Athineon

This is an amazing hole-​in-​the-​wall place for Greek food made by Greek people themselves! Whenever I come here I always order the Gyro Platter with salad and hot peppers, and my boyfriend always orders the Spartan without souvlaki. It’s kind of difficult to branch out and try new things since we’re so attached to our usual orders, but we will definitely try to do so in the coming months, especially since we’ve noticed a bright yellow change of ownership sign on the front of their modest restaurant. I am deeply saddened that in a couple of months this place will be replaced by, what, a vegan butchery (does that even make sense??). It has always been my go-​to place to get Greek food and in my opinion, it beats Troy on college. Simple as that. Anyways, moving along to their food…
Their gyro is delicious, hands down. It’s tender and slightly peppery, simply melting in my mouth the minute I take a bite. Pair that with their piping hot, fluffy pita bread and their refreshing tzatziki sauce and you, my friend, are in Gyro heaven.
Please go if you have never tried this place. Help out a local restaurant that used to be so busy and so full of activities and specials. Once it’s gone, you’ll never have been able to try the best gyro (in my opinion) in the immediate Berkeley area.

I stopped in at a slow time, so I don’t know if my experience can be judged as standard, but if you’ve got a craving for Greek, this isn’t a bad option.
The service was quick and friendly, albeit seemingly a little bored by the slow pace of the late afternoon. Very attentive, though, and quick on refills and to-​go boxes.
The food I would say was pretty OK. It wasn’t bad at all, but it didn’t leave me dreaming of my next visit. I got the Spartan, which was a substantial portion size. I also checked in here on Unilocal and got a small appetizer as well. Between the two, I took food home.
I’d be slower to recommend this place overall, but sure to recall them when I felt like Greek food. 3.5 stars if I could, but 4 stars since I cannot.

Reminded me of my favorite Greek hole in the wall in Atlanta (Café Agora). I wished I had noticed the authentic Greek beers in the fridge before I ordered my Coke. Next time ;)
Ordered:
Gyro Platter, and chose salad as my side (fries or rice otherwise) — I thought it was super yummy. Salad had a ton of dressing though, so I wished I’d gotten rice. Comes with meat, tomato, cucumber, feta and olives with salad and pita and tatziki sauce. Coke to drink.
The Spartan — basically, the gyro platter wrapped up, but with some spicier chicken in it too. No sides. Diet Coke to drink.
$ 25ish total
Recommend? Yeah :)

We drove 15 minutes, but the decided to close 30 minutes before closing time. Owner was pretty rude. Not recommended.

This is where you wNt to feel like you are in Greece as well as eating their food ! I m here for first time locating in downtown Berkeley on University Ave away from Berkeley Sq. Come between 11am-​2 pm for Gyro special including drink and fries for less 10 bucks!
Gyro itself have fresh warm pita folded with plenty of lamb meats, and thin grilled onions along with sprinkles of fetas! Come and check this place out! OPA!

Although I’ve only gotten their gyro wrap lunch special (with soda and fries), I highly recommend even just that! It was a perfect sized portion. The gyro was absolutely delicious. The meat was juicy and tender, obviously fresh — all cooked in warm, fluffy pita bread, tomatoes, onions, and the yogurt sauce. I was literally in heaven… The french fries were clearly fresh, fat potato fries with a nice crisp on the outside. I’d definitely come back here!

This is the best Gyro meat! Their gyro salad is to die for! And the owners are awesome!

With my Greek background, I get very picky about authenticity in Greek food and this place delivered!
The gyro plate was delicious, great flavor, pita was fluffy and hot out of the oven, fries and spanakopita was amazing. The tzatziki was leaning a little bit on the yogurt side, but was still fantastic.
Plus, they play an actual Greek radio station in the dining area. Would definitely come back again when I’m in Berkeley.

