Pretty cool restaurant! Food is good,and the soda is kinda old or just not carbonated because when I got my pepsi I had almost no gas..octopus was real good and humus too!
Dirk Devlin
Lunch for 4 on a very nasty winter day😗 Undivided attention as we were the only customers. Oh what a meal. Soup to coffee and desert, almost 2 hours of amazingly delicious food. We all sampled multiple appetizers, soups and beautiful salads.
Lynne Norella Tracy
Delicious! Highly recommend.
Barton Chandler
Excellent food, large portions. Nice atmosphere. Will eat there again, next time I'm in Glenside.
Connor H.
Trash place. Hosting staff was ridiculously rude. They wouldn't seat our table for two because they had "just booked up reservations," but the restaurant was 80% empty. We asked for recommendations for another restaurant and the hostess said there were restaurants at "the Willow Grove Mall" several miles away. Luckily, there was a fantastic Japanese restaurant right next door! There were also several others right up the street! We went to the Japanese place and had a lovely meal. Just skip Athena and go straight there. Oh and when we left the Japanese place and walked by Athena and hour later, there were still plenty of open tables.
Ally S.
Allow me to preface this by saying that I am a Millennial, and I have been a server for ten years. I tend to analyze my dining experiences, but give a biased benefit of the doubt and a little too much credit, knowing the difficulties surrounding employment in the restaurant industry. This being said, the Athena provided one of the worst dining experiences I have had to-date. I would not recommend anyone goes to this restaurant if they would in fact like to consume food, and less so, if they desire a pleasant dining experience. My partner and I went to Athena for a nice meal before a concert at Keswick Theatre. When we walked in, it didn't seem very busy. Instead of a polite smile or greeting, We were immediately asked by the host (who seemed rushed and upset) if we had made reservations. It was to his displeasure that we had not. He seated us at a table on the right side of the restaurant. This is relevant because it is a stark difference from the much classier and elegant looking right side. In short: It looked like a dive. We shrugged at sat at the rickety table. Once seated, no one attended to us for at least five minutes (not even to greet us or acknowledge us). Okay, okay. I notice that there are only two staff members, only one being a server. I give her a break. I would want one if I were her. An argument arises when a group of people say they had called and made a reservation that morning, and are upset about not having a seat. The host comes to us and asks if we would mind moving to another table, but is very direct, unapologetic, and unpleasant. Nonetheless, no problem. So we have been acknowledged now, but are still without drinks, and no one has officially greeted us. Five more minutes in, the host notices our lack of drinks and grabs us some waters. About ten minutes later, the overworked server comes to our table- does not introduce herself, and gets right to business. I ordered the Spanakopita, my partner ordered the Givetsi. The salads that came with our meal were nothing special, but the pita bread was great, and noticeably fresh. Our meal arrived in pretty good time. The spanakopita was very clearly not fresh. It tasted like canned spinach with a little tiny hint of feta. I ate maybe three bites and could not eat more. I have had it made properly before, so I am familiar with the intended flavors. The adjectives "sour" and "pasty" seem to enhance its appeal... Potatoes and beans were mediocre. Like something you'd get at a church potluck made by Geraldine who is like 97. Edible. The Givetsi was also disappointing. The menu specified lamb strips, and, not to be nit-picky, but these were realllllly tiny little chunks. The broth it was in was described as a white wine garlic sauce, but it just tasted like the dank gaminess of lamb with a little bit of butter. I don't know what sauce they were speaking of, because neither of us could taste it. No one returned to the table to ask us how the meal was, or literally at all after dropping the food off. During our meal, I observed the staff bickering. I also observed a man walk up to the host station to ask for a refill, a woman clear her own table of dirty dishes and bring them to a table next to the host station, a woman return her menus and wait nearly ten minutes to speak with someone about her meal, service etc. The atmosphere was notably tense as there was growing solidarity in opinion regarding the restaurant. If I were had more conviction and time, I would definitely have asked for a comp or refund. Alas, we cut our losses. We decided that we definitely would not be having dessert! It took me getting up and asking for my bill in order for it to arrive, and we were delivered the wrong bill, which was more than twice ours. Sooooo silly! Clearly understaffed, over their heads, and reheating already old, tasteless food. The owner clearly doesn't care for his staff, customers, or food quality. Would not return, nor would we recommend that anyone goes!
Eric Dyke
Good authentic Greek food. I should go here more often.
