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Categories: Greek, Mediterranean [Edit]
Neighborhood: Long Island City30th Ave (N, W)
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I had a hard time deciding between 4 stars and 3 for this one. More like...3.5?
We came here for Sunday brunch. The prix fixe menu for 14 lets you pick from an assortment of breakfast-type entrees, like omelettes, egg benedict, breakfast platters, etc. Also, you get two beverages on the side.
I went with salmon egg benedict and my mom got a crepe with grilled chicken, avocado, and greens. Both were pretty good, though a bit on the oily side. We both got orange juice and tea, though for someone with stronger appetites, they have bloody marys and mimosas, too.
Service was a little spotty, and sitting outdoors means you'll be inhaling tons of second-hand smoke.
2.5. stars for coffee/tea and atmosphere
I would never go here again for food. It's been consistently below average every single time I've had it. Plus, the service is spotty at best, rude at worst.
What I will say for them is that they have a great set-up for having a coffee and catching up with friends. Lots of outdoor seating and heat lamps make it a meeting place for pretty much everyone in the neighborhood. I swear I'd see the same old men there every day from 8am til 11pm and the same groups of people chatting on the weekends.
The cappucinno is some of the best I've ever had in the city/Queens. They just get it right every time somehow, perfect ratio of milk/foam/espresso a dash of cinnamon and a little whip cream. My roommates and I visited often for coffee and almond cookies in the winter. In the summer it's all about the Greek ice tea. I don't even really know what this beverage is. They call it ice tea (it is NOT) and it tatstes like sugary heaven.
So go eat dinner at Ovelia and wander over here for coffee after.
Great place. Especially useful when getting off the train after a hard days work and in need of a coffee or beer. Perfect spot for people-watching, especially in the early evening as other people get home from work.
Coffee is pretty good - second only to Balu in my opinion - and the food is fantastic! Great service also.
I stayed home sick recently and was craving Athens Cafe french toast. Because it was a Tuesday around 10 am, I was the only one seated inside and there was one other patron seated outside. It felt like a rare treat to be in a large, empty cafe alone in New York, (and not feel creeped out.) I noted to myself that if I were to quit my job and take on a personal project, Athens would be a good place to sit for hours on end and work during the week. I felt absolutely no pressure to leave, which at a few points was actually just being ignored; like when I wanted to order, and when I wanted to get the check. But I just got up and paid at the counter; I mean I already felt like I owned the joint anyways.
During the day on a weekday would also be a great time to have a long coffee or tea fueled conversation with someone in privacy, also rare in New York.
Well, I heard Athens Cafe was the oldest place Greek spot in NYC. I admire greek food, their philosophy, literature and all fine things they created in the world! But, I was very disappointed with the historical Athens cafe.
I ate there a few times, and every time I had some food, the fried things were disgustingly bad. What they promote as excellent about their Mediterranean Supper was absolute garbage. Sorry athens cafe, I would recommend you change the frying oil in your kitchen the one you used since 1982, or your customers will get some sort of cancer from it. And that's all I have to say about that.
The awesome outdoor space doesn't make up for the high prices and poor service of this glorified diner.
So i went to this place for dessert and coffee, and i still don't know how i feel about it.
One its a pretty place very big, with lots of seating on the outside. The staff is nice and eager, a little to eager, our waitress would stand there just a little to long.
We got the Loukoumathes, with Nutella, i love the blending of cultures Greek and Italian, sounds good right. The first puff is good, the second is so sweet your teeth hurt. By the third your on the floor suffering from a diabetic seizure. My 5.50 hot chocolate didn't help, this place had very simple cafe items, for a little to much money. Not expensive but just prices that made you say "Really?, Ok"
I would like to come back to this place for a meal, people around me seemed to be enjoying their Greek salads and gyros, i'd like to be one of those people. But this place is worth trying.
Service now gets a zero from me, a zero.
Not only did I make the horrendous mistake of ordering a meatball gyro but I had the displeasure of completely losing my appetite once I bit into it. The substitute hamburger I ordered in its place didn't help either.
The waitress though, boy did she swing the gauntlet at my head. Get this, she printed out my check and placed it in front of me before I even had a chance to sink my teeth into the hamburger. Lady, you best get your act together because pulling a stunt like that is a hell worthy trespass to me and others. Next time I won't even be leaving a tip, nothing, zip, zilch, BUPKIS!
To the chefs in the back room who made that atrocious meatball gyro, you should all be fired. Seriously, the meat was brown and green colored. WHAT MEAT IS GREEN!!??
