Bouzoukia in Athens

All nightclubs that feature laïkó music in Greece are popularily called bouzoukia (deriving from the plural of the main Greek instrument bouzouki), or sometimes pejoratively "skyladika" ("dog joints" - dog meaning here the one involved in bouzoukia). Their typical arrangement includes an elevated stage ("pista") where singers, dancers and musicians perform, and a court of elongated tables positioned at right angles to the stage so that every guest can see the spectacle. The corridors between those tables are usually very narrow so as to increase store capacity, which makes access by customers and the waiters themselves quite difficult.

A short menu is available to those who want to eat, but is rarely ordered, since the customers usually limit their consumption to alcoholic beverages with assorted nuts or raw vegetables.

Whole tables are reserved days earlier, especially when the singers are popular, and the customers are expected to "make a damage" (bill) proportional to the prominence of their table's position. The most advantageous tables are considered those immediately adjacent to the stage and in the center ("proto trapezi pista"), and are always reserved for rich and famous (i.e. spending) customers.