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Athens Cafe
Categories: Restaurants Greek Restaurants Mediterranean Greek, Mediterranean [Edit]
3207 30th AveAstoria, NY 11102
Neighborhood: Astoria
(718) 626-2164
- Nearest Transit:
-
30 Av (N, Q)
Astoria Blvd (N, Q)
Broadway (N, Q)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 8 am - 2 am
Fri-Sat 8 am - 3 am
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Dessert, Late Night, Dinner, Brunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
Pera Soho specializes in Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, with an emphasis on a wide range of small plates, grilled seasoned meats and fastidiously… read more »
115 reviews for Athens Cafe
Review Highlights
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"Great people watching, an authentic NYC experience." In 5 reviews -
"...more fervently for great places with great outdoor seating." In 13 reviews -
"The frappe became my favorite drink." In 9 reviews
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115 reviews in English
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Review from Karen B.
New York, NY
5/2/2012 2 photos
Athens is one of the 3 main default (brunch/cafe) spots in Astoria. The other 2 being Grand cafe & Flo.
I enjoy the atmosphere, especially in the summer. You really feel like you are on some Greek island :)
I'm not a big fan of their brunch menu but I can usually find something. I usually get the Greek salad with grilled chicken and its always really good. I have had the Mediterranean wrap too, which is also really good. I'm not sure if this has changed, but they used to have the best sweet potato fries, which my other half loves, but they took them off their menu :( Also, the peach bellini is not only pretty, its soo good!!
I'm a big fan of their desserts. I usually avoid going here bc their desserts are soo good, and HUGE!! LOL. When I do allow myself, I've tried the apple crisp and my absolute hands down fav - the cheesecake!!!! I honestly think this is the best cheesecake I have ever had in my life! Its huge though!!! The outside is hard, which works well to hold it together bc the inside is soo smooth & creamy! I think the whole reason I am posting this is to tell readers about their cheesecake! Go try it!! -
Review from Masha B.
5/6/2012
Well first of all the baklava portion is insane, like the size of my head. Thanks for the food coma. That being said, it's obviously homemade. I just wasn't expecting such a large piece.
The greek salad was fresh and delicious, and the prices are relatively cheap- idk about for the area though as I'm new to Astoria.
The service wasn't bad- the hostess was very sweet and quick to find me a seat, and my waitress was pretty attentive given the amount of tables she had at one time.
I'd like to explore other Greek restaurants in the area before giving Athens Cafe more stars overall I was impressed. -
Review from Talei R.
ASTORIA, NY
4/24/2012 4 photos
I've been to Athens a handful amount of times, mostly because it happens to be the closest Greek place to my apartment - AKA, the closest place I can sit outside and drink frappes. Other than that- there is nothing spectacular about this place.
The first time I came here was with my boyfriend and his parents for brunch. I got the beet salad- nothing out of the ordinary. Minuscule amount of beets and goat cheese scattered my greens. He got some type of sandwich which appeared to be dull and dry. His mother ordered a crepe which was as average as they came, although quite large. Needless to say, the climax our brunch was the frappes- which coincidentally enough, was my boyfriend's first experience with one.
After that, we've managed to wander back here on numerous occasions, simply for the outdoor-enjoyment and nearby frappes. Although I have warned him of ordering food, he still continues to do so. The low rating mostly comes from different occasions: We ordered a banana split- we got 3 icecream flavors without any banana. We waited at least 15 minutes after everything was cleared for the waiter to bring a check. We ordered a berry tart and the crust was so hard I nearly broke my fork.
And although this doesn't really count as a negative, but that first time with his parents- where we ate and drank so much- we had to get doggy bags for the remaining food. Then the waitress brings us a "complimentary" plate of assorted baklava. It looked delicious, but I mean- you just bagged up half my food- so don't be disappointed if I can't touch your unwanted complimentary dessert. Kinda weird if you ask me. -
Review from Jason M.
ASTORIA, NY
5/19/2012
The food took 45 minutes to come out. The food was not great at all. Please avoid.
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Review from Phil P.
ASTORIA, NY
5/1/2012
Boring.......
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Review from Amanda J.
