Plaka Historic Quarter Wine Bars

What to do there

4 things to do

1. 1

   Find the Bar That Survived the Nazi Occupation

   history Free

   Brettos has stood at Kidathineon 41 since 1909. It survived two world wars, a German occupation, and a Greek civil war. The backlit wall of bottles is the most famous bar display in Athens.

   You're looking at Europe's second-oldest bar still operating — the family fled Smyrna (now Izmir, Turkey) in 1922, bringing distillery recipes with them. When the Nazis occupied Athens in 1941, Brettos stayed open. Walk to Kidathineon 41, Plaka (five minutes downhill from the Acropolis) and look up at the wall behind the bar — floor-to-ceiling bottles backlit in every color, the same wall that's been here since 1909. The entrance is ground level in a neoclassical mansion, and you don't need to buy anything to see this spectacular display of hundreds of bottles: ouzo, brandy, 35-40 flavors of homemade liqueurs. Open daily 10 AM to 3 AM.

   BACKUP: If the bar is crowded, the wall is visible from the doorway. The exterior has a painted sign reading 'Brettos 1909' — photograph that as your proof of standing in front of Europe's second-oldest bar.

   Log Memory
2. 2

   Taste the Ouzo That Has Never Changed Its Recipe

   wine Price: low

   Brettos quad-distills its ouzo using the original family recipe brought from Smyrna. Order a glass and compare it to what you've had before.

   The ouzo here is quad-distilled using a recipe the family carried out of Smyrna before the 1922 catastrophe — the burning of Smyrna by Turkish forces that killed 100,000 Greeks and Armenians. This recipe survived it. Order 'the house ouzo' at the bar at Brettos (€5-8) and it will arrive with a small glass of water. Add the water slowly and watch it cloud (the louche) as the anise oils precipitate out of the alcohol. Smell before the water, smell after — the transformation is the point.

   BACKUP: If ouzo is not for you, order a mastiha liqueur — it's made from the resin of mastic trees that only grow on the island of Chios. You cannot get it like this anywhere else.

   Log Memory
3. 3

   Taste a Rare Greek Vintage by the Glass at Vintage Wine Bar

   wine Price: moderate

   Two hundred meters from Brettos, Vintage Wine Bar & Bistro stocks over 500 Greek and international labels with 200+ available by the glass. This is the place in tourist-heavy Plaka where you can drink seriously.

   In an area otherwise dominated by tourist tavernas, Vintage Wine Bar & Bistro offers rare Greek vintages by the glass with a 200+ by-the-glass program that's extraordinary — most wine bars anywhere offer 20-30 options. In the heart of Plaka (ask at Brettos for directions), tell the staff: 'I want the oldest Greek wine you have by the glass' or 'I want whatever variety Aristotle would have recognized.' Watch their face change — these are the conversations they live for. Ask for something you've never tried: a Limnio (the grape Aristotle wrote about), an aged Assyrtiko, or a Xinomavro with more than 10 years. Expect €8-15 per glass.

   BACKUP: If Vintage is full or closed, Warehouse CO2 (also in Plaka) offers signature cocktails with Greek wines and gourmet dishes.

   Log Memory
4. 4

   Walk the Neighborhood of the Gods at Dusk

   Optional

   adventure Free

   Plaka's streets change at dusk — the tourist rush clears slightly, the Acropolis lights activate, and the narrow lanes between neoclassical buildings become something closer to what they've been for 3,000 years.

   You are walking through the only neighborhood of Athens that has been continuously inhabited since antiquity — every other part was rebuilt, but these streets ARE the same streets, the layout IS the same layout. Start at Hadrian's Arch (the boundary between old Athens and Hadrian's new city) and walk northwest into the Plaka maze. Walk uphill toward the Acropolis until you run out of road, then turn and look back at the city below. At dusk, with the Parthenon lit from below, find a wine bar with outdoor tables — Klepsidra has candle-lit tables on the street — and order a glass of retsina that smells of pine resin and has been poured in these streets since the Romans ruled Greece.

   BACKUP: If the alleys feel too crowded, walk east toward Lysikratous Square, where a well-preserved ancient monument (the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, 335 BC) sits in a small plaza. Buy wine from the nearest bottle shop and drink there.

   Log Memory

Insider Tips

• Oinoscent has one of Athens' best by-the-glass programs

• Heteroclito focuses on natural Greek wines

• Avoid the tourist trap rooftops

• Late evening is more atmospheric