Cafeography
Athens · Metaxourgeio & Omonia

Cafés in Metaxourgeio & Omonia

A courtyard café on Giatrakou, a magazine’s old printing plant on Anaxagora and hotel-lobby coffee near Omonia Square.

Photo: Wendy Wei, Pexels License

Metaxourgeio (Μεταξουργείο) means “silk mill,” after a factory built in the early 19th century; the new wing of the Municipal Art Gallery now occupies it.12 The district was working-class by the late 1800s, began to empty in the 1970s and drew higher-income residents with the renovations before the 2004 Olympics.1 Line 2 of the metro has served it since January 2000.1 Much of it sits over the Dimosio Sima, an ancient cemetery for eminent Athenians.1

Omonia, to the east, has a different pace and a different kind of coffee: counters, kafeneía (coffeehouses) and hotel lobbies rather than restored courtyards. Agiou Konstantinou and 3is Septemvriou have the most cafés here, and Agiou Konstantinou also carries the National Theatre, a neoclassical building by Ernst Ziller.2

Local tip: If you take Line 2 to Saorsa Athens, look for The Myth of Neighbourhood, the installation by Alekos Fassianos, in Metaxourgeio station.2

At a glance

81Cafés listed
1With opening hours
07:30Earliest opening
21:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Η Στάνη, from 07:30 (Daily 07:30–21:00).
  • Most common features: specialty (2%), partial wheelchair access (1%), outdoor seating (1%).

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Coffee chains in Metaxourgeio & Omonia

Avdi Square and Giatrakou

Avdi Square is the center of Metaxourgeio, with theaters, a gallery and periodic festivals.1 In the late 19th century it was the proposed site of the royal palace; now it is known for street parties, avant-garde art and skate bowls.2

Saorsa Athens, at Giatrakou 2, occupies a restored neoclassical building with a sunlit inner courtyard, a few minutes’ walk from the Metaxourgeio and Kerameikos stations.5 It covers specialty coffee and freddos, brunch such as pancakes and scrambled eggs, and cocktails.5 Across the square, This is Athens suggests a drink at the café-bar Μπλε Παπαγάλος (Ble Papagalos, the blue parrot) while you wait for a table at Seychelles.3

Romantso on Anaxagora

Ρομάντσο (Romantso), at Anaxagora 3–5, is the former printing plant of the magazine of the same name.6 It now works as a start-up incubator for the creative industries and a cultural center with public events every day, as part of BIOS, which describes itself as one of Greece’s longest-running independent cultural organizations.6

The café is one of five venues in the building, is open through the day and can be hired privately.6

Omonia’s counters and lobbies

Omonia became the terminus for carriages around 1880, so people arriving from the provinces came through it first. In the 1960s and 1970s, newcomers from the villages met their compatriots in the coffee houses around the square.4 It remains the center of blue-collar Athens and the starting point for union marches; its latest redesign, with a hydrokinetic sculpture by George Zongolopoulos that releases cooling mists, debuted in May 2020.4

Two kafeneía are a few doors apart on Chiou: Καφενείο Μαργαρίτα (Kafeneio Margarita) at no. 34 and Καφενείο Οδός Χίου (Kafeneio Odos Chiou) at no. 28.

Polis Life is the opposite end of the trade: an all-day coffee shop in the lobby of the Polis Grand Hotel, designed by the architect Apostolos Nikolopoulos with tailor-made leather sofas and wooden paneling.7 On 3is Septemvriou, Monday’s pours 100% Arabica coffee and freddos with fresh juices, bagels and focaccia; its other shops are in Kallithea and Tavros.8

Sources

  1. Metaxourgeio, Wikipedia, accessed November 2026
  2. Gazi & Keramikos neighbourhood guide, This is Athens, accessed November 2026
  3. A local’s guide to Keramikos, This is Athens, accessed November 2026
  4. Historic Centre neighbourhood guide, This is Athens, accessed November 2026
  5. Saorsa Athens, Saorsa, accessed November 2026
  6. Romantso, Romantso, accessed November 2026
  7. Polis Grand Hotel, Polis Grand Hotel, accessed November 2026
  8. Monday’s, Monday’s, accessed November 2026
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In Metaxourgeio & Omonia, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating Brunch

FAQ

Metaxourgeio & Omonia cafés: questions

What is the Romantso café in Omonia, Athens?

Ρομάντσο, at Anaxagora 3–5 near Omonia, is the former printing plant of the Romantso magazine. It now works as a start-up incubator for the creative industries and a cultural center with daily public events, part of the BIOS network. The café is one of five venues in the building and stays open through the day.

Where can you have coffee near Avdi Square in Metaxourgeio, Athens?

Saorsa Athens, at Giatrakou 2 in Metaxourgeio, occupies a restored neoclassical building with a sunlit inner courtyard and serves specialty coffee, brunch and cocktails. Μπλε Παπαγάλος is a café-bar by Avdi Square, and This is Athens suggests a drink there while you wait for a table at Seychelles.

What is the history of coffee houses around Omonia Square in Athens?

Omonia became the terminus for carriages around 1880, so people from the provinces arrived there first. In the 1960s and 1970s, newcomers from the villages met their compatriots in the coffee houses around the square. Καφενείο Μαργαρίτα and Καφενείο Οδός Χίου are a few doors apart on Chiou Street.

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