ASTORIA, NY
3/29/2012
My experience at Athens Cafe felt like a trip back to Greece. I went out for coffee here with my boyfriend on a Sunday afternoon. I had a frappe, made just the way I remembered so fondly from my time in Athens!
It took a while for the waitress to take our order, bring over our drinks, and bring us the check -- but to me it was part of the experience. No one there was in a rush, some might see that as a good thing or a bad thing. It's a very laid back atmosphere.
Great place for studying, meeting friends for coffee, or people watching! Most of the other patrons seemed like they had been there for a while before we got there and we left before them. Plus, they have outdoor seating which is a huge plus. -
Review from liddle m.
Astoria, NY
4/25/2012
Everytime I go there it gets better and better. I love their svoulakis and desserts. The service is great even when they're packed. Always a nice place to go to when the weather is nice.
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Review from Kat C.
New York, NY
5/9/2012
Love you ATHENS CAFE! I'm a born and raised Astoria Greek and I've been having my Frappe with you since I was old enough to order it and you've always treated me well! Your latest string of waitress are not the sharpest but its all good, you serve a great cup of coffee, some yummy treats like savory crapes and the best pontikakia (greek chocolate moose in mouse shape). Lots of Cafe's have come and gone but not a one of them is like ATHENS. The true experience of an Astoria Greek Cafe!
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Review from Christian P.
ASTORIA, NY
3/24/2012
Mediocre food and clientele that just stepped off the set of Jersey Shore. I couldn't taste my meal over the smell of cologne. I couldn't see it either, as the sun shining off all of the gold chains was blinding. Not my scene, and the food isn't good enough to make it my scene...bro.
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Review from Pen O.
Queens, NY
1/12/2012
This place is the reason why I decided to reopen my Yelp Account.
I was there on Sunday, met with some friends from out of town for brunch and I must say that it was a terrible experience.
We were seated and had to wait about 20 minutes just to get the menus.
The waitress could hardly speak English and got all the orders messed up, not to mention that when the food arrived like half an hour later, she had completely forgotten about my order. So I had to wait another half hour just to get bland eggs benedict.
The only reason I give it 1 star is because the mimosas were good.
Do yourself a favor and don't waste your money in this place. -
Review from Kyra D.
Astoria, NY
2/4/2012 13 Check-ins Here
The only reason I'm giving four stars instead of three is b/c I'm a huge fan of outdoor dining and they make it a point to offer this whenever the weather remotely allows it. They even have heat lamps for those chilly nights.
I've had everything from their chicken salads to crab cakes, tuna tartar, french fries, burgers, etc. For the most part I've never been disappointed. There's a little bit of a language barrier at times but nothing repeating yourself can't fix.
My drink of choice on a warm day sitting in the sun watching Astoria go by is the Coffee Cooler...but I get it with skim milk, instead of ice cream, and I always order a shot of vodka on the side, just to add to the baileys and Kahlua already mixed in :) -
Review from Pete P.
Flushing, NY
3/25/2012
Been there twice so far. First time we just got a few drinks, service was fine (if a bit slow), and they left us alone to watch the basketball game on TV.
Second time, the food was actually quite good, but the service was terrible, and the waitress was ridiculously rude, inattentive, and failed on many many levels. Because of that, 2 stars. -
Review from Jando S.
10/12/2011
Certainly one of the best outdoor seating establishments in the area, Athens Cafe has it's steady reputation founded as one of the most iconic venues in this part of Astoria. While it seems everyone has a pretty stout opinion about it, it's a my place to people watch, enjoy a simple meal, and even makes for an ideal meeting spot.
Though it's still a world's away from the Euro pretension scale of 30th Ave, it's starting to get there with the mini changes I've noticed over the course of my last few visits. For one, the staff used to be well dressed, semi-professional, presenting a more "bistro" and "cafe" like aura. Now it's become a tad trendy, with eye candy'ish staff coping a "tude than the usual customer greetings.
The menu has seen it's share of adjustments as well, with a much more robust menu that goes beyond the Greek theme, but a culinary mesh of everything from Brunch to Burgers to even a few Italian dishes. There is no rule for restaurants that take on a hodgepodge of variable cuisine variety, it just needs to be good. Which in Athen's Cafe's case, it's just somewhere in the middle of the road.
