Athena's Greek & European Kitchen — Restaurant in Jersey Village

If I could give this place more than 5 stars, I would. Owner Maria & her staff truly care about people, about their entire experience in her restaurant, from walking in the door!!! Greeted like family on our first trip. My 18 yr old requested Greek food for her bday dinner with 20 of her closest friends & family. Athena’s staff made it a fabulous night to remember with awesome food entertainment. From decorating the dining and gift tables, flaming appetizers, perfect prompt service, all meals individualized for allergens & preferences, courteous, fun, exceptionally delicious food. They even provided the birthday cakes. When we made the reservation the morning of the party, Maria said I’ll take care of you!!! And she & her staff certainly did. She took care of us like we were her beloved family. Everyone’s meal came out perfectly, all together, hot and delicious. Drinks refilled before getting empty. Best service & food around. Everything was expertly paced, no course was rushed, yet you didn’t have to wait for anything either. Perfect timing! As if that wasn’t enough, they didn’t add gratuity to our very large party. The waitress said she would never want anyone to leave a tip unless they are thoroughly pleased with the service they got. We left a very nice one for her & the other servers who helped. They are a team and it shows. My daughter said it was the best birthday ever & her friends had the best time. My boyfriend & I went back 8 weeks later & received the same warm welcome, excellent service by Zay. Maria shared special heartwarming stories with us. Even though they close at 9, we were never rushed and were still finishing wine well after. We were treated so special. She even gave us dessert to go, and then another special piece of her pistachio pie which was to die for!! Did I mention all her cakes and desserts are made by her from scratch? When we left Maria said if we needed anything, just let her know. She truly has a heart for people, for service, for good food, and making sure you are beyond satisfied. It’s not just a restaurant, it’s an elaborate delicious experience, in a very laid back, non-rushed atmosphere. I also witnessed Maria invite a woman in who had no money. She treated her with dignity & respect, serving her a hot meal & drink for no charge. Maria is good...

We went to Athena a few nights ago for the first time. They had catered a wedding that I had filmed about a year ago and the food was outstanding, so I figured it was time to go into the restaurant and try it out first hand. Being Greek I know Greek food well having been to Greece and eating Greek food all my life. First of all the atmosphere was fantastic... you feel like you're in Greece there was Greek music playing when we walked in as well as entertainment showing on the big screen TV in there. Maria, the owner was born in Greece and has been here for years so she truly knows the Greek cuisine and how to cook it to perfection. She welcomes every customer openly and visits all the tables to give everybody that comfortable feeling the most restaurants don't give you. I ordered the beef shish kabob (Souvlaki), the green beans prepared Greek style and of course the Greek salad. For a side salad this was quite big and had all the typical ingredients... tomatoes cucumbers feta cheese Greek dressing bell peppers onions and lettuce. The souvlaki was large pieces of meat marinated very tasty and tender it was clearly a good cut of meat. And a Greek style beans were really good seasoned to perfection and cooked just right. I lived in Houston all my life and I have to say Athena was very good on all levels. Of course they have the usual Greek desserts. I got the baklava, galatobouriko and finikia. Everything is made fresh daily nothing is stored for the next day. My date got the stuffed bell peppers with Greek seasoning rice and beef they were just as tasty along with the Greek potatoes and Greek salad. They are open 7 days a week. Of course they have all the traditional Greek dishes Greek style baked chicken, Dolmades...stuffed grape leaves, cabbage rolls, Pastitso, a great classic, along with the tasty eggplant dish Moussaka. And of course cannot forget the Tiropita and Spanakopita. There are so many more dishes as well to choose from and of course they have a number of Greek wines for you to choose from. Our waiter was Alex and he was fantastic and yes of course he was Greek too I strongly recommend you try this authentic Greek Restaurant, you will not regret it and will most definitely return for future visits. Make sure you say hi to Maria when...

We finally have a great Greek restaurant in Houston again. Definitely has been a vacuum since Mykonos Island Cafe closed decades ago. With GML being Greek, we felt like we were back in Greece. All are homemade dishes (except for the small appetizer grapes leaves) and reminded me of my mom’s and yiayia’s cooking. We started with Saganaki and Calamari…both delicious. As usual we each selected different items. The Grilled Lamb Chops, a recommendation of our waiter, were tender and tasty. The Greek Fajitas were a Greek twist of it’s Mexican namesake substituting Gyro meat, and adding FETA, of course, which definitely took it up a notch. The Avgolemeno Soup was good, but did lack the creaminess for my yiayia’s. The Athena’s Greek Burger was thick and juicy. Extra flavor of sliced Gyro meat and FETA only elevated an American classic. Speaking of classic, the Classic Gyro was authentic! … definitely shaved off the spit…none of the frozen “prefab” served in some of the other Greek restaurants in town. The French fries definitely takes one back to Greece…crispy on the outside with soft centers. The Dolmades were assuredly homemade on site and were perfectly seasoned and tender. The Pastitsio was well prepared and cooked to perfection…firm, but not dry. All entrees came with a small Greek Salad with a wonderful lemon vinaigrette. Sides to our entrees included Sautéed Spinach and Briami (Greek ratatouille.). Our waiter, Francois, was attentive, menu proficient, and not easily intimidated by six Greek men. All of his recommendations were big hits. No issue with separate checks. The wait support staff were numerous and never let us want fir a refill or plate removal. Definitely a friendly and welcoming cafe. Greeted by the owners, Maria and Ari. In fact Maria carried on the tradition of welcoming new friends to your home with sweets and surprised us with a sample tray of homemade desserts…Ravani lemon farina cake), Karithopita (walnut cake), Baklava, Lemon Chiffon Cake, Cheesecake, and Black and White Chocolate Orange Mousse. All were unbelievably scrumptious and required not a bite was left. Can’t wait to another visit with the family…especially after the upcoming expansion and addition of live music and...