Pavone Cafe

Every espresso here is pulled by hand. Pavone works on fully manual ROK machines in the courtyard of the Anastasia Hotel, just above Symi harbour, and the coffee programme is the reason the café outgrew the brunch pop-up it started as in 2021.

Hand-pressed espresso and 24-hour cold brew

The coffee is where the detail sits. The house uses fair trade beans only, on manual hand-pressed machines, which makes an espresso an act rather than a setting. Sourcing runs seasonal: single-origin Arabicas rotate quarterly, while the Pavone House Blend stays constant, a smooth, bright blonde roast of 100% Arabica bought for freshness. Cold coffee is just as specified. Pavone Cold Brew Dark is brewed for twenty-four hours at 3.5°C for a rich, low-acid cup, and the cold brew latte runs twenty-four hours at 3°C before it meets oat milk and Symian honey in a 200ml serve. That honey latte is the most place-bound drink on the list, tying the cold brew format to the island’s own honey.

A courtyard kitchen working from scratch

The setting is intimate rather than large: a hotel courtyard in Mouragio, above the harbour, which is where the café began as a brunch pop-up. The chef-owner came back to Greece after working in London restaurants and hotels, and the kitchen works from scratch with local ingredients. Brunch shows that clearly, with banana guacamole under poached eggs, feta and chilli oil; poached eggs in minty yoghurt with chilli oil, paprika and sourdough; Eggs Florentine; Eggs Royal with smoked trout and optional caviar; and Eggs Benedict with Greek salami and olives. The same team runs private dining for small groups and a masterclass that pairs cooking with hand-pressed coffee, so Pavone sits between specialty coffee bar, brunch courtyard and small island dining project.

Order the honey latte, then dessert

Start with the Oat Milk & Symian Honey Latte for the house style in one glass: cold brew, oat milk and island honey. For a straighter read on the beans, take the Pavone House Blend or the 24-hour Cold Brew Dark. If brunch is the point, order the banana guacamole first, then one of the egg dishes. Dessert is taken seriously and the list is worth working through: semifreddo yoghurt with honey and walnuts, date pudding with banana ice cream and caramel syrup, homemade sorbet with gianduja chocolate and crumble, and a seasonal fruit crumble baked with rakomelo and served with ice cream. Desserts can also be made to order for dietary needs. The café took first place for Greece in the 2025 European Coffee Trip awards, as the country’s best artisanal café.