Here's a quick report of the things that I was able to chew down: formaggio pizza (cheesy), king salmon burger (omega 3 anyone?), wrapped sea scallops (bacon saves the day again!), and their whole wheat linguine (this is still a Greek restaurant right?). I could also vouch for their breakfast / brunch, which seems to be the best time to go to avoid crowds of any kind.
And for the things that didn't work out so well: crepes (savory and sweet were everything but), tuna tartare (just say NO), chicken soulvalki platter (chicken was dry, fries were unappetizing), saganaki (how does one mess up fried cheese?), even the spinach pie aka spanakopita (dry and salty) was a disappointment.
But not all is lost. As they are still a "cafe" they have a multitude of awesome drinks to choose from. Coffee of all mainstream forms (latte, cappuccino, espresso, macchiato, etc.) in addition to lots of non-coffee drinks (lemonade, iced tea, hot chocolate) and even a bit of alcohol (mixed cocktails) to make craving for near by taco truck El Rey Del Sabor (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) all the more irresistible. -
Review from Aimee C.
4/1/2012
stopped in last night for a late night dessert and coffee. the service leaves a bit to be desired- we were kind of dropped off in a corner and forgotten about for the most part. but the desserts were top notch. i got a piece of baklava that was roughly the size of a mid-size car. and soaked in enough honey to choke a horse. it was fantastic. too bad it took us nearly a half an hour to get the check.
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Review from Chelsea J.
New York, NY
Updated - 1/3/2012
This place has been closed by the DOH a few times in recent months, maybe longer, but keeps getting reopened (scarily) quickly. Yuck. No thanks.
Listed in: No Way, Jose!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/7/2008
I'm so surprised to see so much negative Yelp buzz, this is easily one of the most popular spots on… Read more »
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Review from Rizwan A.
8/25/2011
I like this place a lot. They have great brunch and a good variety of stuff on the menu. I had two kinds of crepes (one sweet- one savory) and both were awesome. I would definitely come back for them.
My friend and I also ordered a pair of coffee drinks. I forget which ones, I'm not a fancy coffee drinker usually but these drinks were definitely spruced up and dressed to impress. Luckily, they also tasted great and weren't any more expensive than a Starbucks-similar product.
The inside of this place is big, neat, clean spacious and well decorated. I don't really enjoy places where you HAVE to sit within 2 inches of another table just because the restaurant doesn't have enough room. That isn't the case at all here, although their outdoor seating is a bit tighter.
The staff was also friendly, but a little unprofessional (though still polite) at times.
I enjoyed pretty much everything about my experience here. It was cool inside during a hot summer day, the service was fast and the food was great. The prices could have been a bit more affordable. Since I only had a crepe, I'll have to come back and experience the place some more before I decide whether it's worth another star or not. Definitely won't hit 5 stars though until the prices come down a bit. Judging from other yelpers the food is variable. I'll have to see for myself if I get a full meal here. -
Review from Mackenzie F.
New York, NY
7/16/2011
Even though Athens Cafe is around the corner from my apartment, I'd been avoiding it because of all the unfavorable reviews - but there are always tons of people there, and from the sidewalk all the food looked good - so I caved and had dinner here tonight.
Our server was super friendly, the menu was great, and we were really happy with our meal - ham & cheese crepe for my boyfriend, salmon salad for me - delicious. will definitely go back. great location for people watching. next time i'll try some dessert too.
also - i had my dog with me and all the ladies were going crazy over her... i'd seen reviewers complaining that this place isn't dog-friendly, but that was totally not my experience at all. -
Review from Joey C.
New York, NY
6/4/2011
Maaaaaannnnnn!!!!
I will be very honest! I really don't want to give this place a bad review, but I just don't even feel right giving a two-star review!
When I go to a Greek restaurant, I am usually expecting an over-the-top experience with their dishes. Greek food tends to pride itself in its delicious spices and authenticity; but it wasn't so much the case in my recent visit to Athens cafe.
First of all, there wasn't a lot of protein to choose from in the appetizers section...I saw a lot of overpriced selections that involved spinach, hummus, peas, etc...so I opted for the grilled octopus with the salad and the spinach pie; even in the Entrees section, I expected more meat, but to no avail...not even lamb.
