by Andy W » 12 Jul 2011, 17:06
Hi Dave
Welcome to the forum, and I hope you enjoy your visit to Symi. There are different licensing categories - Kafenion, Cafe-Bar, Taverna etc but on Symi it's often difficult to tell which is which without asking the owner. At the moment Symi has a major heatwave and that means you probably don't want to spend too much time walking up and down between Yialos and Chorio, though both are extremely well supplied with places to have a drink, and either air conditioning or outdoor seating are a must.
Just in Chorio there are at least 10 bars, including Jean and Tonic (also known as the 2As) and they all have outdoor seats, air conditioning, or both. Each has its own personality - the Kali Strata Bar for the view and mellow music, Lefteris and Yiannis, and Rainbow next to each other below the square for meeting just about everyone in the area, Sunrise for cat watching, and so on. Of course the owners/bar staff are the main factor here, along with the other customers. Some like the 2As stay open until dawn but start late, others open all day but close around midnight.
I'll let someone else make suggestions for Yialos - where the choice is overwhelming.
It very much depends what you look for in a bar - cheap beer and ouzo or elaborate cocktails, Greek music or international music or no music, sport on TV or people talking together. You'll find it all on Symi. Do ask more detailed questions, we all love talking about the place.