Pretty good. I don’t often have Mediterranean food, but I would like to say I have had enough to compare & review.
Food:
All I got was the Falafel. It was really good, and sold at a decent price
The cucumbers definitely add a nice light taste to it. As usual, it was covered in sauce, but this time, the amount was not overbearing. I found it to be a overall great dish (YES, I would get it again) that had enough «meat» to lettuce ratio to satisfy. It definitely left me full.
Atmosphere:
This is where I believe the place to be lacking. The tables and menu looks kinda shabby, but there is a nice window view. The atmosphere does not take away anything from the experience you’ll get from here – it just has the capability of enhancing you’re visit.
Service:
Loved the service. Waitress/​register person was chill. Not too over bearing, and did not have a plastic smile. Offered some bomb (good) mystery hot sauce
Suggestion (s) to the establishment:
I drink a lot of water, but it was kind of a hassle to have to walk all the way back up to the counter to get a refill.
I suggest they invest in a self-​service water jug – or something of the sort.
Other than that, my experience here was good
I’d be glad to come back again!

This Greek restaurant in Berkeley provides an overview of Greek cuisine in California. Unfortunately the meat quality is not very high. In addition, in their souvlakis they should give a quarter of lemon and put pepper between the meat pieces (they only put onion), then it would ressemble what we get in Greece.
Good point: the owners are real Greek people!

Compared to Simply Greek and Troy (other Greek spots in Berkeley). This place is less desirable.
On one occasion I found hair in my gyro platter. The woman (I’m assuming owner or manager) is usually grumpy.
The tzatziki sauce is a little runny and sweet.
Overall it’s expensive for the quality of food you get.

I usually don’t go out and eat at Greek/​Mediterranean restaurants particularly because I don’t know where the good ones are at. I had bookmarked Athineon several months ago, but I’m not sure why I haven’t checked this place out.
If you’re walking down University, you might miss Athineon. It isn’t particularly decorated on the outside, but you can find it between MLK and bonita. Right when you walk in, you are hit with an amazing aroma of fresh gyros; you definitely know you’re in the right place.
My friend and I both ordered the Athineon plates. Though very pricey, we wanted to take a chance at this place. After about 15 minutes, the waitress brought our food. Right off the bat, everything tasted really amazing! The meat was soft, the pita bread was perfectly toasted, and all the ingredients blended in really nicely.
I say check this place out. Even though it’s on the pricey side, you definitely get what you paid for!
Eat well and prosper!

Pricey! I love their pita bread; it’s extremely soft and warm! The only time I’ve ever eaten pita bread of this kind is at California Pizza Kitchen where they have a pita bread appetizer with hummus. I was super stoked to see their salad; it had a good amount of meat, and they added pita bread to it, so it was a perfect amount of food. I do think their dressing was a little heavy, so I would ask for dressing on the side or less dressing. I liked that the salad had different kinds of veggies and that none were the bitter kind.

Some of the best Greek cuisine I’ve had. The Spartan Gyro was advertised as the biggest sandwich in town, which I initially was skeptical of, but boy did they deliver. It was the largest gyro I’ve ever had. It comes with both Gyro (marinated beef & lamb) and Souvlaki (Marinated and grilled chicken). I was extremely satisfied with the portions.
My second trip I ordered the Athineon Plate based off of the reviews here. Flavors and portions were consistent and delicious. But I think I may prefer the Spartan Gyro.

