By the Glass Athens — Restaurant in Athens

We were always fond of the by the glass wine bar and especially of its outside garden. Some recent experiences though were rather disappointing but last night was a very prominent one. We made a reservation to be on the safe side and upon arrival we were shown to a small round table by the entries despite our clarification that we were coming for dinner. Bear in mind that there were other more comfy tables that remained empty for the duration of the night. Close to us there are at least two other couples sitting in larger tables and nursing one glass of wine (Yes, ONE glass of wine) for a good three hours. Our servers kept juggling plates, glasses, and utensils to make them fit on our quite obviously small table while the eagled-eyed owner was continually serving the premises never thought of moving us to a larger table. In the end, it become an exercise in geometry and we helped the innovations of the servers fully expecting that somebody will realize the stupidity of the exercise and offer to move us to another table, but to no avail. When we finished our full dinner, having emptied a full bottle of wine, we ordered two additional glasses. We saw, next to us, that they brought some freshly cut cucumbers and we asked whether we could have them as well to accompany our glasses of wine. Our server mumbled something about that being a private treat and refused to offer us the same. When pressed, he grudgingly agreed to inquire with “the authorities” but never came back with an answer. At bill time (and naturally no tip time) we asked the server about the faith of our request and he simply smiled at (laughed with ?) us and departed. The two (tasting) glasses of Muscat that they offered us gratis after we paid our bill did little to reduce our unhappiness with the way that our evening has passed. We left at midnight while the place was still at full and the owner expressed a do not care attitude to corona virus restrictions and started ordering free rounds of drinks to some kind of “celebs”. It’s unpleasant that we left with a bad...

I visited By the Glass for NYE with high expectations, but unfortunately, my experience was far from what I had hoped for. From the moment we arrived, things went south. The food took an excruciatingly long time to arrive—two hours for the first main dish to be served. In the meantime, there was no communication or acknowledgment from the management about the delay, leaving the whole restaurant sitting there hungry and frustrated.

It was particularly disheartening to observe that the only tables receiving food and attention were those occupied by famous individuals. It felt like the staff's priorities were misplaced, as the rest of us were left to wait without so much as an apology or update.

While the food itself, when it finally arrived, was disapppointing (my pork chop couldn't be cut and when I told the waiter, he took it and never brought me a new one), the entire experience was marred by poor service, lack of consideration, and an undeniable sense of inequality. A restaurant should make all guests feel valued, not just those with celebrity status.

I won’t be returning anytime soon, and I hope the management takes these issues seriously to improve their service and make sure every diner is treated...

The space is cute and I enjoyed the jazzy soundtrack. I perused the wine menu and made some decisions, interested in glass of Greek bubbles or one of the low price Greek white wines. My server came over and when I ordered the bubbles said No, they’re not good. I said OK what about this white wine Sauv Blanc blend, she said No- none of the white wines priced at €6.80 were fit for drinking. What kind of wine bar has wines on the menu they don’t endorse? At least 5 options were refused by my server. She pressed me to order a €10 glass and I declined. I’d already ordered food and my manners got the best of me so I stayed. Ceviche was obviously prepped well before being served, the avocado was brown. It was fine, I still ate most of it. This is also the only place I visited in Athens that charged for water. Overall a very offputting experience that I do...