James Hall-Morrison
Truly authentic Greek cuisine on an extensive menu. Try the grilled octopus: a 10" octopus tentacle tip that's so incredibly soft and tender I'm always tempted to order another!
Oren Bar
This place was horrible. They have no idea what they are serving. The food tasted horrible. I went once and it was the worst experience Ive ever had. They need to step up there game asap. Idk how a place like this runs
Kevin Canha
Good enough food, was a bit dry, could have been cleaner, it wasn't dirty but not spit spot
Disappointed. Food - from so-so to just okay. Atmosphere is nice. Service was quite bad with 1) water not being refilled for 45min and only when I asked to; 2) no tzatziki on gyro platter and our waiter didn't check on us for too long to fix this issue; 3) waiter forgot to bring vegetables for one of the entrees. It was the worst restaurant experience we've had so far in Philly. Even if you like Greek food go somewhere else.
Mari LeMaitre
Greek Greatness is the only way I can describe this unassuming little gem. I have been patronizing this restaurant for more than 10 years and even though I now live 2 hours away, I always come back when I am visiting in the area. I dined here just last weekend and it was as good as always. So, Athena is in a small strip mall but it is what's inside that matters. My absolute favorite thing on the menu is the appetizer plate. You get dolmades, feta, and 4 spreads, including hummus, babaghanoush, tzatziki, and THE most delicious dip that I cannot find anywhere else, Kefteri. All of this comes with fresh, homemade warm pita. This appetizer is large and easily serves as an entree but could serve 3-4 as an appetizer. The shish-ka-bob is seasoned nicely and the Greek salad is light and fresh. My only complaint is the lone waiter, who just seemed disconnected and not really interested in being there. The food allowed me to overlook this but I can see how this could be an issue for some patrons. The chef really knows Greek food and the best news is that visitors to this establishment reap the benefits!!! Yummy.
Sandra Kece
If you are going before a show at the Keswick Theater, you will need a reservation. Be sure to allow at least 2 hours as the food is great, but service can be slow when the place is busy.
Sarah Holahan
Waiter seemed genuinely put out that we were there. Grumbled every time he walked past us. They were out of all pasta, and grape leaves. The octopus was the only redeeming quality, and it was delicious!!
Dean Hedin
I've had better Greek food from a Halal cart in the street. Nice atmosphere, but I did not find the food to be authentic. Sorry...
Pretty cool restaurant! Food is good,and the soda is kinda old or just not carbonated because when I got my pepsi I had almost no gas..octopus was real good and humus too!
Lunch for 4 on a very nasty winter day😗 Undivided attention as we were the only customers. Oh what a meal. Soup to coffee and desert, almost 2 hours of amazingly delicious food. We all sampled multiple appetizers, soups and beautiful salads.
Delicious! Highly recommend.
Excellent food, large portions. Nice atmosphere. Will eat there again, next time I'm in Glenside.
Trash place. Hosting staff was ridiculously rude. They wouldn't seat our table for two because they had "just booked up reservations," but the restaurant was 80% empty. We asked for recommendations for another restaurant and the hostess said there were restaurants at "the Willow Grove Mall" several miles away. Luckily, there was a fantastic Japanese restaurant right next door! There were also several others right up the street! We went to the Japanese place and had a lovely meal. Just skip Athena and go straight there. Oh and when we left the Japanese place and walked by Athena and hour later, there were still plenty of open tables.
