To Pagaki Athens – Communally-run mezedes and tsipouro

With its Zapatista coffee, anarchist literature on sale and music playlist constrained by nothing save the Creative Commons License, it's not easy to misunderstand To Pagaki's (Greek for "the bench" named after the one which comfortably sits right outside its premises) radical political leanings -- not all that unusual to find in Athens, honestly.

But there are loads more to like here: it's well-connected (only a 5-minute walk from metro station Syggrou-Fix and tram stop Kasomouli and 10 minutes from the Acropolis Museum), it's in a pedestrian zone which is remarkably quiet considering it's practically right next to one of the city's busiest avenues (Syggrou Av.) and -believe me, this counts for much- it's surprisingly cheap; you will seldom find a bottle of ouzo and plate of assorted mezedes in Athens for less, especially now everything's almost doubled in price.

My personal favourite would have to be their vegan (or vegetarian if you just can't give up cheese) platter with some tsipouro on the side!

One last piece of advice: avoid going there in the later hours of the afternoon. The sun is hidden behind the tall buildings standing on the sides of the pedestrian zone, and it can get chilly and dark—unless you go there to enjoy it at night, of course!