The best bars and cafés Gialos And Horio

This traditional kafeneio has been installed on the docks since the 1980s. It remains open all year round and is therefore not exclusively oriented towards tourism. We sit there for hours on the terrace to drink coffee and watch the boats and the world pass by. Very good homemade mezzedes are available: perfect for a light lunch break or to accompany the ouzo at the end of the day. Café Elpida is also famous for its good desserts and friendly atmosphere. Greek coffee is prepared according to the rules of the art.

This little café-bar is well named. It is indeed hidden on the foothills of Horio, on the road that goes down to Pedi: a shaded courtyard under the arbour brings freshness and calm. It is an establishment that is maintained year after year, and that locals and tourists also appreciate. We stop there to drink coffee in the courtyard, have breakfast, have a light lunch break with delicious mezzedes or drink the ouzo after a hard day's holiday. In the evening, live music is regularly scheduled.

Without a doubt the best cocktail bar in Symi: on the quay leading to the shipyard, Tsati is a real gem. You can drink your aperitif with your feet in the water, facing the red and golden hills of the port at the end of the day. The waves lapping gently on the multicoloured boats while you sip a granita or a house cocktail. The owner of the place, Michalis, makes it a point of honour to serve only sophisticated cocktails: you won't find a standard mojito here. Beware of the high prices though.

Le Petalo opened on the quays at the western tip of Gialos harbor a few years ago. Part café-bar, part quayside beach and part restaurant, it's a trendy (and therefore expensive) spot that offers superb views over the harbor and brings a touch of modernity to Gialos. You can spend the whole day here, between breakfast, a sunbathing session on the deckchairs set up for coffee (beware, they're expensive!), a swim, a neat cocktail as an aperitif or dinner in the restaurant proper.

This new café opened in the pretty inner courtyard of the Hotel Anastasia, in a quiet alleyway not far from the Gialos campanile. Since its opening in 2022, the café has become a port staple for sipping coffee and relaxing over a treat during the day, or brunching on a hearty and tasty breakfast in the morning. Whether you prefer sweet or savoury, you'll find what you're looking for here, in this little haven of peace where the warm welcome adds to the experience. We wish long life to Pavone Café!