The Underdog was founded on 5 May 2015, when it opened its flagship coffee bar in Thissio. Its team had been roasting specialty coffee since 2011, but with a new project it counted itself the underdog of the Greek coffee scene, and the dog in its logo is drawn scarred, with a bottle for one leg. The founder is Tasos Delichristos.

Competition has been part of the business from the start. The Underdog won the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship in 2015 and 2016 and came second in 2017 and 2018. Its baristas won the Greek Barista Championship in 2018 and 2019, placed fourth at the World Barista Championship in Amsterdam in 2018 and second in Boston in 2019, by its own account the highest ranking Greece has reached, and the team has also taken national titles in roasting and latte art.

The coffee is roasted on two machines, an IRM and a Giesen, with a capacity of 2.5 tonnes a week, and every bag is packed by hand. The range runs from espresso coffees such as Full Bloom from Daterra in Brazil to filter lots like Jairo Arcila’s peach co-fermented Castillo and a Sidra from Finca Soledad in Ecuador, a lot produced together with the founder. The team are Authorized SCA Trainers and run Coffee Diploma workshops and certifications, and offer competition consulting, roasting and training on request.

Thissio is the original home of the brand. It serves brunch every day, with seats inside and in a backyard, takes table reservations online only and keeps more seats free for walk-ins. The Underdog Kypseli, opened in 2025, is the first partner location: a neighbourhood espresso bar on the Underdog’s compact franchise format, pouring coffee roasted in its Athens roastery.

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: The Underdog