Edinburgh got its nickname of ‘the Athens of the North’ in the 1700s, however, contemporary Athens and Edinburgh are now very far apart in scale and character.
The glorious ancient zone around the Acropolis is justly world famous but it’s not reflective of the wider city, a dense concrete sprawl largely formed during the 1950s and 1960s population explosion. The population density of Athens is many times higher, creating a far more lively city, while the climate is incomparable. So, very different cities. What about comparisons regarding coffee?
Coffee drinking has long been a habitual part of Greek daily life. By coffee, Athenians generally mean espresso based drinks, using dark roasted Italian-style coffee. This is also the basis of the very popular Freddo (iced) coffees, which dominate during the warmer months. In Edinburgh, by contrast, specialty coffee is where it’s at. Apart from what’s in the cup, what aspects of Athenian coffee culture should Edinburgh look to emulate?
Actually, we’re just closing…
The way that most cafes in Edinburgh shut around 4pm is something that bemuses many visitors to the city and frustrates many locals. Café owners suggest that after 3pm demand drops off. However, the advertising executive Rory Sutherland is surely correct in arguing that because customers know that most cafes close around 4, they don’t consider coffee at that time of day. One great joys of Athens are the long evenings. Weather plays an important role here; in Athens it’s possible to sit at an outside table for at least 8 months of the year. In Edinburgh, outside of a few weeks, you generally need to be brave to do so. However, the weather need not stop cafes in Edinburgh opening later than they do.
Sorry guys, we’re full at the moment
One aspect that becomes apparent through comparison is how much easier it is to find a table in Athens. Most good coffee spots in Edinburgh are consistently busy, with tables at a premium. In Athens, cafes are much larger, so finding tables is rarely an issue. One aspect that helps is that laptop working in cafes are far less common in Athens, so cafes are not clogged up for several hours in the way that they are in Edinburgh (this can make a serious dent in takings for independent coffee shops, who often have to introduce non-laptop tables and times).
The sheer number of cafes in Athens means that you are not far from an alternative spot. From an Athenian perspective, the notion that Edinburgh has too many cafes would be laughable. This includes numerous cafes in residential suburbs, not just ‘destination’ areas. In many areas you will come across traditional kafenio-the equivalent to an old man’s pub in the UK. Instead of beer, they generally serve old fashioned Greek coffee, beer, and ouzo. In short, coffee is much easier to access, across the city and well into the night. Such a mainstreaming of coffee is only in its early stages in the UK.
Customer service
Here Athens is the clear winner here. The customer experience in the UK can be mixed. Too often the stress of serving coffee in busy places transmits itself to the customer. In Athens I’ve felt a greater sense of staff really welcoming me, not merely serving me. Edinburgh’s cafes and eateries would do well to try and emulate this. Some have excellent customer service but too many don’t.
Variety and consistency
During four visits to Athens, I’ve been struck by the sheer consistency of the coffee served. However, since the coffee in Athens is mainly Italian style espresso, baristas are dealing with a very consistent product. They don’t need to make daily alterations to the machines and grinders in order to ‘dial in’ their coffee. With specialty coffee the character of the beans varies a lot. As a result, coffee in Edinburgh can be a little hit or miss, though the general standard is steadily rising (albeit, from a low base). So while Athens scores in terms of consistency, Edinburgh’s best places are superior, offering more complex coffees.
It becomes addictive
Specialty coffee is starting to make an impression in Athens. The minimal cool of Foyer Espresso Bar in the neighbourhood of Pangrati typifies this new trend. Their head barista talked of Athens as a late starter in terms of specialty coffee, with things only getting going around 2014; around 7 years or so after the UK. He admitted that many customers ‘don’t enjoy it the first time’ as it’s significantly different from the coffee they are used to, ‘but soon find it becomes addictive’. Also attracting good custom is Motiv in the heart of Exarcheia, the centre of political activism in the city. On a busy graffiti-strewn corner, with motorcycles whizzing by, the place buzzes with energy deep into the late evening.
Other specialty hotspots include Mind the Cup in the large, busy suburb of Peristeri. There, drinkers sitting outside sip their coffees in the cool, shaded by a set of large trees. In the same area, Cafeistas is a growing roastery and café. Sitting in an industrial area with the National Highway passing nearby, the spacious café and roastery is a cool, quiet location in a city with very few such places. Cafeistas offer an excellent range of beans, including an excellent Mojo blend, which uses a combination of African beans. The price of the coffee at Cafeistas was significantly lower than other places (around 2.5 EUR), reflecting its out of the way location. In general, prices of specialty coffee are fairly near those found in the UK, which given the lower average salaries in Greece, makes such places expensive for Greeks.
Reasons to visit
There are many reasons to visit Athens, including the history, the culinary excellence and the cultural richness. Coffee is another reason to go, with consistently good brews served even in the humbler places (such as Everest, a Greggs equivalent). While Edinburgh is a very different city, it can learn much from the Athenian approach to coffee. This includes greater consistency, more relaxed opening hours and more engaging customer service. Yamas!
Author’s note: The author thanks Eva Vaporidis for her assistance with this article.