Allow me to preface this by saying that I am a Millennial, and I have been a server for ten years. I tend to analyze my dining experiences, but give a biased benefit of the doubt and a little too much credit, knowing the difficulties surrounding employment in the restaurant industry. This being said, the Athena provided one of the worst dining experiences I have had to-date. I would not recommend anyone goes to this restaurant if they would in fact like to consume food, and less so, if they desire a pleasant dining experience. My partner and I went to Athena for a nice meal before a concert at Keswick Theatre. When we walked in, it didn't seem very busy. Instead of a polite smile or greeting, We were immediately asked by the host (who seemed rushed and upset) if we had made reservations. It was to his displeasure that we had not. He seated us at a table on the right side of the restaurant. This is relevant because it is a stark difference from the much classier and elegant looking right side. In short: It looked like a dive. We shrugged at sat at the rickety table. Once seated, no one attended to us for at least five minutes (not even to greet us or acknowledge us). Okay, okay. I notice that there are only two staff members, only one being a server. I give her a break. I would want one if I were her. An argument arises when a group of people say they had called and made a reservation that morning, and are upset about not having a seat. The host comes to us and asks if we would mind moving to another table, but is very direct, unapologetic, and unpleasant. Nonetheless, no problem. So we have been acknowledged now, but are still without drinks, and no one has officially greeted us. Five more minutes in, the host notices our lack of drinks and grabs us some waters. About ten minutes later, the overworked server comes to our table- does not introduce herself, and gets right to business. I ordered the Spanakopita, my partner ordered the Givetsi. The salads that came with our meal were nothing special, but the pita bread was great, and noticeably fresh. Our meal arrived in pretty good time. The spanakopita was very clearly not fresh. It tasted like canned spinach with a little tiny hint of feta. I ate maybe three bites and could not eat more. I have had it made properly before, so I am familiar with the intended flavors. The adjectives "sour" and "pasty" seem to enhance its appeal... Potatoes and beans were mediocre. Like something you'd get at a church potluck made by Geraldine who is like 97. Edible. The Givetsi was also disappointing. The menu specified lamb strips, and, not to be nit-picky, but these were realllllly tiny little chunks. The broth it was in was described as a white wine garlic sauce, but it just tasted like the dank gaminess of lamb with a little bit of butter. I don't know what sauce they were speaking of, because neither of us could taste it. No one returned to the table to ask us how the meal was, or literally at all after dropping the food off. During our meal, I observed the staff bickering. I also observed a man walk up to the host station to ask for a refill, a woman clear her own table of dirty dishes and bring them to a table next to the host station, a woman return her menus and wait nearly ten minutes to speak with someone about her meal, service etc. The atmosphere was notably tense as there was growing solidarity in opinion regarding the restaurant. If I were had more conviction and time, I would definitely have asked for a comp or refund. Alas, we cut our losses. We decided that we definitely would not be having dessert! It took me getting up and asking for my bill in order for it to arrive, and we were delivered the wrong bill, which was more than twice ours. Sooooo silly! Clearly understaffed, over their heads, and reheating already old, tasteless food. The owner clearly doesn't care for his staff, customers, or food quality. Would not return, nor would we recommend that anyone goes!
Good authentic Greek food. I should go here more often.
Truly authentic Greek cuisine on an extensive menu. Try the grilled octopus: a 10" octopus tentacle tip that's so incredibly soft and tender I'm always tempted to order another!
This place was horrible. They have no idea what they are serving. The food tasted horrible. I went once and it was the worst experience Ive ever had. They need to step up there game asap. Idk how a place like this runs
Good enough food, was a bit dry, could have been cleaner, it wasn't dirty but not spit spot
Restaurantji Recommends
Disappointed. Food - from so-so to just okay. Atmosphere is nice. Service was quite bad with 1) water not being refilled for 45min and only when I asked to; 2) no tzatziki on gyro platter and our waiter didn't check on us for too long to fix this issue; 3) waiter forgot to bring vegetables for one of the entrees. It was the worst restaurant experience we've had so far in Philly. Even if you like Greek food go somewhere else.
Greek Greatness is the only way I can describe this unassuming little gem. I have been patronizing this restaurant for more than 10 years and even though I now live 2 hours away, I always come back when I am visiting in the area. I dined here just last weekend and it was as good as always. So, Athena is in a small strip mall but it is what's inside that matters. My absolute favorite thing on the menu is the appetizer plate. You get dolmades, feta, and 4 spreads, including hummus, babaghanoush, tzatziki, and THE most delicious dip that I cannot find anywhere else, Kefteri. All of this comes with fresh, homemade warm pita. This appetizer is large and easily serves as an entree but could serve 3-4 as an appetizer. The shish-ka-bob is seasoned nicely and the Greek salad is light and fresh. My only complaint is the lone waiter, who just seemed disconnected and not really interested in being there. The food allowed me to overlook this but I can see how this could be an issue for some patrons. The chef really knows Greek food and the best news is that visitors to this establishment reap the benefits!!! Yummy.
If you are going before a show at the Keswick Theater, you will need a reservation. Be sure to allow at least 2 hours as the food is great, but service can be slow when the place is busy.
Waiter seemed genuinely put out that we were there. Grumbled every time he walked past us. They were out of all pasta, and grape leaves. The octopus was the only redeeming quality, and it was delicious!!
I've had better Greek food from a Halal cart in the street. Nice atmosphere, but I did not find the food to be authentic. Sorry...