Athenian Restaurant

Just on a whim wife and I decided to stop just to check it out. Place looks like a hole in the wall inside and out but oh my… the food…1 word… outstanding! Will definitely be back.

I had a takeout order: the super gyro with seasoned fries. Very fast service! The portion size is generous, so you get your money’s worth. The gyro was pretty good– warm and flavorful pita bread, plenty of meat and veggies inside. I prefer the gyro meat to be sliced more thinly, but maybe that’s just me. I was also mildly disappointed with the tzaziki sauce because it was on the bland side.
Based on my meal, I would rate this restaurant as 3.5−4 out of 5 stars. I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here, but overall, I recommend it.

Have gone past this place a million times and finally stopped in. Great turkey and bacon double decker with Swiss, lettuce tomato and mayo — tasted very fresh. Maria was a fun and efficient server! Lots of regulars. I will go back!

Good gyros, quick (friendly) service, everything you need in a lunch destination. You have to go outside to find the bathroom because they’re old school like that. I love this place!

I was headed toward Cincinnati Asia Mart when I saw this place again. It seems a postage stamp of a Greek restaurant on a road dotted with small restaurants but almost no chains.
When I returned, I made a quick turn into the parking lot. There is parking on both the south and north sides of the building, thankfully, because it looked quite full.
As I walked to the door, it looked clean but a little worn. I think that describes me as well. I don’t think the place is wheelchair accessible, although the door on the south side was more direct, instead of being at an angle.
I kind of wanted to sit at the counter but it was a bit full, as the counter runs only partway across the restaurant. As I sat down to a booth, Jamie came over to ask me what I wanted to drink. She went quickly to take care of my request and in true diner fashion, there were laminated menus at the table. Mine even had some lettuce on it but no gravy stains. I wanted to yell «good gravy!» but now, that makes no sense.
They’ve got about 20 gyros options, as any Greek place should. I somewhat expected some noodle dishes, stuffed grape leaves, souvlaki, etc. since it is the Athenian Restaurant, with Greek food. The previous time I’d been at a Greek restaurant with a full menu was at Tarpon Springs, Florida and they had almost anything you could imagine.
What really gave this place the extra star was that it felt like I belonged. The people there were friendly and the atmosphere was homey. It reminded me a lot of going to Olympia Diner on Baltimore Pike in Landsdowne, PA (outside West Philadelphia) in the middle of the night. It was quiet but people were chatting, and they were just busy enough to get things done without delay, and with a smile.
They had a rather large menu and a meat loaf special. I was thinking about the breaded veal or their house salad, but there were so many selections, I took a very long time.
I ended up with the Super Gyros combo, which was a typical gyros with feta cheese ($ 6.50 by itself) or $ 9.50, I believe, with fries and a drink. It came to $ 9.99, all said and done. The gyros was good, though it seemed I missed the grease from other places, probably because the meat isn’t actively roasting and rotating. The fries were good, with just that good balance of crispy on the outside with fluffy on the inside, and my iced tea was good, as well.

You will not go wrong with choosing the Athenian Restaurant for your lunchtime meal. Excellent gyros… lots of them… are fresh and filling. The service was passable, but nothing to write home about.
My only complaint would have to be that the dining area is definitely affected by the weather. If it is extremely cold and windy, each time someone leaves the restaurant, you’ll feel the wind chill at your table. We ate there in December, and we marked this place as one to try again, but maybe when the weather was a little nicer.

I’ve only been once and i had the misfortune of having a Gyro. It’s called ‘Athenian’, it has a ‘Gyro’s’ sign, so i thought to myself ‘hey self, that place has been there for 25+ years, it must have a decent Gyro’…well, self, you were wrong.
They serve the pre sliced gyro meat, not fresh carved off the spit. That’s pretty much unacceptable in my gyro book! It’s not awful, but barely passable. The fries were standard crinkle cut style, at least they were fresh.

A little crowded and very loud but good food and average service. I ended up ordering to go because there was no seating for lunch. All in all good place to get lunch, just kind of unremarkable.

This is a solid gyro and burger shop, they have fair prices, good lunch food and fast friendly service. This is by no means fine dining, but for what it is it gets the job done well! I will certainly be back for lunch.

You think Blue Ash Chili has a lockdown on gigantic, most excellent sammiches?
Think again!
First off, the Athenian has about 20 different spins on the classic gyro. A bunch of them are more or less a sandwich on a pita, but hey, at least they’re attempting to show a little creativity.
But the show stealers are the triple decker sandwiches. Holy cow they’re big.
Interestingly, they do a grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich. Not sure that’s one that I’d jump on, but hey, maybe it appeals to someone out there.
They also serve breakfast and have a dinner entrée’ menu as well. I’ve never ordered off of those because I’m there for lunch and the big sammiches are all that exist for me.
The place isn’t a lot to look at… kind of run down. The tables are crammed together, so you’re likely to share elbows with someone during busy lunch rush.
But the service has always been great and I have never gotten a bad meal.
I think the place is run by the family who lives in an apartment in the building. At least that’s sort of what it seems like.