.
The heart of the Athens craft beer scene lies in its dedicated bars and taprooms, several of which have become firm favourites and are well worth seeking out for their selection and atmosphere. A long-standing institution is Barley Cargo, on the bustling Kolokotroni Street in the centre, which has long been a go-to for beer enthusiasts thanks to its enormous selection of hundreds of beers, including a generous showing of Greek and Athenian microbrews on tap and in bottle. In the lively Psiri district, Tapfield is a stylish multi-tap bar pouring a discerning, rotating selection that champions the burgeoning Greek brewing scene, while nearby Beer Time offers a vast 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 alongside others, and 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 few steps from Monastiraki Square, and various spots in the northern suburbs such as Halandri. Each of these venues offers a great range, knowledgeable staff and a welcoming atmosphere for sampling craft beer. They showcase the best of Greek and global brewing. The Greek breweries behind them are flourishing.
What Greek craft breweries should you discover?
The Athens and wider Greek craft scene features many independent microbreweries worth discovering, producing characterful beers with a local twist, sometimes using Greek ingredients like honey, herbs or citrus. Look out for Athenian and Greek brewers on the tap lists, such as Noctua, named after Athena’s owl, and many others making IPAs, pale ales, lagers and stouts. Tasting these home-grown craft beers, often unavailable abroad, is the real reward of the city’s beer scene.
A particular pleasure of exploring craft beer in Athens is discovering the many independent Greek microbreweries behind the scene, whose beers you will find on the tap lists and shelves of the city’s beer bars and which are often unavailable outside Greece. Over the past decade a host of small, passionate Greek breweries have sprung up across the country and the capital, producing a wide and creative range of styles, from crisp pale ales and bold, hoppy IPAs to rich stouts, refreshing lagers, wheat beers and experimental brews, often crafted with care and personality. Some give their beers a distinctively Greek twist by incorporating local ingredients such as Greek honey, aromatic herbs, mastic or citrus, reflecting the flavours of the land.
Among the Athenian names to look out for is Noctua, whose very name derives from the little owl associated with the goddess Athena, the city’s patron, with beers bearing owl-themed names, and there are many other Greek brewers besides, each with their own character. Seeking out and tasting these home-grown craft beers, comparing the different breweries and styles, is genuinely the most rewarding part of the city’s beer scene, offering a flavour of Greece in a glass. The breweries reflect real creativity. Knowing what to order helps newcomers.
What craft beers should you try?
In an Athens craft beer bar, ask the staff for recommendations and try a Greek microbrew rather than a familiar international lager. Sample a range of styles, a hoppy IPA, a crisp pale ale, a refreshing lager, or a rich stout, and look for seasonal or local specialities. Many bars offer tasting flights or smaller measures so you can try several. Pairing beers with the bar snacks or a meal enhances the experience. Embracing the local and the unfamiliar is the way to enjoy it.
To make the most of a visit to an Athens craft beer bar, it helps to know how to order and what to seek out, embracing discovery rather than defaulting to a familiar brand. The most rewarding approach is to ask the knowledgeable bar staff for their recommendations and to favour the Greek microbrews and local craft beers over the international lagers you could drink anywhere, as these home-grown beers are the real 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, and 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 selection of small measures of several different beers, or simply to ask for smaller servings, letting you sample widely and find your favourites. Many craft beer bars also serve good food or snacks designed to pair with the beers, from burgers to cheese boards, which enhances the experience. By being open and curious, you will discover excellent beers. The neighbourhoods shape the scene. Knowing where to head helps you plan.
Which neighbourhoods, and what tips help?
The craft beer scene centres on the lively central districts of Psiri and Monastiraki, the trendy quarters of Koukaki and Petralona, and the central streets around Kolokotroni, with more spots in suburbs like Pangrati and Halandri. To enjoy it, go in the evening when the bars come alive, explore on foot as the central venues are walkable, try a beer crawl, and pace yourself. Pair beer with food, chat to the staff, and embrace the friendly, relaxed atmosphere for a great night out.
The craft beer scene of Athens is concentrated 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, while characterful, working-class Petralona, a little further out, hosts on-site brewing taprooms and a relaxed local vibe. Beyond the centre, you will find more craft beer spots in the residential districts of Pangrati and the northern suburb of Halandri.
To enjoy the scene at its best, head out in the evening when the bars and taprooms come alive, and take advantage of the fact that the central venues are close enough to explore on foot, making a craft beer crawl between several spots an enjoyable way to spend a night. Pace yourself across the often-strong craft beers, pair them 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 even run guided craft beer tours that take you to several of the best venues with an expert, a fun, social way to discover the scene if you would rather not plan your own crawl. The wider nightlife appears in the Athens nightlife guide. 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 many taprooms, microbreweries and dedicated beer bars pouring Greek and international craft beers. Beer lovers can find well-curated 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 numerous bars and taprooms in 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 great 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, asking the staff for recommendations. Sample a range of styles, a hoppy IPA, a crisp pale ale, a refreshing lager or a rich stout, and look for local brewers like Noctua and beers made with Greek ingredients such as honey or herbs. Tasting flights let you try several, and pairing beer with bar food enhances the experience.