Athena Mediterranean Kitchen — Restaurant in Astoria

We came in during the Regatta weekend and were so incredibly disappointed. Good vegetarian food is hard to find in Astoria but everyone we know has raved about this place, so we went in excited, with high hopes. The hummus "appetizer" was literally 4 tiny triangles of store-bought pita and a scoop of so-so hummus on a paper plate for an unreasonable amount of money. The falafel gyro was surrounded by a soggy pita the bottom, with cold not-fully-cooked fries on top (what?) and a bunch of sloppy toppings that made it an enormous mess to eat. The falafel had no flavor at all - if you didn't glance at the thing, you couldn't tell you were eating some because that's how unimpressive it was. I was told that my partner's chicken gyro was "like a weird chicken salad texture, not at all like an authentic gyro." His was also an enormous mess and he said there was a strange cinnamon taste to it. At $45 including a good tip (which you have to pay up front for), this was a huge waste of money! Worst of all, the "atmosphere" of eating in a dank old wharf where the seating is weird (out next to somebody's truck by the bathrooms while someone else cleaned out the seafood counter or in this strange hallway "dining" area thing) and makes the "ambiance" a big fat zero. When we arrived and were obviously looking around for the first time, we weren't greeted by the guy at the "counter" until we said hi and even then he was awkward. As locals, this is such a massive disappointment, especially when it'd be great to have some place to look forward to. I wish we'd just gone to Fort George instead - at least people are friendly there and the hummus platter doesn't disappoint. (Additional note: after posting this review I was astonished to see the owners respond to other disappointed customers by saying they're "perfecting" their menu as they go instead of getting it right ahead of time, and gaslighting people by saying they should speak up if their food isn't good. Who wants to have bad food repeated after an uncomfortable review? More importantly, who in their right mind opens a restaurant on the premise that they can learn as they go and then has the gall to take people's money? Mind...

Please note we came on a special event type day so I’m including a crepe picture that may not always be available Lily Rose Cafe was on spectacular crepe duty and awesome all around✨💕

Definitely would do more than five stars across the board if I could. We had a FANTASTIC first visit to Athena today. We’ve been meaning to make the drive to come try it for a while (we live about an hour away) and will be making excuses to do so more often. The atmosphere is so beyond cozy, welcoming, fun, and just a great vibe all around. Our hosts were just awesome human beans all around, so genuinely nice and very passionate about what they do. We got to talk to them and it was like plopping down at your friend’s kitchen counter - just easy and comfortable. Food was absolutely amazing! Taste, detail in presentation, all awesome! We had the dinner for two special and it was dinner for 6 size 🙃 Super impressed with the freshness of all veggies used (in the salad and on the platter, yum!), seasoning was amazing for everything - examples: the soup had lemon but wasn’t 👹LEMON👹 - I feel like a lot of times that can go too far one way 🙃 It was really nice to taste the beans in the hummus and not have it super in your face flavored as something else, the grape leaves and falafel were the same - you could taste the individual ingredients in everything and appreciate them. The meat was sooo tender and perfectly seasoned, the pita was super fresh… So quality, attention to detail, enthusiasm, knows what they’re doing, and love sum up the food here. I could keep going 💕

And last but not least - the crepe. Yikes, in an AWESOME way 💕 I’m not actually a crepe person, my Mr will eat anything that has sugar in it and be happy. This crepe however made me realize not all crepes are created equal and the dude also agreed there’s a sugary treat and then there’s a treat you think about months later and sigh 💕

Thank you Athena Mediterranean Kitchen for a wonderful experience. Looking forward to stopping in repeatedly so we can try all the other menu items and some Turkish...

My Review of Athena Mediterranean Kitchen (5/5 stars)

I stumbled upon Athena Mediterranean Kitchen while taking a walk along the Columbia River and making my way to Pier 39. What a fantastic discovery! This charming restaurant serves up authentic Mediterranean cuisine with a focus on fresh, locally-sourced ingredients.

The Gyro was really flavorful, stuffed with lamb beef, overflowing with fresh veggies, and tangy tzatziki sauce. It was so authentic with the fries inside of it that my best friend Leo Piza said it was just like the one she had in Greece. We got the hummus plate that had fresh Kalamata olives, green olives, sweet peppers, cucumber, sliced carrots and cherry tomatoes. The hummus was so deliciously creamy and perfectly paired with the warm slices of pita bread.

Our experience was even better when the kind and attentive waitress showed up with a cup of “Spaghetti Ice Cream dessert!” A playful twist on the Italian classic, this sweet treat features sweet "spaghetti" made from shredded and creamy vanilla ice cream, a good portion of jam and mint leaves! WOW!! It was a delightful surprise and a perfect ending to a wonderful meal.

The views of the Columbia River from the patio seating area are simply stunning, and the customer service was wonderful. I can't wait to come back and try more of their dishes!

Location: Pier 39 by the Astoria Riverwalk

Will I return? Absolutely, and soon!

#meditarranean #greek #greekfood #hummus #falafel #gyros #localbusiness...