What a nice find for me and Jamie W. as we were in search of a low-​key Mediterranean meal away from the hipster throngs on Shattuck. I was never a hipster when I went to Berkeley a hundred years ago. I was the geeky one with the pocket protector worried about not getting my Black Lightning notes at the ASUC Store for the Econ lecture I missed when I was probably at Top Dog instead. Memories. Anyhow, we popped out of the Berkeley BART station and strolled down University once we saw the largely favorable ratings for this family-​run place. As it was barely past 5PM when we got there, we were a bit early for dinner which explains why we were the only ones in the place at the beginning, but it was fairly well occupied by the time we left.
It was a rather spartan looking place except for some plastic flowers and a big mural of an idyllic Greek island terrace scene on the side wall (photo:
). We started with the complimentary Pita Bread and Tzatziki which we got with our check-​in (photo:
). Still warm from the oven, it had the flour softness I always look for from house-​made pita. Jamie went with the $ 13.25 Athineon Plate, quite a hungry-​man portion of gyro & a chicken skewer which he smartly accessorized with a Greek salad, grilled raw onions and sweet & hot peppers with even more pita and tzatziki sauce (photo:
). The tender, moist lamb meat was particularly tasty right off the spit. I started with my own $ 7.75 Greek Salad with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, feta cheese crumbles, Greek olives and a house-​made dressing (photo:
).
I think it was the dressing that really made the salad refreshing with a hint of lemon adding a nice touch. My entrée was the $ 11 Stuffed Eggplant which was the bomb, an oven-​baked eggplant stuffed with tomatoes, onions and special herbs over a bed of fresh house-​made rice (photo:
). It was a genuinely delicious vegetarian dish that I’d return for in a heartbeat. Truth be told, we could have gone for one of their desserts but we decided to pass in favor of further strolling. Regardless, the $ 6 slice of Sex Cake may be worth ordering simply for the name as one would hope it was as sinfully chocolaty as advertised. We gave a big thumbs-​up to the quiet woman who was running around in the kitchen, presumably one of the owners whose homey cooking style informs every dish here. And in a good way.
FOOD — 4 stars… surprisingly tasty, homespun Greek dishes should satisfy most palates
AMBIANCE — 3.5 stars… simple set-​up and just one mural to remind you that you’re an extra in My Big Fat Greek Wedding
SERVICE — 4 stars… attentive by the young server and order taker
TOTAL — 4 stars… homespun Greek dishes are well turned here if a tad pricier than I was expecting from a Berkeley eatery near the campus

One Souvlaki «sandwich» to go!
I took it back to the office and my colleagues were drooling over my shoulder. I loved the flavors and the sandwich seemed really fresh! minus a star for promising ‘spicy’ and not following through =P
My new lunch time spot!

They have a small menu with each item very tasty. I wish I could try more, but seeing how I only had $ 10, I simply ordered the gyro. Very good meat, but not enough vegetables. Very good sauce. I wish there was more for a ~$ 7 gyro. My friend ordered the gyro plate. She also said there was not enough vegetables.
Still, I am willing to come again to try their other interesting items.
The people working there are really nice and tidy.
I like the design of the place. Reminds me of how a café in Greece would feel. Walls of solid vibrant and naturalistic colors interrupted by large windows looking out onto… what could have been a vast ocean, but it’s Berkeley, so we get a busy street.

Athineon is a great place to get a tasty, filling lunch.
My friend and I were looking for some new lunch places to try out. We were hoping to find a place with good food, large portions, reasonable prices, and a decently long walk from our office (it’s a stressful place and it’s nice to escape for a while). I’d say that Athineon satisfies all of those criteria except for the price. I had the gyro lunch special which includes a gyro, fries, and a coke, and my meal cost over $ 9. Everything is overpriced in Berkeley though, so I guess it’s tolerable.
The gyro was really good. The meat was well-​seasoned and plentiful. The pita was warm and soft, and all of the other ingredients were in full effect. The fries were thick and not too salty or oily.
The staff were really nice, and I like how they bring the food out to you when it’s ready.
Overall, I really enjoyed eating at Athineon, and I’d definitely come back for lunch again.

Four stars for food quality/​value ratio, three stars for ambience. You order at the counter and food is brought to your table, so maybe it’s more of a fast greek food place and ambience is about as expected. I had the gyros platter with salad (you can also choose fries or rice) and it was quite a good value. Plenty of gyros served with onion and peppers, yogurt sauce, along with a pretty good greek salad. Along with a beverage tax and tip the total came to about $ 11 — not bad.
Will be back to see how they do with some of the other menu options.

I’m a fan.
I came here for dinner.
I wanted calamari but they were out of seafood.
I ordered the Athenion plate which had rice, one chicken skewer, and peppery gyro meat sautéed with onions, red bell pepper and jalepeño. It came with a side of fresh yummy pita bread and dill-​y Taziki sauce. It also came with a side greek salad.
All of it was great. The waitress read and spoke Greek which was awesome. Plus a free AMAZING baklava with a Unilocal check in? Yes please!
Next time I might try a gyro wrap… I’ll be back soon!