First Impression

John: If you’re going to open up a Greek restaurant in Georgia, I have to say that Athens is a can’t-lose name. Not only are you going to get a clientele that loves Greek food, but there’s also a chance that some rabid bulldog fans might show up because they think Athens is some sort of UGA bar. That’s win-win for the restaurant in my book. The first thing you’re going to notice when you walk in is that everyone orders from the counter. There are no servers here (although there is a guy that walks around to make sure things are going alright. He also offers to refill your drinks) and you’ll find that the no server thing is a good thing. On the night we were there, there were so many people standing at the front counter, I thought the restaurant was giving away free food. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The reason for the riot at the front counter: apparently Athens has built up quite a following, and a lot of it has to do with people being able to get quality Greek food to-go at a reasonable price. Plus, they have beer. Really, the only thing that could have made this place better was if they had a life size Parthenon made out of marshmallows.

Copsey: As a student of Antiquity, I can appreciate the Greeks and their food (even if I do hold a grudge against the language). It’s got its own style and simplicity, somehow always giving the impression of being homemade. Athens Restaurant is not a fancy place. It’s nice and there were quite a lot of people eating the night we went (which was surprising, since it was a Thursday); some were dining in, in the comfortable restaurant, but most were ordering to go. The best we could compare the restaurant to was Chinese. Unlike a typical Chinese restaurant, you don’t feel out of place grabbing a table and relaxing while you listen to traditional Greek music.

John: A-
Copsey: A-

Appetizers

John: Like always, I arrived at the restaurant 10 minutes after Copsey. Usually Copsey complains about how I can’t get anywhere on time and then he asks me to leave 10 minutes earlier for next week’s review. However that didn’t happen, there was no complaint from Copsey this week. Why? Well he went ahead and ordered an appetizer big enough for about four people and since he was the only one there… Well let’s just say the food served the same purpose as a pacifier. On the variety appetizer plate Copsey ordered was: Gyro meat, feta cheese, pita bread, spanakopita and dolmades. As soon as I sat down, I started staring at the Gyro meat. I really wanted to try it because I knew the taste of the Gyro meat was going to make or break the review (for dinner I had planned on ordering a Gyro wrap, a Gyro entrée plate and a Gyro Sub). The Gyro meat ended up tasting great. Athens used beef and lamb in our Gyro meat (veal, chicken and pork can also be used) and I ended up enjoying every bite.

Copsey: I ordered the variety plate simply because I couldn’t make up my mind on what appetizer to order. It all looked good. Of particular note were the spanakopita and the dolmades. The spanakopita is spinach and feta cheese in a pastry. Nice and warm and fluffy; just what one needs on a cool Fall evening. The dolmades was interesting. This is the second dish I’ve had that was wrapped in leaves and I have to say that foliage added a certain flavor to it. Otherwise it would pretty much be just meat and rice. Good stuff.

John: A-
Copsey: A

Entrées

John: Copsey talked me out ordering all things Gyro, so we only got the Gyro wrap (he doesn’t appreciate a good Gyro). Our non-Gyro order included: a Souvlaki plate, a chicken parmesan sub and a Pastitsio dinner. The Souvlaki plate was definitely the most interesting. It consisted of marinated pork loins served with caramelized onions. The pork loins by themselves probably would not have been a great dish, but combined with caramelized onions, it was unbeatable. Think about it like this: Donnie Wahlberg singing by himself is not anything anyone wants to hear, but as part of New Kids on the Block, he sounds like a perfectly tuned harp. If you happen to make your way to Athens Restaurant with someone who doesn’t like Greek food, you’re in the clear. The chicken parmesan was a very tasty part of a non-Greek menu that also includes hamburgers and several subs. Copsey, I’m still not sure what a Pastitsio is, so maybe you can explain it to everyone.

Copsey: Think of it like Greek lasagna. Layers of mincemeat and macaroni and sauce topped with some sort of cheese mixture that made me think of a pastry. It was ok. What was far more interesting were the “Greek potatoes.” These looked like homemade fries, complete with the skin, covered in a thick layer of herbs that made these things amazing. John was actually speechless for a full two seconds after he had one, so you know it’s good.

John: B
Copsey: B+

Desserts

John: I’m a pie and cake guy, so when I saw Athens dessert selection, I got pretty excited. They offer lemon pie, cheesecake, carrot cake and of course, baklava. You can’t go to a Greek restaurant and not order baklava, so of course we got that. We also ordered some carrot cake because it seemed somewhat out of place on the menu (like ordering pasta from Pizza Hut; seriously, that is the worst idea ever, I hope someone got fired for coming up with that). The homemade carrot cake was actually very tasty, plus the slice is small enough to enjoy by yourself, so you don’t have to share it with anyone. As for baklava; I don’t know if it’s the honey, the nuts or the pastry part, but I absolutely love this stuff. Do not leave the restaurant until you have ordered some baklava.  

Copsey: Baklava is a given. My one gripe about it was that we only had plastic forks and knives to eat it with. When you’re trying to split it into halves, this becomes difficult since it’s a fairly hard pastry. When we finally managed portions that would have made King Solomon proud, it was smooth sailing. It’s hard to get baklava wrong, I think. I’ve never had a bad one. 

John: A
Copsey: A

Final Impression

John: I’m not sure if it possible, but I think Athens has invented their own niche. They’re not a fine dining restaurant and they’re certainly not fast food, so obviously they fall somewhere in between. Think of those nights when someone in the family says, ‘Let’s get Chinese.’ No one ever says, ‘Let’s go get some Greek,’ and that’s because before Athens, there was no restaurant that served quality Greek food to-go. We went to an upscale Greek restaurant a couple weeks ago. If I were going out on a date, I would probably go there. However, if I only had an hour to eat or if some friends wanted to order some Greek to watch football, Athens would be the choice. Oh, and one big thing I forgot to mention, with the exception of two combo platters, everything on the menu is under $10. Alexander Hamilton just got a lot cooler, didn’t he?

Copsey: Hamilton was already cool in my book. But yes, he would be my best friend at Athens. It’s an unpretentious and easy-going place that knows what it wants to do and does it well. I can’t argue with that, since, judging by the customer traffic, they definitely are doing something right.

John: B+
Copsey: B+