1601 West Southwest Loop 323
Tyler, TX 75701
Athena is a relative new comer to Tyler just off the loops east of Old Jacksonville Highway. Kettle used to be housed in this building, but it is almost no longer recognizable as an old Kettle. The outside is completely white with some beautiful Greek designs along the roof line. I really liked the look of the place from the outside as they put in a lot of effort to make it look nice.
The spread: The menu looked promising. There were a variety of salads and Greek inspired soups as well as a lot of appetizers to choose from. They also offer the traditional Greek entrees to choose from: Gyro plates, lamb kebabs, moussaka, etc. They also have an "American" menu that has hamburgers and whatnot, and I'm not sure why - it really seems out of place. They also offer traditional Greek desserts.
The verdict: I really want to like this place. I think it is being run by a Greek family, with a really sweet Greek girl running the register. The service was below average, but I am willing to give them a break because they are new and still working out the kinks. The problem I have is with the food. The gyro meat is prepackaged (although it was the best thing I ate here). The pita bread was out of a package. The bed of rice that my lamb kebab came on was inedible (overcooked/mushy and sat out too long). The salads were bland, and the salad dressing came out of a prepackaged bottle. The spanakopita was also either made the day before or it was prepackaged. The stuffed grape leaves were bland and tasted overcooked/prepackaged. For someone who has never tried Greek food before, this may be a non-threatening way to try it, but it just isn't good food. My gut feeling is that a Greek businessman decided he wanted to start a Greek restaurant and has no experience/love of cooking great food. The prices were reasonable, but the food was just not worth the price. I give this place a year if nothing changes. If you a great example of a gyro, go to What about Kabob and his Gyro, as they care about food (fresh cut gyro meat, fresh made to order pita bread, homemade tsatziki sauce, yum).
Edible Tyler Roses: 2 out of 5, I wish this place the best, but I can't recommend one thing from the menu.
I've lived in Tyler for 31 years and have seen it grow from a 3 restaurant town to the regional destination it is today. For many years, I've been saying that Tyler needs to get away from the usual country cooking and Tex-Mex and expand its horizons. Slowly, in the last few years, some International food places have popped up. While no place in Tyler may be worthy of a James Beard Award, I support all new restaurants that are trying to think outside the box. All new restaurants go through a learning curve and I hope this is one such situation. I ate there, and found the food good; especially for Tyler. Maybe they'll adjust their cooking methods as they get a foothold with the customers. Most restaurants sink or swim during the first year, so give them a break and support your local independent restauranteurs.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Kabob is disgusting! Your entire review is void to me if that is what you recommended.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFood was alright to us. We didn't have too high an expectation seeing the cost set at a restaurant. It was another option for families to dine apart from food court and fast food. :) More About Family Restaurant
ReplyDeleteI would recommend you go back to try it again. A lot may have changed in a year. I've been there twice, once in April and again today. I thought the lamb was delicious and everything on the sampler plate tasted fresh to me. The only thing I could do without are the giant TVs.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBen, I agree. A co-worker told me to go back because they had a change in staff. When I ate there the first time, the food was bland... inexcusably bland, on both attempts. This was much earlier in the year... probably March. It wasn't that the food lack Greek spices and flavors, it's that everything on their Greek menu lacked spices and flavor entirely. Maybe it's because I went during slow times and got the lackluster cook, but it was abysmal. I've never had worse spanicopita, and I've had some pretty terrible excuses for spanicopita (love the stuff).
ReplyDeleteA co-worker told me that the food is much better now and raved about the humus - so I plan on giving it another try soon.
You might give their "American" fare a try. We love their Philly Cheesesteak (I think it's the best in town), and our daughter consistently gets their Chicken Parm sub.
ReplyDelete