Karyatis Cafe • Meze Restaurant — Restaurant in Athens

Came in for a drink today afternoon, as it was a very hot day, this cafe has nice sitting area but that’s where the good things end.

The waiter that served us was rude and did not seem happy or even wanted to be there. We asked to move near fans due to it being 39 degrees today and he looked annoyed (?) but said sure why not. Strange as this was literally the only good thing about this place as it turned out in the end.

We had two ciders and then some tatziki as a light food to go with beer as it’s refreshing and not too heavy. It was ok, nothing special and on a higher price end at 6.50 (most expensive one we ate out of 4/5 places we had this week) but we were in a very tourist orientated area so we knew the score. We also then got charged extra one euro for something which I believe was pita bread..? I mean not sure why they wouldn’t just add it into the total price as I thought it comes as a standard anyway? Also, what are we supposed to do; eat tatziki with a spoon and no pitta like it’s an ice cream?

So we had our drinks and food and then I went to use the toilet facilities so I asked my partner to get the bill whilst I do that.

She called the annoyed waiter who by the way I can tell was probably hangover from Saturday night before and maybe sleep deprived and tired. Its fair I have been there myself but what he did next was out of order even for somebody that was in that state.

We only had drinks and a small food plate that had a hidden price he then asked my partner if she wanted to tip she said no thanks, he looked annoyed and confused and said why not, and she said because the service was not good and he said not even 1 euro??? She said no. So he looked upset and let her pay the bill and left.

Moment later as I was still in the toilet he came asked her ‘do you want something else or are you leaving?’ And she said she is waiting for her partner (me) to return from the toilet.

I returned walked past the waiter who looked more upset this time (made sense why as I found later) and asked if she asked for the bill and if I need to pay it. My partner said no it’s fine I paid but let’s leave quickly. I was confused and asked why and she said I tell you later.

So please take it from somebody that used to manage a bar and host a food restaurant this was probably the worst service I have ever received in my life. I’ve had kebab shop owners be more nice to me and fast food restaurant like McDonald’s workers be more alive and full of life than this hangover sad, depressed and straight up rude waiter. On top of that, the waiter felt to intimidate my small and young partner whilst I was in the toilet (a real man!) and I’m sure he would have said nothing if I went to pay the bill. To me, it’s a trademark of a coward and he is very lucky I didn’t return and had a chat with him myself as it’s really not worth arguing with his kind of people.

My advice is to rather avoid this place as it’s really not worth it. Ok they have nice seat area and fans that give you refreshing breeze but next door does exactly the same and without holding you ransom to tipping and hidden prices for 1/10 service.

We are not asking for much, because when I was a waiter I didn’t beg people for tips or was rude to them, I was being nice to them, especially if they were nice to me and polite and engaging like we were and they tipped me. Who would have thought??

Funny enough the last two places where we ate before this one where waiters were fun and full of life and not barely awake after drinking loads of shots of tsipouro we were happy to tip and leave a pleasant review. This place is not one of those and won’t survive at this rate so maybe the owner should hire better staff as I have many friends that work in Athens in hospitality industry that will make this business money rather...

Food was alright, nothing special but not terrible. Overpriced but you would expect that because of the area in which is situated. My partner and I asked for two ciders and a portion of tzatziki. Service was rude and looked like it just wanted to be done with. After, when the bill arrived I was asked if I wanted to add a tip, I said no as the service was not great neither was the food and there is no tipping culture in Greece. After that the waiter was very pushy saying “not even an euro?”. I was waiting for my partner to come back from the toilet and the waiter comes back to me and says “do you want something else or are you leaving?”. After that I felt rushed to finish my drinks and leave although the place was empty.

Very bad considering he said nothing when my partner was there and I was a lonely girl of young age so he thought it would be ok to behave like this. If my partner was with me he would have said nothing.

Do not recommend this place to anybody and there are plenty of other places near by that offer same food but at lower price and much better service.

My partner was not happy and wanted to come back and talk about it but it really is not worth it but this guy with short unkept hair was the worst waiter in all of Athens, and my partner has done this kind of work for many years and it really costs nothing to just be nice and polite to people and maybe then we would have tipped like we have done in the last place we ate...

Me and my partner went to this restaurant twice during our stay in Greece. Our waiter, a gentleman named Agis was amazing!! On our first visit (the first day in Athens) He teached us a few words in Greek such as "Thank you" "You are welcome" "Sorry" and "Please" he was very nice with us and had the patience to explain what all the dishes were and how they were made when we asked about it which was superb.I also have to say that during our stay in Athens we noticed that some people working on restaurants don't even smile when they serve you. This is not the case with Agis, he is a very calm and nice guy that enjoys his job. If you are the manager and are reading this, give this man a pay rise because he definitely deserves it. I would highly recommend visiting Karyatis restaurant if you are around the center of Athens and let Mr.Agis take care of you. Honestly, thank you Agis, we felt very welcome in the restaurant and the country. We'll be back to Athens and definitely to Karyatis restaurant, ευχαριστώ...