Athenian Garden

Yummy and authentic. I had the lamb, my wife opted for the sea bass. Both were good but I feel the Lamb was a bit tastier. We also had three almond garlic dip served with pita as an appetizer as well as a «Greek tiramasu» for dessert. Overall a very pleasant meal. Waitstaff very friendly and attentive. BYOB

I got the falafel gyro and hummus on my first visit and the baked eggplant my second visit. The hummus was fantastic, came with warm pita bread that was addictive. The falafel gyro was good, but the baked eggplant was amazing. Highly recommend.

First time here and what a great experience. Started with an appetizer. The calamari was cooked perfect and one of the best I’ve ever had. The cocktail sauce had a little heat and was boss. For awhile I’ve been trying to find an amazing Caesar Salad and well, I found it, here. The dressing was house made and simply put, perfect. Just the right amount of anchovy flavor and creamy. They forgot my croutons but it wasn’t a big deal they brought them out when I asked. Check this place out, trust me I know I’m late to the game but give me a break.

Was kinda un-​impressed with this place. We gave it a try because it has been in business so long. The gyro was very good but thats where it ended. The spanakopita was cold on the inside and dough was kinda dry and burnt, you could see it sitting in the display case prior to purchase, and it tasted as if it had been there a bit. The humus and tabouli plate wasn’t that great either. Sorry guys was hoping for better.

What I don’t understand is why the owners behave as they do? Why are they in the restaurant business if it gives them no pleasure? Are they indentured slaves or something? Why be there, in a service industry, if you don’t like people??? The last review I read by another reviewer brought back what happened to us the last time we went to Athenian Garden.
We were obviously the last luncheon diners. They shut the restaurant doors right after we walked it. We had wine and we were laughing. Mind you the place was empty. Then the owner stood up and screamed «SHUT UP, YOU’RE GIVING ME A HEADACHE».
We were very embarrassed and upset. My friend walked up to him when we got up to leave, immediately after being screamed at, and explained we were on vacation and we were just having some fun. Then my friend apologized. This was his cue to accept her apology and to say something cordial back to her. Instead, he glared at her, turned his back and walked away. He said nothing back to my friend— like he felt it below him to talk to her. What a condescending SOB he was to us.
So that’s the reason why we will never go back even though we are in the neighborhood several times a year. What a waste– because I really do like their food. It’s just not worth the aggravation. Over and over this has happened. The last time was indeed our LAST TIME!

The fact that you came back with something so pathetic shows your true class. FYI, I have been to other establishments in the capital of the USA that encourages sodas because they do not serve any beverages aside from water. You ought to come out from under that rock you’re living under, and venture out a little to learn a thing or two about running a business (and i’m using ‘business’ very liberally here).
As a matter of fact, I was not even one of the people who has a soda that day, and still got the third degree from you. The fact that you failed to see the message in my review says a lot about your character as a person and as a business owner. Somewhere between choking on the dry chicken kabob, and not having water to wash it down with that day, I felt pity towards you. I sincerely hope that you get rid of that stick pronto!

This place is awesome… I felt like I walked into the family dining room. the food was authentic and absolutely delicious. The warm pita to start. salads were simple and perfect. Spinach pie was spot on… Meals were exactly what I was expecting… scrumptious. I had the chicken kabob dinner which was perfect. Cooked perfectly over charcoal with fresh grilled veggies. The staff was great. very attentive. The only down side was we did not save room for deserts.
If we get back to the area anytime soon… we will be coming back for sure.