I have to agree with my brother (http://tinyurl.com/8orjc6) on this one, the service has definitely… Read more »
The Athens Cafe is definitely heading downhill. I used to love this place, and not simply because it offers the best people watching in queens.
But I'm a little peeved at the decreasing level of service and quality. The service was never that great, but today I was ignored for an hour after finishing my burger. No offer of coffee or desert. I mean, guys, it's in your interest to offer me food. You certainly charge enough for it, but this time I went down the street three steps and had a coffee and a couple of donuts at Dunkin' Donuts and saved myself about $10 (literally: an American coffee is $4 and most of the deserts are at least $5-6, and then there's the tip).
Long ago (2004 or so), a $6 beer came with a little bowl of pistachio nutz. Great. Then at some point in the past few years, the $7 beer came with some peanuts (a lot cheaper for them, but OK). Today, I got a $7 beer and no nuts at all. Well, nuts on you, Athens!
The burger was ok, but the fries I got today were a joke! Thick and a little greasy and completely limp! What happened to the thickly cut and deliciously solid fries you had only a few months ago? I ate one fry and left the rest on the plate. Of course, no one asked whether I was happy with my meal and my original waiter never even returned to my table (you'd have to go to a real restaurant for that kind of service).
This place is really starting to piss me off. I have defended the whole European/crap service vibe in the past, but that assumes some basic level of service and some concern for the customer and his wallet. Fix the fries and bring back the nuts or bye bye. I can go to Brick or any or the 20 other cafes. You all serve the same stuff anyway.
I had the dip assortment, 2 of which were pretty good (the red pepper and the hummus). The other 3 dips, not so much. Then the galaktoboureko was yummy, although I have had it with chocolate and/or raspberry sauce drizzled over it at other places and like that the best.
Overall, the food was good, and like everyone is saying, it is a neighborhood hang-out it seems. I will definitely try the coffee options next time though. And the waitress was decent, but I wouldn't come here if I was in a hurry.
Athens Café is a large, windowed, corner café. It's the kind of place that has tons of spelling mistakes on its menu, but its menu is clear and well organized and wiped clean.
It presumably courts the same yuppie/Greek crossover sidewalk café crowd as nearby Grand Café. Possibly because of our dismal experience at the latter just a day or so prior though, Athens Café seems like a godsend.
The tricolore salad is the real deal and then some. Large and fresh, with fronds of Parmesan, plus dried cranberries and puffed, candied nuts. The ham and mozzarella crêpe, with tomato by request, is tasty.
There is also a pastry shop inside the café.
Food 7 + ambiance 6 + value 6 + service 4 = overall 6.4 / 10 (decent)
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.
I'm so surprised to see so much negative Yelp buzz, this is easily one of the most popular spots on 30th Avenue. I've walked by it probably close to a hundred times. Morning, noon, and night, I find it packed with leisurely brunchers (and the type of people who really are eating "brunch" in spirit, even though it's nine pm) with their frappes and delicious looking food. So, I finally got around to trying it on a rainy Saturday afternoon. I got the grilled halloumi on a pita with tomatoes, and an enormous pile of french fries (well worth the freakin' three fifty to add it on), and I also finally got a frappe. Delicious all around. Flavorful haloumi, greasy delicious french fries, and a refreshing and tasty frappe. Kind of slow service- although, again, just "leisurely)- but a nice space with good food at reasonable prices.
And if you're one of the people who will sit outside under the heat lamps even when it's FREEZING... I think I admire you? Maybe? You are crazy, though.
I've lived on 30th Ave in Astoria for almost a year now and I can't tell you how many times I've walked by this place, seen everyone in the restaurant having a great time and then...not gone in. I don't know why! Well Chelsea J. and I finally went in a few weeks ago (both hungover and looking for an instant food-cure) and I was NOT disappointed.
I finally got to try their frappes which I have seen countless other people sipping and enjoying at all times of the day. It was sweet and smooth with just the right coffee-strength to really start tingling my nervous system.
I also got their Greek salad with chicken which was more food than any one human being should try to take on by themselves. The chicken was soooooooo tender and the feta was plentiful and delicious.
Their American iced coffee left much to be desired however. It was very watery and not worth the trouble. I had ordered this first and after tasting Chelsea's frappes, I quickly changed my mind.
Other than that, the atmosphere is really great. The place is laid out very nicely and the music and decor come together to really make the place stand out as one of the number one places to go for brunch in my beloved Astoria.
I think the Athens Cafe is a delight. A slice of Greece in the backyard of Manhattan. I sipped my cold Nescafe while sitting outdoors enjoying the flow of people passing by. Service is of a European style; meaning, you have to signal the waitress (in my case) to make an order, ask for the check, etc. That's just the way it was. I look forward to returning on some warm and pleasant afternoon.
