Athénée — Restaurant in Athens

I never write to the social media but this time I feel the need to do so. Last night, we went with my husband to have a drink in one of the most remarkable places in the center of Athens, Athénée (historically known as Zonar's) in Syntagma square. Despite the fact that it was surprisingly empty (lack of air conditioning) we decided to stay and have a cocktail. After we had our cocktails I asked for a glass of wine (dry - Chardonnay type) but the waiter proposed to me a nice Asyrtiko. Obviously, I know this is a very nice variety and usually overpriced but I accepted to take it as there was no other proposal. When we got the bill I was surprised to pay 47€ knowing that 2 cocktails were about 30€. I asked therefore for the price of my glass of wine and I got the shocking answer that it was 17€, therefore more expensive than the cocktail. When I asked to see the wine list, I was surprisingly told that the specific wine is not in the menu - I assume therefore the waiter just 'invented' a price. Living abroad and being quite often in hotel bars and many similar places I have to admit that I have never come across a similar situation: • Asking for a glass of Chardonnay and being proposed a different type of wine with a price similar to the price of a bottle (though not informed) • Not being informed that the price of the specific proposed glass is 17€ - more than the cocktail in the same bar • Being offered a wine that does not exist in the menu list • After complaining to the Manager being offered a 'shot' to forget the incident, which obviously I denied. I feel such a shame that we have so nice places but we just don't respect our customers and make such a bad publicity of our...

I have to revise as they disappointed me yesterday. I have been there a few times and considered it a nice restaurant, even recommended to others. I went with my family as a walk-in, in August, at a time they were not even half full and asked about the Gold discount in partnership with Aegean. They said it's for reservations only. I mean sure, I could have called half an hour before and made the "reservation", which is not needed as they're not even half full. I can even reserve it now and go around the block and come back. Whatever, let's sit down.

My cushion had two shoe prints on it! Someone actually stepped with both feet and dirty shoes on the chair cushion and nobody bothered to replace it or clean it. I switched it myself with one from another table. I'm already not having a good time at all. I want to order less than planned and just leave. The service was what you would expect at any average restaurant or coffee shop. The food, dessert and drinks could not salvage this terrible experience. I don't really want to go back again.

Original review: Yes, it's expensive, but the food is really good. The portions are small but we, a couple, were fine with one appetiser, one salad, one pasta dish and one dessert.

They charge 8 euros for a water bottle, which is typical in other countries but not in Greece (where it's usually around 2 euros). They also charge a lot for bread, comparably to other restaurants, but in our case they asked if we want it and we said no.

We had a pleasant experience overall and would...

Very nice restaurant with consistently friendly service. The food was also satisfyingly good. Nice stylish ambiance, modern interior with DJ and nice music and dim lighting. Several people from the service staff take care of it professionally. Be prepared for the following experience: instead of ordering a classic glass of Chardonnay for dinner, we were served and charged for an Argentinean one that was twice the price. After the meal we sat down for a drink in the lounge, which due to the room temperature on a cold winter's day by Athens standards could only be enjoyed with a jacket. Since we had our hotel around the corner and didn't want any detours, we accepted this. The waiter poured us a bottle of St. Pellegrino. When asked, it was said that the restaurant instructed him to continue serving our dinner order. However, our bottle of water from the meal was already drunk and we did NOT order a new one. After our information, they then refrained from calculating the second bottle. When paying we pointed out the wrong calculation of the wine. After a few minutes of consultation in the team, we were brought a corrected bill that turned out to be even higher: instead of drinking two Chardonnays of the cheaper variety, we were now charged for two of the more expensive variety (the second was ordered in the lounge). After another complaint, the correct bill was on the table like magic just two moments later. Accordingly, we also...