My friend had the Caesar salad and a beer. The octopus appetizer came, and while it was grilled nicely, the taste wasn't that special. It was a bit on the dry side, as I expected it to be more herby and moist....It cost $15...WOW!
The spinach pie was really good, but I have tasted the same at a much much more affordable place, so I wasn't too taken by surprise....
I also asked for a little bit of feta cheese on the side, and they brought me a whole plate of feta cheese that cost me around $5....( I only asked for a couple of crumbs of cheese to go with my spinach pie, people...)
My friend's Caesar salad was very very plain looking, with the awful yellow and lime green colored iceberg lettuce, and the croutons were as plain as they could be....
Overall, the dining experience was mediocre, at best, and afterward, as we took a stroll down towards Steinway, I saw many other places that I wished we would have chosen....
Next time, I'll choose better.....
ASALEMALAKA!!!! -
Review from Girl O.
Anaheim, CA
3/13/2012
Cute spot, reminds me of greece. Great for people watching but expect any special customer service. I give it 4 starts for it's location, authenticity, out door seating, and authentic vibe. The food is not bad.
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Review from Lauren L.
6/15/2011
I really wanted to like this place ... here's my story ...
So Friday night after eating at Sparrow, my mom and I were putting around 30th Ave and stumbled across Athens Cafe. The windows were open, the tables were filled with people outside so of course we had to stop and scope out the menu. After looking over the menu we asked where the dessert menu was and were quickly directed inside to look at the desserts on display.
After seeing the baklava, we knew we needed to order something. But then something else caught our eye, and the name of it escapes but its like baklava's cousin. The gentleman behind the counter was kind enough to give my mom and I a sample, as he was saying it was much better than baklava. And I think he was right. The walnuts and honey was the perfect combo for me. We ended up getting a regular piece of baklava, pistachio baklava, tiramisu. We grabbed my dad at the Beer Garden and rushed home to fufill our sweet tooth. Sadly when you have a go to tiramisu nothing compares. I enjoyed it, but my mom didn't think it was dense enough. The plain baklava was delicious but the pistachio was rather boring. And the other dessert, was just outstanding!
So after having dessert here, we ended up here for lunch on Saturday. What a disappointment. Again, I wanted to like this place. We saw some food coming out friday night and it looked great.
So for lunch, just a heads up, their take out menu and in house menu are different. There is a lot more options on their take out menu. I ordered from the take out menu and thought I was doing the right thing but no.
So for meals I had the Grilled Shrimp Tropical Salad. My mom and I saw the meal come out of the kitchen when we were there Friday night and it looked amazing. So I had to get it. When I placed my order, I asked the girl how big the salad was, she said it was rather small .. so I then ordered the Lentil Soup. Well lets just say when I got the salad it wasn't a small salad at all. It looked pretty but had no real flavor and they forget the best part, the candied walnuts.
My dad ordered the Southwestern Wrap, which he said wasn't spicy enough for his liking.
My mom ordered a chicken panani sandwich which she didn't love.
Service was good, the bill was like $70 bucks kind of obnoxious for lunch esp when we went to Sanfords for dinner, had amazing food for only like $60 .. meh. -
Review from Andrew A.
4/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Stopped in here for coffee and dessert... The waitress wasn't the most friendly at first - but after I asked to explain EVERYTHING on the Greek Dessert section of the menu - she laughed and warmed up to us...
We sat outside, not the most attractive place, nor the best clientele - but you get to sit outside...
I ordered the greek coffee (medium sweet) - it was what i wanted, athough i should've ordered the double -sweet. When deciding on the dessert, the waitress actually brought us out a sample of one of the pastries to try - but we opted for the mixed bachlava - it was good!
I wouldn't intentional come to this cafe/restaurant but if you are in the area and its there - its not bad -
Review from michael j.
Sunnyside, NY
9/18/2011
Good food
Good service -
Review from Jenny B.
ASTORIA, NY
8/6/2011
I've been to Athens Cafe 3 times now, and will continue to go back because of it's convenient location, great outdoor seating and absolutely delicious coffee.
