Baba au Rum is the bar that changed how Athens drinks, and more than 15 years on it remains the room every visiting cocktail lover is pointed to first. Founded by Thanos Prunarus in 2009, it calls itself a rum and cocktail society, and it holds a place in our world ranking at No. 9 through the rare combination of a devoted crowd and a decade of critical acclaim.
When Baba au Rum opened, Athens was not yet a cocktail city. Prunarus built it anyway, on a shoestring and a clear conviction, and in doing so he helped turn the Greek capital into one of Europe's genuine fine-drinking destinations. The bar did not just succeed; it changed the market around it, and it has stayed at the top of that market ever since. That is a far rarer achievement than a good drinks list, and it is the backdrop to everything this bar is today.
Why it ranks No. 9
Our list is ordered by verified guest rating, ties broken by review volume, and Baba au Rum's placement rests on both. It holds a 4.6 average across more than 4,700 reviews, and that combination is the point: a very high score sustained across a very large number of visitors. It is comparatively easy to keep a top rating in a tiny, quiet room; it is much harder to do it as a busy, beloved landmark that thousands of people pass through, and Baba au Rum manages exactly that. This is quality at scale, which is precisely what our methodology is built to surface.
The trade has agreed for well over a decade. Baba au Rum has appeared on The World's 50 Best Bars for more than ten consecutive years, sat at No. 27 in 2025, and won the Remy Martin Legend of the List Award in 2025, an honour given specifically for that kind of sustained excellence rather than a single strong year. Few bars anywhere carry that length of recognition alongside a guest score this high. When the crowd and the trade agree this consistently, and for this long, the placement is earned many times over.
The concept: a rum and cocktail society
The name is a nod to the French pastry baba au rhum, and the pitch was simple from the start: rum, taken seriously, from every producing region. Prunarus opened with around 60 rum references that were unheard of in Athens at the time; today the back bar holds more than 400 rums, one of the deepest collections in Europe. But calling it merely a rum bar undersells it. The self-description, a rum and cocktail society, is more accurate: this is a place built around a genuine culture of drinking, where the spirit is the through-line but the cocktails range from classic tropical references to a thoroughly modern, ingredient-driven style. If you want to understand rum, there are few better classrooms on the continent, and few more welcoming ones.
The room
Baba au Rum sits on Klitiou Street, in the tight grid of bars in central Athens between Monastiraki and Syntagma, and it has anchored that little strip for so long that it helped make the street a destination. The room is warm and characterful rather than slick, with a soundtrack that runs from Cuban son through reggae and a convivial, unpretentious energy. It is the kind of bar that feels like a party and an institution at once, the sort of room you can drop into for one drink and stay in for five. Its longevity in a fast-moving scene is a testament to how right the original idea was.
The drinks
The current menu, titled Love Letters to Future Selves, shows how far the bar ranges beyond straight rum pours. Alongside the deep back bar, the list runs to inventive, modern cocktails: the Supremus, a twist on the Ti Punch built from a rum blend with falernum, tea and summer fruits; the Beatnik Paloma, which pulls mezcal together with beetroot and black cardamom; the savoury Bloody Tiger of tomato, vodka, miso and mango; and the Perle Fisher, an easy, aromatic long drink of Amaro Montenegro, house falernum and cherry-blossom tonic. The smartest first move, though, is still the simplest: order a Daiquiri to see how well the bar handles a classic, then ask the bartender to choose a Caribbean rum for the second pour and let them build the rest of the night from there.
How to visit
Baba au Rum is at Klitiou 6 in central Athens, a short walk from Syntagma and Monastiraki and easy to fold into an evening exploring the surrounding bars. It is a genuinely popular room, so it can fill on weekends, and arriving earlier is the reliable way to get a good seat; it is worth checking the bar's own channels for current hours. Prices are fair for a bar of this standing, which is part of why it remains a locals' favourite as much as a tourist stop. Come curious about rum, or come for the cocktails, and let the bartenders guide you deeper into a back bar most places can only dream of.
Who it's for
Baba au Rum suits the rum enthusiast, the cocktail traveller ticking off Europe's essential bars, and anyone who wants a warm, sociable room with serious craft behind the fun. It pairs naturally with the rest of central Athens's excellent bar strip for a full evening. Come thirsty and open-minded, and let one of the most important bars in modern Greek drinking show you why it has stayed at the top for so long.
For more of the city, the full cocktail bars in Athens roundup expands the picks, our hidden gem bars in Athens guide covers the quieter rooms, and the Athens bar guide covers every occasion. See where it sits among its peers on our world's top 50 bars ranking.
What to order
- 01
A Daiquiri
The classic that tells you how good the bar is, then ask for a Caribbean rum to sip alongside.
- 02
Supremus
A twist on the Ti Punch: a rum blend with falernum, tea and summer fruits.
- 03
Beatnik Paloma
Mezcal pulled together with beetroot and black cardamom, from the current menu.
- 04
Bartender's rum pick
The back bar holds 400-plus rums. Say what you like and let them pour you something you would never find at home.