Where can you have coffee with an Acropolis view in Thiseio, Athens?

Pedestrian Apostolou Pavlou in Thiseio, part of the main walk around the Ancient Agora, has cafés with outdoor tables such as Hill Athens at no. 27, Senso at no. 29 and Κίρκη at no. 31. The open-air cinema at Apostolou Pavlou 7, built in 1935, has the floodlit Acropolis behind its screen.

How do you get to Petralona in Athens by metro?

Petralona station on metro Line 1 serves the district and is one stop from Thiseio toward Piraeus. Kerameikos station on Line 3 is also close, and buses 227 and 035 run to the center. Ano Petralona lies between Filopappou Hill and the railway, Kato Petralona between the railway and Piraeus Street.

Cafés in Thiseio & Petralona, Athens: Hours and Map

Q: What are the opening hours of The Underdog in Thiseio, Athens?

The Underdog at Iraklidon 8 in Thiseio opens 08:00–19:00 Monday to Friday and 08:00–20:00 on Saturday and Sunday. It has roasted coffee since 2011 and opened this multi-story café with a large terrace in 2015; the menu runs from freddo cappuccino, yogurt and pancakes to craft beer and cocktails.

Thiseio (Θησείο) lies northwest of the Acropolis, ringed by the Ancient Agora, Kerameikos and the Pnyx, and takes its name from the Temple of Hephaestus, long mistaken for a temple of Theseus.¹ The view of the Acropolis is the draw, and pedestrian Apostolou Pavlou joins Dionysiou Areopagitou to form the main walk around the Agora.¹

Petralona (Πετράλωνα) is named after πέτρινα αλώνια, stone threshing floors; it was called Katsikadika, after its goatherds, until goats were banned from Athens in February 1925.² Ano Petralona lies between Filopappou Hill and the railway, Kato Petralona between the railway and Piraeus Street.² Thessalonikis has the most cafés of any street here, with Apostolou Pavlou and Iraklidon next.

Local tip: For the Acropolis view without a café bill, take the Pikionis path on Filopappou behind Agios Georgios Loumbardiaris; from its clearing you see the Acropolis, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the sea at Piraeus.⁴

At a glance

60Cafés listed

7With opening hours

07:00Earliest opening

01:00Latest closing

Opens earliest: SKASIARXEIO Coffee Bar, from 07:00 (Daily 07:00–23:00).

Closes latest: Μουρ Μουρ, until 01:00 (Daily 09:00–01:00).

Most common features: outdoor seating (25%), wi-fi (8%), open late (5%).

Getting to Thiseio and Petralona

Thiseio station on metro Line 1 first opened on 27 February 1869, making it one of the oldest on the line, and was rebuilt in 2004; Petralona is the next stop toward Piraeus.³ Kerameikos station on Line 3 is also close to Petralona, and buses 227 and 035 link the district with the center.²

Apostolou Pavlou and Iraklidon

Iraklidon, the busiest pedestrian street in Thiseio, runs from Apostolou Pavlou toward Gazi over the rails of an old tram line, and many of its cafés have no doors at all.⁴ On Apostolou Pavlou, Hill Athens at no. 27, Senso at no. 29 and Κίρκη (Kírki, Circe) at no. 31 all put tables outside, with Phidias at no. 39 and Mentor Cafe at no. 47 further on.

The open-air cinema at Apostolou Pavlou 7, built in 1935, is the oldest in Athens, with the floodlit Acropolis behind its screen.⁴

The Underdog and the Thiseio cafés

The Underdog, at Iraklidon 8, has roasted coffee since 2011 and opened this multi-story café with a large terrace in 2015. Besides freddo cappuccino it serves yogurt and pancakes, craft beer, cocktails and an Irish coffee flight.⁵ It opens 08:00–19:00 on weekdays and until 20:00 at weekends.

Ubuntu, at Nileos 58, pours coffee from Mr Bean Coffee Roasters with handmade snacks.⁶ SKASIARXEIO Coffee Bar, at Agias Aikaterinis 3, is open 07:00–23:00 daily.

Petralona: Troon Street and the railway

Τρώων (Troon) is Petralona’s signature street, partly pedestrianized, with the Zephyros cinema at no. 36, open since 1938, and the Οικονόμου tavern at no. 41, from 1930. Ano Petralona keeps its mansions, small squares and older cafés.⁷ On Troon itself, Δυτικά του Φιλοπάππου (West of Filopappou) is at no. 28 and Το δισάκι at no. 20.

Kato Petralona built up mainly from the mid-1960s, while Attaliotika, west of Filopappou, was settled by refugees from Asia Minor after 1922.⁷ Keiriadon runs beside the railway.⁷ There, Veloce at no. 76 opens at 07:00 from Monday to Saturday, and Tekafe, at Thessalonikis 172, is open 24 hours.

Back toward Thiseio, Ηλιοστάσιο (Iliostásio, solstice) at Nileos 1 and Αθηναίων Πολιτεία at Akamantos 1 have outdoor tables, Spook on Dimofontos opens 08:00–22:00 on weekdays, and Μουρ Μουρ at Kallisthenous 90 serves brunch and stays open until 01:00.

Cafés in Thiseio & Petralona

At a glance

Cat Cafe Athens

SKASIARXEIO Coffee Bar

Spook

Tekafe

The Underdog

Veloce

Μουρ Μουρ

Alice Cakewitch

Baloo

Coffee on the go

Creme Royale

Dama Koupa

Destiny Cafe

Eftichia Coffee & Ice Cream

Garbes

Mentor Cafe

Peakqualitystreetcoffee

picothiseio

Senso

Stucco Thiseio

Ubuntu

Αθηναίων Πολιτεία

Ακροπολ

Ανάκατα

Ανατολικόν Γεύσεις

Βαλίτσα

Δυτικά του Φιλοπαπου

Εις Υγείαν

Ηλιοστάσιο

Καφενείο Κρίκος

Κίρκη

Κουμπαράς

Κύριος Χου

Λουξ

Μπάμπουρας

Σαν Άλλοτε

Coffee chains in Thiseio & Petralona

Coffee Island

Il Toto

Coffee Berry

Coffee Lab

GOAT Coffee Roasters

Langano

Getting to Thiseio and Petralona

Apostolou Pavlou and Iraklidon

The Underdog and the Thiseio cafés

Petralona: Troon Street and the railway

Sources

More of Athens

Monastiraki & Psyrri

Syntagma & Plaka

Koukaki & Makrygianni

Exarchia

Kolonaki

Pangrati

Kypseli

Thiseio & Petralona cafés: questions

Where can you have coffee with an Acropolis view in Thiseio, Athens?

What are the opening hours of The Underdog in Thiseio, Athens?

How do you get to Petralona in Athens by metro?

Own a café in Thiseio & Petralona?