Three Greek bars from Athens have been voted among the 50 best in the world, with an additional new entry making the list this time around, according to worlds50bestbars.com.
The new kid on the block in Athenian bar, Line which ranked in 31st position, whilst The Clumsies leads in 19th place, followed by Baba au Rum in 20th place.
No.19 The Clumsies
The Clumsies is the pub you wish was in your neighbourhood with its top-notch drink menu, gorgeous cuisine, and welcoming Greek hospitality. The all-day pub in the heart of Athens exhibits the energy of a place that can effortlessly go from cosy daytime hangouts to a peaceful nighttime haunt to a full-blown party.
No.20 Baba au Rum
In its 14th year, Athens' Baba au Rum continues to set trends in what has quickly become one of Europe's cocktail capitals. The secret to the bar's longevity can be found in the impeccable taste of manager and owner Thanos Prunarus, whose love for modernist movements such as Bauhaus, Dada, and the Avant-Garde can be felt in the decor and sensibilities of the bar. Baba feels tropical, but without the cabana kitsch - it's urban, vital, and authentic.
Even the hand-bound menu is exquisite and was recently awarded the Greek Design & Typography Awards EVGE 2022, but the real stars are the items inside. Baba, who specialises in rum in particular, doesn't skimp on the product, having 400 rum labels. While the Avant Garde menu looks to the future and includes new spirits, the Rum Society list focuses on retro drinks and post-tropical flavours. Try the De Stijl Silver Fizz, a refreshing drink made with pisco, cherries, lime, red berry vermouth, and pineapple soda. The crew also opened a speciality coffee shop and cocktail-inspired bakery, At Love Again, in a location across from the bar, allowing customers to finally enjoy a baba au rhum from Baba au Rum.
No.31 Line – NEW ENTRY
Line is the new venture from Vasilis Kyritsis and Nikos Bakoulis (the main faces behind The Clumsies) and Dimitris Dafopoulos, owner of a Grecian mixer brand. Located close to the city centre of Athens, the building used to host an art gallery and has an industrial look and feel with natural materials, incredible high ceilings and a beautiful tree-festooned garden. Line draws its inspiration from the dynamic and natural journey of fermentation, the seasonality of produce, the concept of sustainability and the synergy with small Greek producers. Putting emphasis on unexpected ingredients and unorthodox processing, Line makes its own fruit ‘wines’, beer and artisan bread.
In keeping with the zero-waste philosophy, ingredients are switched between recipes to create a quirky list of traditional cocktails with a modern twist that include wine by-products like dry and sweet vermouths. The idea of Line is to foster a larger creative community by bringing together professionals from many fields to jointly produce something original.