Great people watching, an authentic NYC experience. Have a frappe or a greek coffee and a huge baklava, caramel cheesecake, or one of the other delicious desserts and soak in the sun...or watch some European soccer inside on a rainy day while you read the paper.
Service is slow, but quick with water. Hopefully, you're there to take your time. Salads and some of the sandwiches are good(I like the ones with greek sausage in them), and I hear the pizza, but if you're hungry for more than lunch and/or dessert this isn't the place to go. "American" coffee is not so great here, so go with one of the frappes, espresso drinks, or greek coffee.
What can I say?
This is an absolute must for me whenever I am in Astoria - day or night. Summer time finds me outside with my friends sipping Frape and enjoying and sharing a plate of loukoumades. The topper is the hours long conversation without being rushed out. There is always a seat even on the most crowded of nights -- how do they do it???
The service can be a bit slow but who cares ... Athens is a wonderful cafe with great desserts, coffees, bites of food, and is THE place to be.
As the weather gets warmer I search ever more fervently for great places with great outdoor seating.
Athens cafe definitely offers some nice sidewalk space. It's on a busy intersection so it's great for people watching. The service is great and so are the Frappes. Ah Summer.
Athens Cafe is one of the best Greek places in Astoria. You can sit there for hours on end and enjoy watching people walking by with a cup of coffee or a beer without any trouble. We were there from 8 p.m. till about 1:30 a.m. this night. I think our waiter was happy to have us because we ordered plenty of wine and food as we sat and talked throughout the night.
You can tell this place is authentic because it is always crowded. When we arrived the crowd was watching a Greek soccer match, with everyone waving flags and wearing yellow AEK jerseys.
We ordered a dip sampler which came with four traditional dips: one with feta, another with dill, and two others I can't remember. Oddly there wasn't hummus. The portions looked small, but we had to order extra pitas to finish it all.
Next we tried a "Greek Pizza" which was served with feta, halloumi (my favorite), Greek sausage and tomatoes. It was pretty good, but the pizza wasn't very large around and the crust wasn't too sturdy, so I had to eat my slices with knife and fork. The sausage was fairly dry, but had a nice flavor.
Dessert was the traditional loukoumades, fried dough balls glazed in honey and sprinkled with cinnamon. They remind me of the state fair. The portion was huge - we had the plate on our table for hours and still didn't finish everything. This definitely isn't the healthiest dessert, but divided between 3 or 4 people, it is a good treat.
Really the best thing about Athens Cafe is the atmosphere and the attitude of the place. You can sense the friendliness and the community. It is always crowded, and the food is always good. I've been there many times, and I'm sure I'll be back many more.
I have only been here twice, but i love the idea of it. It is directly across from my apartment and super convenient. We had people over for dinner and it was the perfect spot for enjoying decadent sweets and awesome coffees. I can't wait till the weather warms and i can be among the many soaking in the sun and hanging out imbibing a fabulous Greek coffee and maybe some yogurt with honey. It feels like a big family here.
I will say i have never had a meal here, so i cannot vouch for the food.
Of the four big greek inspired cafes on 30th Ave, Athens is by far the best. The decor is better, the place actually serves FOOD that is good, and the large windows and huge outdoor spaces gives the place the perfect sidewalk cafe feel. It's close location to the N stop 30th helps a lot.
I wish I could give this place more stars but I can't and here's why.
The men's bathroom had no seat or lid on the toilet. Maybe men in Greece hover when they need to poop but I am not one of those men. Thrones need seats.
The service was effiicent but my water glass was not kept full.
Not enough pita bread comes with their dip plates. There are also several other restaurants in the neighborhood who makes dips that are much much tastier than Athens cafe.
Soda does not flow freely like the might Aegean sea.
I love Athens and will go here quite a bit but unless you dispise the scenester vibe of Avenue Cafe, Flo, and Grand Cafe, you're not gonna feel the same way about Athens as I do.
Let's get one thing straight. You don't come to Athens for attentive service. You order your (amazingly good) coffee or Frappe or drink, snack on some traditional Greek dessert or appetizers like fried Halloumi, they bring it and you sit, people watch and enjoy, until you have to wave your server over to ask for the check.