Is there an option for ‘No star’ ?!
So I have 3 scenarios to give a horrible review on this place. My coworkers and I travel to this area often and have been to this place several times as the food there is genuinely good. The family who owns this restaurant knows some coworkers (who travel very often) on first name basis and are very nice to them. The rest of us, unfortunately, got the ‘true’ service when we were not with the ‘platinum’ group.
So here are my 3 scenarios that will stop me from going there ever again:
1. Few months ago we ate there in a big group (15+). As various across table conversations are expected in a large group, the grouchy lady owner who was taking the orders told one of the coworkers to stop talking as he was disturbing her and she couldn’t understand a particular person’s order. She said he was too loud and needed to be quiet. Other patrons literally looked at our table in disbelief on the words that came out of her mouth. Few minutes later, she came back and ‘screamed’ that we all need to stop being so loud as we were giving the chef (her hubby I guess) a headache! Well, we should have learnt our lesson that night to not come back, but it is all about giving a 2^nd chance, right?
2. Last night we called at 630pm to find out what time they close (website said 830pm). She (grouchy lady!) said they close at 8pm. We politely mentioned the site said otherwise. She told us that they close early if there is no reservation so the last walk-​in will be 7pm. We asked if we can make a reservation for 730pm in that case. She obviously refused to take the reservation and told us that we need to show by 7pm if we need to eat there. Well (I repeat), we should have learnt our lesson yesterday to not ever go there again, but it is all about giving a 3^rd chance, right?
3. So, since we couldn’t eat there yesterday due to early close and we craved for the Gyro’s, we decided to squeeze in lunch over there in between meetings. We called in on our drive in and told her we were ordering ahead as we were on a time crunch. We got there in 15 min and settled down with our drink (It is a BYOB place so we brought few cans of coke with us). She made a HUGE fit about bringing in soda while eating at her restaurant. We apologized for the misunderstanding as we have always walked in with our wine at nights so we assumed any ‘BYOB’ is valid. My manager, infact, walked up to her to apologize and even offered to not open our cans and buy from them instead. She blasted at him and also said that we should have just done a take-​out order instead and there was no reason to dine in. Well, we quietly finished up our (last) meal there, paid, and left without making too much noise. We all were equally pissed at her behavior and did not appreciate her horrible attitude towards her customers.
Mom and Pop restaurants usually run well because love is served along with the food cooked. Obviously this family lacks that! I hope they read this and realize that they made her patrons feel unwelcomed and unwanted over a can of coke that was ‘supposedly’ allowed!

Chicken kebabs and lentil soup were amazing. Fresh baked pita for lunch, and the baklava was wonderful just wanted more of it!

A hidden gem! My family went here for the first time tonight and we’re totally new to Greek food. Let me tell you that coming from Italian you will not be disappointed! The chicken souvlaki is, for my simplified purposes, a chicken wrap Which was definitely made fresh from scratch right down to the warm pita it comes on. We all basically got this dish and were glad we did! Fries were perfect as well and came topped with sea salt, a nice touch. We’ll definitely be back!

The food here was such amazing and traditional Greek food! We ordered basically one of everything and it was all amazing. The service kind of sucked, just our waiter was not very responsive when asking questions. And a little rude, but our food came out quick and was delicious so not to much to complain about.

Visiting AC for the weekend & stumbled across this gem. Great food, wonderful family atmosphere!!!

My coworkers and I were in Atlantic City for a convention, and we all share a fondness for Greek food. We wanted to find something outside of the city, but not too far out.
But more to the point, the staff was friendly, the prices were reasonable, and the food was awesome. I ordered the gyro and rice with a side Greek salad, and my coworkers ordered the spanakopita to start with the gyro sandwich and chicken kebob as entrees. Definite ⁵⁄₅. I will most enthusiastically come back here if I ever find myself in this part of New Jersey again.

Love this place for lunch. They have lunch specials that are awesome. I usually get the chicken kabob, which comes with rice, a mini salad, and tzaziki sauce. The food is fresh and some of the veggies come from the garden in the back. Amazing seasoning.

Visited this little gem for lunch on a Tuesday afternoon and it truly hit the spot! Everything from the hummus, the salad, and the combo platters were very well-​prepared and were perfect portions. Prices were good and the restaurant was clean. What else could you ask for?

