For those who find magic in the quiet pages of a book or the simple joy of a coffee in hand, Athens has something special to offer: a vibrant book café culture that blends literature, local art, and lively conversation. Nestled within diverse neighbourhoods, each café brings its own character—whether it’s an activist hub bridging Athenian subcultures, a cosy independent spot, or an established publishing house redefining its presence downtown.
On top of being bookstores with a great variety in English titles, these places tap into the lively Athenian coffee culture and provide a comfortable corner for seasoned bookworms, casual readers and laptop warriors alike.
Kaktos Bookbar
If you, too, feel like “a citizen not of a city or country, but of the world,” like Socrates, or “have measured out your life with coffee spoons,” like T.S. Eliot, Kaktos Bookbar will feel like home. These quotes greet you as you step into this sharp book café on bustling Aiolou Street, just a stone's throw from Agias Irinis Square. Kaktos Publications, founded in 1974, relocated to this beautiful 100-year-old neoclassical building in late 2023, reintroducing a much-missed cultural staple to the ever-changing landscape of downtown Athens—the bookstore. “This year marks our 50th anniversary, and with our new home, we begin a new era as we look ahead to the next 50 years,” says Kaktos PR Manager Maria Koukouvinou over coffee on a hot June afternoon. Inside, the chic interior features classic wooden kafenio chairs, marble tabletops, and ceiling-high bookshelves. The window seats offer prime people-watching for those who enjoy a little distraction with their reading, while quieter tables are tucked away at the back. Pair a coffee from their gorgeous La Marzocco espresso machine with a slice of delicious carrot cake, or enjoy a light lunch of pinsas, bruschettas, and chicken bowls, all complemented by a glass of Greek wine. But the true star of Kaktos is the bookstore itself. Kaktos specialises in history, mythology, fiction, and science. In fact, it was the first publisher in Greece to introduce science fiction greats like Asimov, Clarke, and Orwell. Most notably, Kaktos publishes the world’s largest collection of ancient Greek literature—more than 820 volumes overing antiquity through to the Byzantine era. If you’re after Euripides, Plato, or Aristotle in English, this is where you’ll find them.
Free Thinking Zone
“Are we in Exarchia or Kolonaki?” is the first question I ask owner Areti Georgili as we sit on the café’s burgundy Chesterfield couch. This is intentional, as Free Thinking Zone sits right on the “barbed-wire fence” between radical (and now heavily gentrified) Exarchia and upscale Kolonaki, two distinct Athenian microcosms that rarely mix. This very blend of worlds and ideas is at the heart of this activist book café. “People don’t argue anymore. We need to do that more often, especially when our worldviews differ,” says Areti. Her point lands as a delivery driver arrives with some books, informing her that the Trump titles she ordered are currently out of stock. “We’re hosting a U.S. elections debate next week. We already have books on Kamala Harris, so it’s only right that we have some on Trump, too,” she explains, as Kostakis, the shop’s stray cat, meows asking to go outside. Of course, he does the same after two minutes, asking to come back in.
Free Thinking Zone (named after the concept of Free-Trade Zones, where goods change hands under relaxed rules) opened in 2011, during the early years of Athens’ turbulent financial crisis. Since then, Areti has focused on “creating real-life content,” hosting book clubs, presentations, workshops, Greek lessons for refugees, city walks, and more. “Most people imagine bookstores as either quaint, Meg Ryan-run shops or Tom Hanks-owned megachains. A bookstore, I believe, should always be visible. It should serve the community it creates,” she says. FTZ’s volunteering community strongly focuses on refugees, LGBTQ+, and women’s rights. Areti, co-leader of Lean In’s Athens Network, also oversees FTZ’s own socially conscious collection of publications that support similar causes. The bookstore’s broader catalogue is thoughtfully curated and leans towards fiction, with a growing section of Greek authors available in English translations. Here, the nourishment is intellectual; the bar serves a simple menu of all-day drinks with a soft spot for products from the island of Chios, along with light snacks. And in case you were left wondering, the answer to the first question is Exarchia.
Adad Books
Surrounded by decades-old family tavernas and bars, this small, unpretentious book café landed at Mercouri Square in May 2021, yet it feels like it’s been there forever. The setup is simple: a few indoor and outdoor tables, shelves stocked with books, zines, and art objects, and a small bar at the back. “We opened during the pandemic, so you can imagine the slow process. This place used to be a funeral home… or was it a go-go bar? Can’t really remember!” laughs owner Alix Janta-Polczynski. Adad Books, named after the ancient Mesopotamian god of thunder, actually began as a small publishing house in London in 2013 before Alix moved to Athens in 2017 and had been eyeing this empty store for years, until a twist of fate finally made it hers.
The sign by the door reads “BOOKS - COFFEE - PIES”—a warm invitation to passersby seeking calm among these simple pleasures. Adad’s catalogue spans titles from small presses and self-published zines with a focus on visual arts, poetry, architecture, and design. There’s also a small selection of second-hand books, some from Alix’s personal collection and others gifted by friends of Adad, for visitors to browse or draw inspiration from. Giannis, the café’s friendly server and one of the many Athenian creatives drawn to the spot, will serve you an expertly crafted cup of specialty Area 51 coffee alongside homemade kombucha or a slice of the day’s pie or cake, which are often vegetarian/vegan. Adad attracts a wonderfully heterogeneous crowd, from hip zoomers to local pensioners, its atmosphere steadily cross-pollinated with ideas and collaborations from Alix’s other creative endeavour, the Alkinois Project Space. By evening, Adad transforms, offering natural wines to its free-spirited, art-loving clientele.
Literature House
When searching for reader-friendly spots in Athens, Androniki Mastoraki quickly realised they were few and far between. Lighting in most cafés is too dim, the chatter and music too loud, and many places turn into bars by evening. But where does that leave bookworms? “If you can’t find what you’re looking for, create it yourself,” she says—and that she did, establishing Literature House in the welcoming neighbourhood of Kypseli. Opening its doors on March 14, 2020—just a day before Greece entered its first COVID lockdown—Literature House’s story began like a dramatic novela. But thanks to the support of local book lovers, however, it has now entered its heartwarming fairytale era.
Literature House holds more than meets the eye. The ground floor features cosy reading spots nestled among corner bookshelves, with furniture sourced from Reto, an NGO supporting addiction recovery. The mezzanine offers a quieter area, ideal for reading or working on a laptop, perhaps only interrupted by the friendly purrs of Alepouditsa, the tortoiseshell house cat—a fixture every book café seems to need. At the back, a shaded yard offers a perfect escape on Athens’ hot summer days, and is accessible from the main stairs which also lead to two more spaces: the basement, home to second-hand treasures including hundreds of English titles, as well as the book club; and a spacious rooftop, as Athenianly urban as it gets, perfect for events like book presentations and film screenings. At the ground-floor bar, patrons can enjoy homemade coffee, tea, wine, or a glass of raki (Crete’s bold take on ouzo) with a light Greek meze.