I really enjoyed the caesar salad and club sandwich I had there, but the pasta dishes leave a lot to be desired -- I do not personally enjoy al dente pasta.
The service also tends to be on the slow side. Every server I've had there has been polite, but more than once have I had to twist and turn in my seat in an attempt to flag someone down.
I would say: go there for coffee and people watching and for meals where you're not in any kind of hurry. And don't order the pasta.
Edit: I went there again and the service was swift and the food was excellent. I'm liking it more and more each time I go. -
Review from Nadeen N.
Astoria, NY
5/24/2011
I've been here several times at various points throughout the day but surprisingly have never ordered food. Only coffee or tea.
The great thing about this place is you can sit out and people watch while sipping on a coffee frappe (mmmm!) and chatting it up with other patrons.
I'm definitely going to be there a TON this summer, sitting outside and drinking my frappes! -
Review from Matthew F.
Huntington Station, NY
Updated - 4/13/2011 14 Check-ins Here
Miracles have occurred here, someone either fired all the chefs and found people that know what the hell they're doing or...or...I don't know what.
What I DO know is that the food has gone from bottom of the barrel to holy crap!
The burger I ordered up was cooked like I wanted (medium rare), was accompanied by fresh, crispy fries, and had the look and feel of an entree that was made with tender loving care, not malicious neglect and torture.
I felt so confident after having the burger that I ordered something I never order, a fruit shake. That's right, you heard me, a fruit shake.
Let me tell you, I haven't had anything that has come out of a blender with taste that good in a loooooong time. It was rich, full-bodied, fresh as could be; not a hunt of high fructose or some other additive, it was all natural, 100% organic and tasted amazing.
Since I was already on a roll, I decided to add a few inches to the waist and ordered up a dark chocolate cake. No need to describe it, it was phenomenal.
Athens really shocked me with this sudden change, I no longer feel ashamed to step inside its doors, or indulge in their menu, and no longer will I feel hesitation in recommending it to friends and family.
Athens, you finally got your 5 stars, I'm proud of you guys. =)4 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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8/10/2010
After enjoying an afternoon of crap (links below) I decided to head over to the Athen's in the hopes… Read more »
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Review from Karen F.
Astoria, NY
6/26/2011
I know I said I wanted to call the Ovelia corner table all summer, but I've been hanging out at Athen's instead. When I want to meet my friends for brunch in Astoria (like they ever make it up here), I'll take them to Ovelia, when I want to drink coffee (or have a glass of wine) and finish a book I'm all about Athens.
Unlike other places in Queens, the service is really good. The girls are always joking with each other and some of the burly greek men that frequent the place and it just has a nice vibe.
I don't eat there, so I can't complain. The coffee frappes are delicious.
After living in Italy for year and years, I've been on the hunt for a cafe where you can plop down all afternoon or morning to read the papers, do some work, and not have a waitress shoo you out. This is it. And, there's an outdoor smoking section. I pretend I'm in Rome every Saturday morning and it works. -
Review from Jimmy M.
ASTORIA, NY
Updated - 7/20/2011
Service has some how improved. Pointers to the owner (s):
1.) Get people that speak english and understand it
2.) Clean tables, make sure customer's table is clean of food that has been consumed.
Other than that you are good.... Food is great. A little overpriced.
PS. Tell the busboys and the manager not to catch an attitude with the customers...1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/3/2011
The service has gone bad. 30 minutes for someone to take ur order 40 minutes for water. Returned… Read more »
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Review from Raffi D.
Pasadena, CA
5/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
It was nice to find a place open at 3AM. I guess its normal in NYC. But definitely not in LA where im from. I loved it.
I ordered the burger with fries, it tasted gourmet-ish. Wasn't an average burger.
Great service, very helpful, and they don't rush you out. There were plenty of people on the patio. The place is very European. You should like it. -
Review from Ryan T.
ASTORIA, NY
6/6/2011
This place gets 2 stars for t the fact that the food is edible and they have a good location with out door seating.
I hate ranting about bad food and experience so I will try to get to the point.
