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Athenian Plaka
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
4 reviews for Athenian Plaka
i wonder if there is a great greek restaurant in the dc metro area. anyone care to enlighten me? athenian plaka is not the best greek restaurant in the dc metro area. it is a greek restaurant, do not get me wrong, but it is not even a great restaurant.
food is either too bland, or one element/flavor permeates a dish to the detriment of all others. having said that i had dinner there once, and brunch there three times. three times for brunch you will ask? why? simply because my kids adored the place for brunch. a huge selection, very kid friendly, each time almost no one in the restaurant. actually quite an interesting and "non-negative" experience. so i would definitely recommend the brunch experience family style.
If you want the real deal this is the place to go. Seriously.
I've gone three or four times for lunch and once for dinner. The dinner prices and portions are too big so I recommend lunch.
My companion and I split a few appetizers and a gyro. All of it was good and my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Just like the yummy food the waiters & decor as well as most of the patrons are right off the boat. Prior to walking in I remind myself I am there for the authentic food (best in bethesda) not to be wined and dined.
If you only moderately care for Greek food go elsewhere. You'll be turned off and won't enjoy yourself.
Eating at this restaurant is similar to entering the twilight zone. The inside was vacant, and since it was a nice night, we ate out on the patio. Our waiter eventually showed up about 10 minutes later and threw us two hard dinner rolls to enjoy, then he disappeared again for about 15 minutes, I later came to find out that he was sitting at a table behind us having a cigarette....opa?
Anyway, we had an order of calamari to start things off, which was lightly fried, but had no real flavor to it. After our waiter went into the relocation program again and then came out for our entrees. I went with the shrimp and chicken kabob, and my girlfriend tried the Athenian chicken. The kabob left something to be desired as it had 2 shrimp, but the chicken was cooked very well and was very juicy. The Athenian chicken is essentially half a rotisserie chicken. Good, nothing special though.
The prices here are typical Bethesda, and somewhat overpriced for what you get....especially since the service is so flaky. I guess if you're Greek, maybe it would remind you of the homeland with it's little decor, but I thought it was somewhat a let down. Out of all the places around here to eat, i\I don't think I will be going back.
I went there for dinner last week and according to reviews from other people on other websites (gasp) I thought I would give it a try.
First of all, when we walked inside, there was no moving air at all. I thought I was walking into a semi-sauna. Otherwise, the decor was very cute and quaint, almost...ALMOST like you were in Greece.
The food was pretty good but I have had better at other greek restaurants in the area. The saganaki (flaming cheese) tasted a little bit too bready for me.
The waitstaff was at a bare minimium, with some old guy who was probably the owner, a busboy and a waitress. The woman serving us was a little bit awkward and spoke very quietly almost as if she was too shy to take our orders.
Overall, I don't think I would return again but I wouldn't put up a fight if someone I knew wanted to go there. It wasn't necessarily bad because the food was cooked right but it just didn't really make me say "WOW"
