Restaurants, Mediterranean Restaurants
$$, Bar Scene, Family-Friendly Dining, Group Dining, Late Night Dining, Outdoor Dining, Open 7 Days
Located at the heart of down town Chicago, our restaurant was established in 1997 and ever since is providing its customers with excellent quality Greek Cuisine. In an effort to guide our patrons through a journey full of flavors, Athena Restaurant has become the medium between the Ancient Greek Tradition and the Modern Western World. Our restaurant is dedicated to the city of Athens, capital of Greece, which carries the longest history from any other city in the world for at least 4 millenniums. This is the city that gave birth to democracy, and set the foundations of the Western Civilization. Feel the warmth of the place and enjoy your dining experience next to one of our two fireplaces, or relax under the candle lights. Even share your best moments with friends by booking your parties at one of our private rooms that can accommodate up to 100 guests.
I can't decide between the 3 Greek restaurants I've been to in Greektown- they are all really good.
I think people are only disappointed if they don't make reservations in advance because they all get super-crowded.
Athena's food is great- You won't be disappointed.
Posted 05/16/09 | Report Abuse
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This place is really nice. I have been there 3 times and i was satisfied all 3 times. The food is a little pricey but overall it is good. I suggest you know what you are getting before you order because sometimes i do not understand what the food is. But it is a nice environment inside.
Posted 04/10/09 | Report Abuse
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This place is my favorite Greek restaurant in Chicago. All the appetizers, ranging from fried zucchini to grilled octopus, are wonderful. Have their great avgolemono soup on a cold winter day! In the summer, sit out on the patio and take in the city view while sipping on a glass of Greek wine. I highly recommend it!
Posted 03/23/09 | Report Abuse
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Our favorite Greek restaurant here in Chicago. Try the Grilled octopus, cold appetizer plate, or fried zucchini. The lamb chops (Paidakia) are to die for!
Posted 03/11/09 | Report Abuse
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Athena is one of the best Greek restaurant in Chicago! Their warm pita bread and their seafood kabobs are a must have! The ambiance is also very fun and casual making it a perfect place for a lunch date! I highly recommend this place for anyone who is looking for traditional Greek food!
Posted 12/09/08 | Report Abuse
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Horrible experience
by JillGeorge
I went to Athena for lunch today, and, while biting into my octopus was horrified to discover a metal fishing hook. We pointed this out to our waiter, and the manager came rushing over, yelling "It is the fisherman's fault, not our chef's fault. What do you expect us to do?! Check every piece of fish?!" He acted as though as I was the "bad guy" for mentioning it. Then he called the owner over, who also yelled at us, claiming it was not their fault. No comped food, no apology, no graciousness. ...and somehow, during this encounter, the hook "disappeared." Awful experience, and the food was not very well prepared, by the way. Don't bother.
Pros: Average food
Cons: Terrible Service
Posted 09/06/09
SO VERY SALTY
by george2007
The staff was great, but the food was so salty.
My party of six all agreeded how salty everything was, down to the green beans.
I was so looking forward to having a good Greek dinner and was so turned-off by the food. I will stick with Central Gyros and Rodity's where I have never had a bad meal.
Pros: Ambience
Cons: Food
Posted 07/25/09
DISAPPOINTED
by elvis34
We went to Athenas and I was really dissapointed. We had the saturday special loin lamb which was 85 % fat. uneatable.
I waited 20 minutes for a drink that I requested twice.
Also when the final bill came I received a handwritten unreadable piece of paper so forget to double check what are they charging you for.
The waiter looked like he hated his job, MEN if you dont like to work saturday nights preferably stay home and let somebody else do a better job.
Will never go to a greek restaurant again.
Pros: Outdoor fast seating on saturday night
Cons: horrible service
Posted 05/29/09
Didn't even make it to a table.
by constantinou
Being a first time visitor to Chicago, I was excited to visit Greektown. We first walked into Parthenon and could barely get in the door to ask about seating times, there were so many people. It had to be against a fire code, or something. We were told it would be about an hour. Being pregnant and starving, I didn't think I could wait that long, so we headed back down the block to Athena, where we had already passed and noticed it wasn't that busy. We walked into Athena and were rudely told it was a 45 min to a 1 hour wait. Looking around, there were about 50 empty tables and no one waiting to be seated. We left and went back to Parthenon and were seated in 30 minutes.
Posted 02/15/09
Authentic Greek Cuisine.........Great Food
by athenayasou1
I Love this place.....The food is almost a carbon copy of my yia yia's. The staff was polite and even funny at times. My group was very happy with the way we were served. I will come back to the place 100%.
