Café, bar, and art gallery rolled into one — Ababa brings a strong creative and queer energy to a beautiful Venetian side street in Chania's old town.
Ababa occupies the kind of space that takes a few minutes to fully take in. Set in a Venetian side street in the old town, it operates simultaneously as café, bar, and gallery — walls lined with art and poetry books, all of it for sale, in a room whose décor draws heavily on Frida Kahlo: bold, maximalist, and entirely committed to its own aesthetic. It's the sort of place where the interior feels like a statement of values before you've ordered anything.
The coffee is worth coming for on its own — generous serving sizes in a country where espresso portions can be punishing — and the creative, unhurried atmosphere makes it an easy place to spend longer than you planned. The clientele and staff skew noticeably queer, giving Ababa a relaxed inclusivity that feels organic rather than performative. It's not a gay bar, but it's comfortably and visibly queer in a way that will be immediately legible to anyone looking for that.