Coffee & Brunch in Kos Town

The cafés concentrate in the pedestrian streets of the centre, thickest around Konitsis and Eleftherias squares and along the lanes running down toward the harbour.

Most double as something else after dark. The line between café, bar and restaurant is loose in Kos Town, and a place pouring coffee at nine in the morning will often be pouring wine at nine at night.

The default summer order is a freddo espresso or freddo cappuccino: espresso shaken hard over ice, served tall, the cappuccino version topped with cold whipped milk foam. Both are designed to last, and a single one buys you a seat for as long as you want it.

If you want the traditional version, ask for elliniko — Greek coffee brewed in a briki and served in a small cup with the grounds settling at the bottom. Order it sketo for no sugar, metrio for medium, glyko for sweet, and let it stand for a minute before drinking.

Brunch has taken hold properly in Kos Town over the last few years, and most kitchens serve it well into the afternoon. Alongside eggs and pancakes you will find Greek dishes worth choosing instead: strapatsada, scrambled eggs with tomato and feta; yoghurt with island thyme honey and walnuts; and bougatsa, a semolina custard pastry dusted with cinnamon.