A tiny neighbourhood coffee stand with a loyal following. Great coffee, roasted nuts, and the kind of spot you pass every morning and end up stopping at every time.

Good coffee, homemade breakfasts, cocktails in the evening. Open from 8:30. One of those places that just feels right.

An all-day café-bar set in a 1930s neoclassical house with a sunlit courtyard. Good coffee, solid brunch, cocktails in the evening, and the kind of crowd that makes you want to stay.

A small mezedopoleio on Merkouri Square. Greek and Middle Eastern small plates: falafel, mezes, grilled things with tsipouro or ouzo. Unpretentious, always lively, always full. Worth the wait.

Laid-back by day, lively by night. Good cocktails, great music, and the kind of relaxed crowd that makes an evening stretch. One of the bars that put Petralona on the map.

From the outside, you wouldn’t guess. Step inside and the whole atmosphere shifts. Colourful, warm, full of life. A hidden backyard, great cocktails, and music that actually fits.

Traditional Greek mezedes from across the country, generous portions and proper tsipouro. The kind of dinner that stretches into the evening. Recently moved, worth finding.

Authentic Cretan cuisine in a tiny space that feels more like someone’s living room than a restaurant. The daily specials are the reason regulars keep returning. Book ahead, it fills up fast.

Open since 1930 and still doing exactly the same thing. Home-cooked daily specials, generous portions, walls covered in artwork from regulars. A place that has simply never needed to change.