Best bars in Rhodes
Where to drink well on the island — sea-facing lounges, Old Town cocktail rooms and the rooftops worth climbing for.
Rhodes has no shortage of places to drink, but there's a real difference between a bar that pours and a bar that mixes. The island's serious cocktail work happens in a small number of venues: waterfront lounges at the New Marina, a cluster of bartender-led rooms inside the Old Town walls, and a few hotel rooftops. This is how to tell them apart before you sit down.
Four kinds of bar in Rhodes
Marina lounges
Sea-facing terraces with full cocktail menus, table service and music that builds through the night. The best all-rounders — you can eat, drink and stay put.
Old Town cocktail rooms
Small, dark and bartender-led inside the medieval walls. Excellent drinks, limited seating, and atmosphere you can't manufacture.
Rooftops and beach bars
Great for the hour before sunset, less so after. Come for the view, then move on when the light goes.
Al Hayat Resto Bar — cocktails on the New Marina
Al Hayat is a resto-bar rather than a pure cocktail bar, and that's the point: you get a proper drinks list without having to eat somewhere else first. The terrace faces the boats at the New Marina, the room turns candlelit after dark, and shisha and late cocktails keep the same table busy long after the plates are cleared.
- London Sour — the house signature — sharp, balanced, the most reordered drink on the list.
- Orchid Sour — floral and photogenic, the one that starts conversations at the next table.
- Negroni hour — classics poured properly, for anyone who distrusts a long cocktail list.
Drinking well in Rhodes
Go where the ice is good
Clear, dense ice and fresh citrus are the two things a serious bar refuses to compromise on. If the first drink arrives with cloudy cubes and bottled mix, order a beer and move on.
Sunset is around 20:15 in July
Aim to be seated by 19:45 for a west-facing table or a marina terrace. In September that shifts almost an hour earlier, which is why late-season evenings feel longer.
One venue beats a bar crawl
Distances in Rhodes Town are short but queues aren't. A marina lounge that serves food, cocktails and shisha lets a group settle instead of negotiating the next stop every hour.
Reserve for groups of four or more
Terrace tables are the scarce resource in high season. Larger groups without a booking are usually seated inside, which is a different evening entirely.
Bars in Rhodes: quick answers
Where are the best cocktail bars in Rhodes?
The strongest cocktail lists are at the New Marina lounges and a handful of Old Town bars. Marina venues like Al Hayat Resto Bar combine a full cocktail programme with sea-facing terrace seating.
Where can you watch the sunset with a drink in Rhodes?
The west coast around Rhodes Town gets the true sunset, while the New Marina and Mandraki give you golden light on the water and the boats. Both are best from around 20:00 in midsummer.
How much is a cocktail in Rhodes?
Expect €10–€14 for a signature cocktail at a marina lounge or a good Old Town bar, and less at the high-volume bars on Orfanidou Street.
Sunset, cocktails and the marina
The terrace fills before the light does. Book a table and be seated for golden hour.