We dropped in here last night after visiting a sick relative at Mt. Sinai.(Yes, a hell-hole, but our relative might have had better meals available to him.) In all fairness, I didn't try any of the desserts at Athens, but they did look like they needed to be dusted off a bit...Decent crowd of presumably locals here. Very young looking crowd. Extremely attractive hostess was the only bright spot at this otherwise glorified Greek diner trying to pass off what was essentially Chef Boy Ar Dee Pizza mix as "Pizza Margherita" by putting a basil leaf on top. Did I mention the attractive hostess?
i've been to athens as a sit down three times (because i live very nearby). the first two times, the food was mediocre. the third time, my boyfriend and i went and they sat us alllll the way in the back inside away from anyone else. then they didn't bring us water. then they walked by several times and wouldn't look at us or come over. finally, after literally 20 minutes of waiting (no water, no waiter, no nothing), we got up and left. sucks for them because we're good tippers.
we actually wondered if maybe it was race related (we're an interracial couple). either that or the service just really, really, really sucks.
anyway, the reason athens gets 2 stars instead of 1 is because their pastries are good. so, there's that.
I highly recommend their burgers.!
One of favorite cafes in New York. It was the place that I popped my frappe cherry. The frappe became my favorite drink. The spring and summer is the best time to go with the outdoor dining. During the winter you can sit outside and stay warm with a hot latte and the overhead heaters. The servers to do rush you so you can sit around abusing the wireless Internet. I would recommend anyone that lives in Astoria to visit. They also serve some really good Greek food so if you are hungry bring an empty stomach. The best part they usually stay open pretty late.
Best frappes aka liquid crack coffee that makes me bounce off walls. When I am too tired at work, this works like a charm.
eh, i could take it or leave it. athens is not my number one choice for food/ drink in astoria---its plaza lounge, not only b/c i live across the street, but because the food and drink are that good.
the best part of about athens cafe is the dips platter, other than that the salads are very disappointing. im a huge salad fan and i've been there a few times, only to have brown lettuce and crappy toppings--whether it was the chef salad or the grilled chicken salad, i didn't like it. and they don't have a cocktail menu, whats up with that? get ur act together athens!
although, after reading Andreas' account of his work experience there, i think i'll continue to walk by this place--thanks for the tip ;)
This place is great when you want a good burger and fries. Especially on a warm Summer night. I never had a problem with the service. It's actually pretty good.
yay for underage drinking !
haha
This is one of those places you love the first few times you go in (beautiful decor/ambiance, outdoor seating with heatlamps, amazing dessert menu), but it gets old fast once you realize you are ordering a latte and baklava and paying the price of a whole dinner in Astoria. Which leads me to mention: do not go here expecting Queens prices. Athens Cafe has no qualms about charging 5 bucks for Jell-O. Other than that, enjoy. The staff is laid-back, which means in theory you can sit around for hours, and people do!
Athens Cafe is the best place to be when you want nothing more than to sit back, enjoy a nice session of people-watching along with some great coffee and loukoumades. Sitting outside, lost in a sea of Greeks, will make you feel part of a big Greek family. Every time I come here, I feel like I am back in Greece. If you've never been to Greece and want a taste of it, both in food and culture, there is no better place than this.
Traditional Greek fare nestled in a traditionally Greek neighborhood. Delicious, giant juicy hamburgers, smooth and creamy Cafe Mocha and a dessert counter that could satisfy the world's biggest sweet-tooth. A large outdoor area provides a great lunch rest stop amidst the weekend shopping in Astoria. The service is a little slow, but friendly, and they have a great 'pick your own seat' policy.
While in Astoria this is a must go, eat, see. Come here and experience Greece at an authentic Athenian cafe. You must try the frappes, come with a sweet tooth and a good dental plan. The desserts are swimming in honey! You could leave with a cavity and sticky hair.... well I managed to leave with sticky hair. The service was quick in bringing in our drinks and desserts. In the true Mediterranean lifestyle they leave ample time to relax and chat. You will notice groups of Greeks sitting, drinking, talking, watching futbol, and enjoying life. You do have to ask for the check because they will never rush you out of the cafe. It was affordable. Also a great location for Greek cuisine lovers and haters because of the plethora of other cuisines. Stop in here to get transformed to Greece.
Good food and good people watching from the large outdoor seating area in front. The canopy is big enough to allow you to sit out the rain even.. the interior is a little austere, but nice. The place has a very relaxed atmosphere and decent service (you don't want to be in a rush). It'll make you feel like you're in Europe, especially if there's a soccer match on..
I love getting checked out by dudes as I walk to the supermarket.
I like this place, good atmosphere good food, close to the train and they take credit...Love it!
New! Brunch at Kashkaval
Neighborhood: Theater District
$35 Prix Fixe menu
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: Desserts
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: French
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: Creperies
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: Greek
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