Pros: Food, Staff
Cons: parking
Posted 02/01/09
Best All Around in Greek Town
by dorgepleeze78
Best Calamari in the City, Hands down. George at the bar is awesome-- he is entertaining and pours well! Try the lambchops, saganaki, and the octopus. Patio cannot be beat when the weather is nice!
Free Valet Parking is the icing on the cake-- awesome for clients when we do business there.
Pros: Free Valet, Calamari, Bar
Cons: be patiet when they are busy.
Posted 09/01/08
Tough to judge, but points go to outdoor seating romantic setting
by vegitoboi
It surprises me to see that this once Zagat top rated restaurant can get these mixed reviews by these users. I for one do not know if success has gotten to their head or what. But I for one like this place and find their service is done well. No, I'm not Greek one bit nor do I work or know anyone from this restaurant. I'm just a customer like anyone else. Now, I may sound repeatative to my review of Greek Islands, but me being fairly new to Greek food (with the exceptation of gyros which anyone can get almost anywhere) I can not judge this place by food alone because to me, it's all the same. Although, I can tell you that from here (or Greek Islands for that matter) one of my favorite things to order is the Saganaki and Grilled Octopus. So if I'm giving the same points to this and the other Greek restaurants I've been to, what the deciding factor? For me, if Greek Islands is more family friendly, Athena is more of the date place. I'm not saying it's not a good place for family or large group dining, but for me this place is more of a couple's hotspot than any other restaurant (with the exceptation of Venus which I have yet to try). Also, on a warm summer day their outdoor patio brings a nice added twist to outdoor eating. So, I say you can go anywhere down Halsted Ave. and find the same taste in food, but come here for the romantic ambience.
Pros: Outdoor seating, romantic ambience, valet
Posted 10/01/07
Customer
by cammyf
Our waiter, when he found time to stop by our table, was incredibly hurried and unattentive, to say the least. I got the feeling we were to feel lucky to get him when he happened to breeze by.
During the course of ordering our drinks I overheard him recommend my friend who wanted a "fruity" white wine, the same wine that he recommended to me when I told him a preferred a wine that wasn't fruity. Of course, it was nearly the most expensive white wine by the glass on the menu.
But being rushed to decide so quickly because again, we were lucky to have him there when we could...
The mousaka was without body and a little mushy, no memorable flavor. The after dinner coffee was horrible and tasted like it had been in the urn for three days. My friend's cappacino drink was pure sludge on the bottom. When she brought it to his attention he picked up the cup and flipped it over on the saucer and patronizingly said...here you go, it's a greek custom to read the coffee grounds, looks like your going to come into some money! Not that night...Apparently there's a new greek custom of reading a blob of coffee sludge and the reading of coffee grounds is no longer the practice.
Posted 09/09/07
Worst service ever!!
by whygk
I ordered a vegetarian Mousaka and the waiter got me one with beef pieces on it. When I informed the waiter about it he said 'it looks vegetarian to me"!!!
We could not eat anything here. I would recommend greek island or Parthenon. Athena is a sub-standard restaurant with bad food and worse service.
Posted 05/02/06
Good Service
by onikolai
Was visiting Chicago with family. We went to Athena and the service was good. The food was decent, nothing bad (just wasn't my mom't quality...but who is?).
Posted 08/21/04
nice patio
by bluechef1
let's face it, the patio is the big draw here. the food and service are about average for an area with so many good restaurants. appetizers shine over main courses. very friendly and knowledgeable staff. great after a game or show -- patio open late.
Pros: outdoor seating
Posted 07/26/04
Worst greek I ever had
by sleeplesshouston
They are promt to seat you and that's about it. The reservation hostess in early am was unhelpful, after telling us they don't take reservations for 2 he hanged up the phone and did not wait to see if we had further questions. The waiters are so busy they are very short when you inquire about foods you are not familiar with and the service is compromised. Finally the worst part is the food itself. We asked for a sampler plate, and it was notable for its poor presentation and taste. I am amazed with all the good press for such an unworthy restaurant.
Posted 06/30/04
great greek
by mshakerjr
the food here is excellent. great lamb dishes, and the combination plate is also excellent.
Posted 01/16/03
Not so great
by mrigsby77
The food was decent, but the service was awful!! It seemed as though the waiter had too much than he could handle and he was very arrogant. He kept making sarcastic remarks that no one thought was funny. Our large party did get seated right away on a Friday night, so that was a plus.
Pros: attractive atmosphere, seated right away
Cons: awful service, food was not too good
Posted 11/10/02