This special Greek restaurant on Route 9 (New York Road) in Absecon is usually a quick chicken souvlaki pick up place for Ms. Megan. Their souvlaki is always done just right with all of the expected yummyness from the Greek treat.
This Saturday after a long Friday night road journey it was time to sit down for something good.
When you walk in there is the kitchen out in the open so that there are no tricks being played. A display window tempts you with a variety of veggies including the marinated beets and stuffed grape leaves that were my choice for the appetizer of the day.
The beets were colorful and prepared with just the right blend of flavors. The stuffed grape leaves gave that simple Greek taste that wetted my mouth for more good food.
And, as anyone who has read my Unilocal knows I like soup. So, for this May Saturday afternoon’s combo lunch-​dinner the Greek traditional lemon chicken avoglemono soup was definitely in order. Rich and creamy; just right and it truly hit my soup spot!
I went for the Lavarki. This Greek Trattoria is known for its seafood. They win rave reviews for their ability to transform fish, shrimp, and octopus into the warm flavors of the Greek islands. The Lavarki was perfectly prepared. Warm, flaky, and delicious filet cooked and covered with herbs, tomatoes, golden raisins and onions. The garlic mashed was extra special! They took the hard way out by not only making spectacular potatoes but then they baked the blend to create a nice golden crust wrapping the soft flavorfully prepared mashed potato and garlic blend. GIVE ME MORE!!!
No room for dessert but lots of smiles from the friendly staff.
Just a reminder for visitors to Atlantic City … you can get off the Garden State Parkway at exit 48 head south on Route 9 for a great sit down Greek meal or to just pick up a chicken souvlaki to go. Or when you leave Atlantic City time it right and take Route 9 north for a calming delicious meal in a very pretty dining room before getting into the intensive traffic of the Parkway.
FIVE STARS without a doubt! Thanks for making a special Saturday!

They obviously do not value customers. I checked their website and Unilocal reviews and thought I was headed for a great meal but maybe not the best service. I checked their hours, and for a Thursday evening they would be open from 4−9pm. I drove 40 minutes to get to this place and arrived at 8:05pm. As soon as we opened the door, a woman turned us away and rudely said they were closed. When I questioned it, noting that the sign on the door and their website said that they close at 9pm, she said «if I don’t have a reservation past 8, we will close». She said it like we were a huge bother and inconvenience, so we had no choice but to turn around and leave.
Don’t waste your time going here. You’ll be treated like a beggar and get turned away at the door.

Having grown up in Absecon, I can say there’s not much to love about the food in this area. However, I’m a huge fan of Athenian Garden.
Every time I’m in the area, I make it a point to stop here. This place is incredibly fresh and owned by a sweet greek family. You can actually tell that they take such pride in their food and what they do. Their lentil soup is amazing, and I’m always happy with the various choices I’ve made from the menu.
If you like fresh greek food at a charming family spot, do yourself a favor and stop in here.

Looking through the existing reviews made me think I was in store for a really great Greek meal. Though I was not incredibly disappointed, it did not live up to some of the reviews. This is a solid 3 stars place who earns this through their food, not the service or ambience.
Food
Best part of the meal. It was authentic Greek food and packed with flavor. We ordered the mezze platter with grilled eggplant, tzatiki, and a garlic almond spread. Great way to get a taste of what they have to offer. The chicken gyro was grilled to perfection and had tasty tzatiki sauce on it. The falafel was cooked well and came with plenty of other things on the dish. The hand cut fries were fresh though not as crunchy as I was hoping for. The food was good, not great.
Service
The worst part. We asked for suggestions and the waiter replied with «Everything is good». He did not seem to offer any help or bring any personality to the table. We also brought wine to this BYOB and generally once they open it, they are polite and offer to pour everyone a glass, not at this place. I wish he had been a little bit more enthusiastic about us dining there.
Ambience/​Décor
Not terrible, but it certainly did not add anything. It was a little dark and dingy for my taste. The curtains are very old and the chairs are not comfortable. There is very little there that reminds me of Greece or the Mediterranean, much to my disappointment.
I imagine there are better places in the area, but its worth a visit. How often can you get Greek food?

The food was excellent and seemed really authentic. We started with an appetizer and picked three dips — we got the grilled eggplant, tzatiki, and this amazing garlic and almond purée which I absolutely recommend. I got the falafel platter; a bit over priced but it was fresh and good. The French fries are also truly freshly cut.
The server, however, was pretty useless when it came to recommendations. Responses to questions like «so what do you recommend?» «Everything…» Or «is this like baba ganoush?» «If you think so…» Are totally not helpful. Plus they charged us an extra $ 3 for another basket of pita for the app without a heads up. For that, I had to drop it from a 4 to 3 star rating.
BYOB is great. Plenty of parking.