We waited close to 40 minutes after we ordered for an omelet and some crepes. While waiting my coffee remained empty and when I mentioned it to one of the bus boys he said he would take care of it and never came back. There were tables around us that came after us that received their food before us, no one came to our table to explain the wait or to apologize. The food was as I mentioned edible, probably because we were hungry and in a hurry. The omelet was overcooked, the eggs were waxy with a bunch of little bubbles in them from being cooked way too long. They put rotten brown avocado chunks on top of it and forgot my toast. My girlfriends crepes had about a full cup of Nutella between the 2 of them, it was basically a plate of whip cream and nutella with a hint of crepe. Nutella is good but this was overkill to put it lightly.
My suggestion is to keep walking up 30th ave towards Steinway and try one of the other cafes or restaurants, almost all of them are MUCH better. -
Review from Roy L.
2/7/2011
A couple of friends and I went on a Saturday evening and it was pretty dead. I was surprised. We were seated immediately and served water and bread. We didn't order appetizers because we were going out to party though we ordered some greek beers(forgot the name). The beer was pretty good, nice and smooth.
I ordered the Salmon Burger which came with Garlic fries. The burger was decent but the fries stole the show. They were tasty and crispy, just like I like them. One friend ordered the greek chicken breast topped with spinach and various Greek cheeses. It was Ok, not very flavorful. My other friend ordered the linguini, she said it was blah. I also ordered the Athens wrap to go for my wife who was at home and it was kind of bland.
Overall, the food was bland but the waitress was very sweet and attentive. She didn't make it a secret that she's from Greece but she was the bright spot. Not bad but nothing amazing, i'll try the desserts next time but most likely will scour the Ditmars area for better Greek restaurants. -
Review from Vio C.
ASTORIA, NY
2/28/2012
The best part about this restaurant is the location. The worst part is the food. Service was fine, but I was there for lunch and they had 5 tables, so pretty empty. My soup was pretty much out of a can but it cost $6. The salad was ok.... Just nothing special. While my food wasn't horrible I feel like for the price they can do so much more with it.
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Review from Holly S.
1/12/2011
The Athen's Cafe is the perfect place to go when you want to catch up with friends, chatting for hours over a dynamite cup of coffee served with light cafe fare. My favorites are the frappe, grilled haloumi pita, salads, and the delightful assortment of Greek desserts.
The atmosphere is trendy chic, matching the stylish crowd of hipsters and Greek clientele. Outdoor seating under the canopy is comfortable in the summer and makes for great people watching.
One of my favorite cafes in Astoria. -
Review from Joyce L.
ASTORIA, NY
9/8/2011
My husband and I came here on the perfect Sunday after the hurricane Irene passed NY. It was a really nice day, but many restaurants were not open due to the hurricane + we were trapped at Astoria as MTA wasn't running! We walked by Athens and thought we could give this place a try! I ordered salmon benedict and my husband got the pork souvlaki pita for lunch. My salmon benedict wasn't bad but the pork pita wasn't special at all! I think it's a little over priced for the amount of food they offered... It's definitely not a place that we'll revisit! It's not because Athens is bad, it's just not good enough when there are so many great restaurants in the area! This is why I don't usually randomly go into a restaurant without looking it up on Yelp!
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Review from Daisy P.
Manhattan, NY
10/3/2011
I've been to this place 3 times and have had a completely different experience every time.
the first time was 2 years ago when i ordered the shrimp saganaki which was the best shrimp dish I've ever had. When I went back a year later it was no longer on the menu since the management and their menu had changed. That time, I sat inside and had a very romantic meal with some amazing Greek white wine and the mussels in the white wine sauce.
Last week I returned and our waitress barely spoke English. She handed me the menu and there were literally 3 things on it since she said their kitchen "was limited because they had been closed for 2 days". Very bizarre. Since the menu looked unimpressive, we decided to order drinks only and I asked her to recommend a good red wine. She made a face and was totally clueless and had nothing to say about a recommendation. So I said fine, what do you recommend for white? She still didn't know and recommended that I try Pinot Grigio. Really? When the wine finally came, she dissapeared never to be seen again. The bill never came so we had to "assume" how much our tab cost and left exact change. They never even noticed we disappeared! I really want to like this place again, maybe we just showed up on the wrong night after being closed. -
Review from Vinotaine e.
