As its name suggests, the Cycladic island of Antiparos is in many ways the antithesis of its larger neighbor, Paros. Whereas the latter is a large, cosmopolitan island bustling with tourists thanks to its picture-perfect towns and villages, dramatic landscape, buzzing beach bars and high-decibel nightlife, the much smaller Antiparos is a tranquil, off-the-grid destination with a single settlement, flat, arid terrain, and a seriously laid-back rhythm. A bohemian getaway in the 1980s, the small island has remarkably managed to retain its unpretentious sensibility despite, or because of, having evolved lately into a haunt for American movie stars, global celebrities and old-money Greek shipping families.
The island’s combination of unflashy charm, chilled vibes and worldly sophistication is what attracted restaurateurs Thanasis Panourgias and Harry Spyrou to Antiparos after projects in Athens, Mykonos and New York. Their new bar-restaurant bardót, which opened its doors in June in collaboration with Los Angeles and London-based hotelier Leon Economidi, soulfully reflects the island’s seamless marriage of modernity and tradition. Working closely with the team, architect Andreas Kostopoulos, co-founder of the New York-based studio Manhattan Projects, has transformed the former home of a local shipbuilding family into a relaxed, effortlessly elegant venue that tiptoes between artisanal soulfulness and modernist starkness. Serving tapas-style dishes and signature cocktails based on local ingredients, bardót aims to capture modern Greece’s creative discourse with its past.