EATERY Bairaktaris Aiolou 29 — Restaurant in Athens

"Eatery" is very apt branding, as you shouldn't expect more than quality food. Inexpensive casual dining experience with good selection of high quality comfort food, but poor service. The cleanliness is good enough for an open air restaurant, but if you're sensitive to phrases like 'good enough' maybe skip it. Details below.

Food - The food is good, no question about it. Upper end of what you can expect in Athens as far as casual dining comfort food goes and especially for the price as there are places charging almost double for less quality. Plenty of options on the menu and they've actually put effort into designing their salads which was a really nice touch, since that's usually a very neglected section.

Service - Despite the place being mostly empty the staff were slow to serve us (took 20 minutes to even get tap water, which arrived with our main meals). I had to correct them twice to get my order and drink right (and send back one dish) despite explicitly pointing at what I wanted on the menu they provided, and we had to ask them to take empty plates away rather than just doing that for us when they walked by and saw empty plates. The seat was also dirty (a small speck of the previous diner's meal - nothing awful) when we arrived and the waitress just gave us some napkins instead of switching out the seat or helping us out. They gave us some free fried potatoes as an apology for the mixed up order, which is always something, but they part they apologized for was only one small part of the larger service issue.

Cleanliness - Everything we actually ate with was as clean as you could hope and there was no bad surprises with any actual food, but the container the napkins and cutlery came in had some tiny specks of liquid sauce on it suggesting it wasn't cleaned thoroughly, and there was a small bug (likely a fly) crawling on the outside of one of the bowls we were served food in which then dropped dead a minute later on its own. Since it's an open air restaurant it could just have flown in the second it was put down, but unless there was insecticide around it wouldn't die on its own. Of course, insecticide can also be deployed preventatively so it doesn't need to mean that there's a larger issue and we did only see the one bug, but it distracted from my dining experience. Fundamentally, nothing else came up so I can only conclude it's likely fine, but I shouldn't have to perform a running analysis of cleanliness to feel good about eating somewhere so I can only conclude it's probably just...

With such high score in Google you can't go wrong! I recently dined at EATERY restaurant and I must say it exceeded my expectations in every way. We ordered the falafel plate, hummus plate, and kebab on pita, and all of the dishes were absolutely delicious.

The falafel plate was a true standout. The falafels were perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, bursting with flavor. They were accompanied by a variety of fresh vegetables and a mouthwatering tahini sauce that added the perfect touch to the dish. The hummus plate was equally impressive, with creamy and smooth hummus that was seasoned to perfection. The kebab on pita was juicy and flavorful, and the pita bread was soft and fresh.

However, what truly set EATERY apart was the exceptional service we received. The staff members were attentive, friendly, and went out of their way to ensure that we had a memorable dining experience. They were knowledgeable about the menu and were able to provide recommendations based on our preferences. The waitstaff was prompt and efficient, making sure that our glasses were never empty and that we had everything we needed.

Overall, EATERY restaurant impressed me with its delicious food and outstanding service. I highly recommend trying their falafel plate, hummus plate, and kebab on pita. Whether you're a fan of Middle Eastern cuisine or simply looking for a fantastic dining experience, EATERY is a must-visit...

My husband found this place during our stay in Athens. When we arrived we were standing outside trying to choose which outdoor table would be closest to a fan (so hot in July!), and they told us to eat inside to be cooler. Thinking they meant AC, we went inside, it was not AC, but they insisted we sit at an inside table (they had given away our outside table). Waitress was very abrasive. I began to ask about gluten in their menu (I am not allergic, just need to be mindful), and she steamrolled over me with a canned answer, insisting there were only two options on the menu for me. I tried a second time to explain and she repeated her first response. I decided not to pursue the discussion further with her. We ordered entrees and drinks. The kids drinks came first, then our entrees, then our barely cold beers. Food was fine, waitress was terrible (bus boy was much better!), would have preferred to sit outside amongst the Athenian vibe than be tucked back...