Line Athens — Restaurant in Athens

It is already established that competitions like "the 50 best bars in the world" are a PR tool in the world of bars and equivalent to a beauty pageant competition. They all account to nothing really cause at the end of the day the experience of a bar is very subjective. Having said that one has definitely expectations of something unique when they visit one of the bars in the list. Line Athens is indeed an impressive establishment, an old industrial space, lots of space for that matter, nice furniture and minimal in it's approach to decorations which is all fine. They do care about their music, the dj was playing an all vinyl set and the selections were interesting and well fitting. Staff was attentive and it must be great to socialize when the place is full of people. We were there kinda early and people were scattered around so one does not get the feeling of bar warmth so much, it s more like being in a space that will host an art installation. We sat in the bar which is beautifully made with some very comfortable stools. What let us down was the cocktail list not being as original as someone would expect from no. 31 in the world, they could not make one of the cocktails we ordered cause there was one basic ingredient missing. That can certainly happen but the question is should it happen in one of the 50 best bars in the world? The place promotes itself on its sustainable cooking, making their own stuff etc but cocktails with coca cola and blue cheese surely do not adhere to this concept. The Americano we ordered was fine but kinda diluted. No snack with the drinks (I guess they want you to order their food but they could for example make spicy crisps from their left over bread and that would be indeed sustainable). Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed the experience, the inhouse made beer was nice but having to drive all the way there, two taxi rides that is (the bar is off the beaten track location wise) we were left with a sour taste, no pun intended. If this bar was not as heavily promoted as the best thing to come out of Athens now it would be fine but this was rather...

The dinner experience was in line (no pun intended) with what you expect with a cocktail bar. Simple, tasty food, nothing to write home about but pleasant. And priced appropriately. The waitress who served us was extremely kind too. Then we went inside at the counter and things changed. If great cocktails is all you want, then sure, go for it. Great balance, clear mastery. But the service was incredibly cold. If I ask a drink out of menu I expect at least a description of it (this has happened in every single cocktail bar I’ve visited). Here instead it’s more of a “ok, take this. Bye”. Not something I would expect from a bar that is ranked so up high in the 50 best WORLD bars. I can’t expect every bartender to become a buddy with me, but the basics should be there: ask me what I usually like, ask me if I could be interested in X thing, WHAT ARE YOU ALLERGIC TO (everyone asks that cmon) and,most importantly, if I ask something that is outside of the realm of base main cocktails at least try to deviate from a standard (yet absolutely well made, mind you) whiskey sour. I like cocktail bars to try new, innovative things. If I wanted “just a good Negroni” I can have it back home. It’s still much better than your average cocktail bar but it doesn’t match what I expect from a place that bolsters the title of “top 50...

I recently visited Line, one of the top 50 bars in the world, and let me tell you, finding it was like searching for Waldo in a maze. After squinting and scratching our heads, we finally found the Top 50 bars sign and waltzed in, feeling like we just won a game of hide-and-seek.

Inside wasn't too busy, but all the cool kids were outside occupying the tables. The vibe was chill, and it felt like a lovely spring Saturday. We decided to order the pomegranate grape-less wine, which left us wondering if it was a new invention or just a typo. It didn't smell like anything, but the taste was complex and slightly sweet. It's like the wine was playing a game of "guess what flavor I am" with our taste buds.

We also ordered the Marry Pickford cocktail, which had an aroma of coconut that transported us to a tropical island. The sweet fruity taste was so refreshing that we felt like we were drinking a fancy smoothie rather than a cocktail.

Overall, we give Line a 3/5 rating. The location was a bit of a challenge to find, but once you're there, it's a pretty chill spot. The only downside was the service, which was slower than a turtle in a marathon. Nevertheless, if you're in the mood for a game of hide-and-seek and some mind-boggling grape-less wine, Line is the...