Greenwich, CT
3/6/2011
Got there before 12 noon for brunch & was told that they can't serve alcohol. So I end up having a glass of cranberry juice full of ice and some tea.
Nothing memorable from my dining experience, except the no alchohol ban. -
Review from Grant W.
Stamford, CT
11/5/2010
The atmosphere and staff are very warm and inviting. We mentioned Yelp at the beginning and both my girlfriend and I received a free glass of wine. Later at the end of dinner the owner gave us another two glasses of wine for free.
The food there was good, but not amazing. Not sure if it is worth the money, but it wasn't way off what we paid for it either. The deserts there were pretty good as well. However I think the problem is Athens Cafe tries to be in a higher class than it is. It appears to be an upscale restaurant, but would be more suited as a mid-range casual sort of restaurant. There are better places for cheaper in Astoria.... However if you live in Astoria and want a change it's not a bad place to try out.
I will be honest and tell you that I only went there once. I have had experiences with restaurants where an initial opinion isn't worthy of an accurate review... It could just be that we didn't order the best the menu has to offer. So give it a try, but don't go in thinking you are going to be blown away...
Overall I would say Athen's is a good restaurant, but has the potential to be great... It just misses the mark. -
Review from Safakis D.
Manhattan, NY
10/12/2011
A bit overpriced but definitely worth it, for giving me the exact same vibe that I get when I am at an Athenian street cafe. I am a Turk who loves the Greek way of living, eating and drinking, and this place is a true gem for me, especially during the good weather. The brunch is good, too. I love taking a short bus ride from West Harlem on M60 LaGuardia bus, and coming here on Sundays.
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Review from Mimi T.
Astoria, NY
11/9/2010
So we went to Athens late on a Sunday night for some coffee and dessert. I was sooooo excited upon arriving. We sat at the booth in the back.
I ordered the Triple chocolate cake and a frappe. I forgot what everyone else had. The Frappe was very good just the way i liked. The cake was dry, maybe it was old.
I do remember my friend asking the waitress if the cake she order had nuts to which the answer was no. However mid way through the cake my friend spit out a nut! She didnt bite it or anything and she is fine! Whew!
Our husbands ordered a drink and they were fine. Not weak as I had expected.
Overall we had a good time. I think it was due to the company. The desserts were okay nothing memorable. The bill however was high. It was over $70 for 4 pieces of cake ($9 a piece I think), two drinks ($20), a frappe and cappuccino. It was pricey. No one finished their cakes but no one was dying to take it home either.
Maybe I should try their brunch! -
Review from Philip N.
Astoria, NY
10/3/2010
Service is about the same here as it is at Omonia Cafe (it's difficult to find traditional American-style service in Astoria it seems), but the food is definitely lacking.
We ordered a salad, calamari and a pork gyro sandwich. The gyro was pretty bad. Too fatty, and not seasoned at all. It was just unappetizing. The calamari was also clearly not fresh, and for the price it really ought to be fresh. Only the salad didn't entirely suck, but I've never had a bad salad.
The waitresses here were difficult to find or flag down when in need of water or the bill. -
Review from Karen C.
Boston, MA
10/5/2008
This place is such a shithole. The only reason you ALWAYS see people sitting outside is because well....there's outdoor seating, coffee, and the waitresses are attractive and speak Greek. Other than that, the coffee sucks, the desserts are stale and have a disgusting gelatinous film on them, and if you don't speak Greek, be prepared to be ignored.
We've been twice-the first time was right after we got engaged. We decided to celebrate and grab some dessert nearby. We were ignored by our waitress and then hurried out when somebody else wanted our table.
The second time was with my Aunt & Uncle-we came for some post dinner cocktails. Our waitress messed up our order 4 times and it took almost half an hour to get our four drinks. Then, a homeless man decided to park himself in the cafe, which our waitress refused to do anything about. Mmmmmm the sweet smells of trash. Gag me. Gag me with a rusty spoon all night. To top it off, an asian woman came through the back employee entrance to start selling us knockoff DVD's.
Uhhhhhh did I magically get transported to chinatown? I would never waste my time or money here again. There are a zillion better places in Astoria to go for a quick bite, dessert, coffee, or a cocktail. Just walk an extra two blocks or hop over to Broadway. Just don't come here.
