Anchorage Bar

Anchorage Bar sits in Piso Livadi on the eastern coast of Paros, the small fishing-port village that serves as the main arrival point for ferries from Naxos and the southern Cyclades. The bar functions as both a daytime cafe and a late-night cocktail venue, opening at 8 in the morning and running through to 4 AM — a span that covers morning coffee by the harbour, afternoon drinks in the shade, and well into the night when the last of the summer crowd winds down.

With a 4.5-star rating from nearly 300 Google reviews, Anchorage has built a consistent following among both visitors staying in the quieter eastern villages and day-trippers passing through the port. The name and the maritime setting are a natural pairing: Piso Livadi's small harbour has always been a working anchorage, and the bar takes its identity from that directly.

This is not a high-volume party venue in the vein of Parikia's waterfront clubs. The atmosphere here is lower-key — more suited to people who want to watch the last fishing boats come in than to those chasing a DJ set at midnight. That said, the cocktail focus is deliberate; this is billed specifically as a cocktail bar, not just a generic kafeneion.

What to Expect

Piso Livadi is one of the more relaxed corners of Paros. The village sits at the end of a road that curves around the southeastern bay, and its harbour front is compact — a short stretch of waterside tables, a handful of tavernas, and the Anchorage Bar occupying its own position along the front. The setting gives the bar its main appeal: a direct line of sight to the water, the boats, and on clear days the outline of Naxos across the strait.

The bar operates as a cafe-bar hybrid, which means the morning and afternoon hours are genuinely usable. You can come for a Greek coffee or a freddo espresso, stay through the midday heat with something cold, and transition into cocktails as the light changes in the early evening. The cocktail side is the emphasis, and the Instagram presence — maintained under the handle @anchorage_cocktail_bar — shows a range of mixed drinks with the kind of presentation consistent with a bar that takes that side of the menu seriously.

The crowd is a mix: couples staying in Logaras or Marpissa a few kilometres up the coast, families with older children occupying the daytime hours, and a younger group that arrives later. The long opening window — effectively 20 hours a day — means the character of the place shifts depending on when you arrive. Come at 9 AM and you get harbour calm; come at 11 PM and the energy is noticeably different.

Seating is at tables suited to the waterfront location. The general feel is unpretentious and easygoing, which is in keeping with Piso Livadi's character relative to the busier ports on the island.

How to Get There

Piso Livadi is on the eastern coast of Paros, roughly 14 kilometres from Parikia by road. The drive takes around 20 minutes via the main cross-island road through Lefkes. The village is clearly signposted from the central island junction.

By bus, the KTEL Paros network runs a service connecting Parikia to Piso Livadi during the summer season, with stops at Marpissa and Logaras along the way. Check the current timetable at the Parikia bus station, as summer and shoulder-season schedules differ. The journey by bus takes approximately 30–40 minutes.

Taxis from Parikia are available and straightforward to book; the fare covers the distance without any routing complexity. From Naoussa, the drive is slightly longer and involves the inland road through Kostos or the northern coastal road — allow 25–30 minutes.

Piso Livadi itself is small enough to walk entirely on foot once you're there. Parking is available near the harbour approach road, though spaces fill quickly in peak July and August. The address — Piso Livadi 844 00 — puts the bar within the harbour front area.

Ferry arrivals from Naxos, Koufonisia, and other Cycladic islands land at Piso Livadi's small dock, which means the bar is sometimes the first or last stop for travellers passing through.

Best Time to Visit

The bar operates seasonally, as is standard for businesses in Piso Livadi. The opening season party is documented on the Instagram account, with activity beginning in late April or May and running through October. Outside these months, Piso Livadi is largely quiet.

For the cocktail bar experience, late afternoon into the evening is the natural window — roughly from 6 PM onward, when the heat has eased and the harbour light turns. The eastern coast of Paros catches the afternoon wind (the meltemi blows predominantly from the north in midsummer), which can make harborside seating genuinely comfortable even in late July and August when Parikia and Naoussa can feel oppressive.

Midmorning is a good time for a coffee stop, particularly if you're arriving on an early ferry from Naxos or heading out for a day on the water. The cafe function of the place fills that gap.

August is the peak month for Paros broadly, and Piso Livadi sees more traffic then than in June or September — partly because of the ferries and partly because Greek families in particular favour the eastern villages. If you want a quieter experience at the bar, a weekday evening in June or early September is considerably more relaxed than a Saturday in August.

Tips for Visiting

• Book or call ahead for evening visits in August. The harbour front in Piso Livadi is small and tables are limited. The phone number is +30 2284 028740.
• Arrive for sunset. The eastern coast faces toward Naxos, so the light in the late afternoon is particularly good over the water — worth timing your visit around if you're in the area.
• The bus is viable for an evening out. If you're staying in Parikia or Naoussa and plan to drink, check the KTEL return timetable in advance. Evening buses do run, but the last departure is earlier than the bar's 4 AM closing time, so factor in a taxi back if you're staying late.
• Ferry connections through Piso Livadi. The harbour handles smaller Cycladic routes that don't always call at Parikia. If you're island-hopping via Naxos, Iraklia, Schinoussa, or Koufonisia, you may find yourself at this dock regardless — the bar is right there for a pre-departure or post-arrival drink.
• The meltemi keeps it comfortable. Paros's summer northerly wind hits the eastern coast as a side or slightly offshore breeze rather than full-on, which means evenings outdoors here are often more comfortable than on the exposed western harbours.
• The Instagram account (@anchorage_cocktail_bar) is maintained and updated through the season, making it a reliable source for checking whether the bar has opened for the year before you travel in the shoulder season.
• Combine with Logaras Beach. The sandy beach at Logaras is a ten-minute walk north of Piso Livadi harbour. An afternoon on the beach followed by an evening at Anchorage Bar makes a reasonable day's itinerary if you're based on the eastern side of the island.
• Parking fills fast on weekends. If you're driving in from elsewhere on the island on a Friday or Saturday evening, arrive before 8 PM to find a space reasonably close to the harbour.

What to Order

The bar's own branding centres on cocktails, and the Instagram content confirms a focus on mixed drinks with deliberate presentation. Beyond that, specific menu items are not documented in available sources — call ahead or check the Instagram account for the current season's drinks list.

As a cafe-bar, it almost certainly carries standard Greek coffee options — freddo espresso, freddo cappuccino, and Greek cold coffee are the default daytime drinks across the Cyclades. For the evening programme, the cocktail side appears to be the main draw based on the bar's own positioning.

Alcohol-free options are standard at Greek bars in tourist areas, so soft drinks, fresh juices, and non-alcoholic versions of cold coffee drinks should be available during daytime hours.