Athena

The tasty food, obliging service and great atmosphere ensures Athena remains a local favorite.

Set on a tranquil street in north Sanlitun, Athena has a well-deserved reputation for serving traditional Greek fare to the Beijing crowd. Both the spacious outdoor patio and inside décor evoke shades of the Greek Isles—blues and whites with a splash of yellow. The handwritten menu and waitstaff clothed in traditional Greek garb set the mood for a homey feast.

We decided on a mix of appetizers: dolomades, cheese pie and eggplant with goat cheese. The dolomades (RMB 32) were robust and meaty, with luscious rice and had a touch of sour from the marinated grape leaves—delicious! The cheese pie (RMB 35) was wrapped spanokopita-style in phyllo triangles. The crust was crispy-light and housed a small dollop of diced tomato and Greek goat cheese. The sliced eggplant (RMB 28) with goat cheese was complimented with a tangy marinara sauce. The eggplant soaked up all the tomato-ey flavor and worked well with the saltiness of the cheese. We also ordered a Greek salad (RMB 42) for a refresher before our main course. The mix of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives and goat cheese was lightly dressed and allowed us to taste the freshness of the vegetables.

We couldn’t resist trying the roasted red snapper entrée (RMB 88). Served with mixed vegetables and lemon rice, the crispy snapper skin masked the firm and luscious fillet. The mousakka (RMB 58) was a Greek-style lasagna made with eggplant instead of pasta and crowned with a thick topping of cheese. The meaty tomato sauce was robust and, according to the manager, is a favorite on the popular daily lunch buffet. The gyros (RMB 58) seemed to be prepared for a Chinese palate, with pork instead of the traditional roasted lamb meat, and a thinner pita than expected. Despite these modifications, the gyros were flavorful and nicely paired with a cucumber-spiked yogurt called tzatziki. Lastly, we ordered the baklava (RMB 38) and Greek yogurt (RMB 38) with honey and nuts. The baklava was rich and nutty with a crispy texture. The yogurt was very thick and could be scooped like ice cream. Topped with a slice of honey and a sprinkling of nuts, the richness of the unflavored yogurt was a perfect contrast to the simplicity of the honey.

The service throughout our meal was friendly and attentive, whether it was serving our watermelon juice or replacing a dropped fork. The tasty food, obliging service and great atmosphere ensures Athena remains a local favorite.

Ambience / Interior: Blue and white décor with yellow accents…large indoor and outdoor dining area

Who To Invite: co-workers, family, date

What’s Good: grilled snapper, cheese pie, dolomades

Could Be Better: gyros

Drinks: juice

Music: undistracting

Critic Opinion: Traditional Greek food in a quaint atmosphere. Some dishes prepared for a Chinese palate. The service was attentive and made for a lovely evening

Location

1 Sanlitun Xiwujie,Sanlitun // 雅典娜希臘餐廳, 北京三里屯西五街1號 Tel: 010-6464-6036

Service quality:

very good

Food quality:

very good

Price per head (RMB):

100-200

Environment:

very good

Feature dish or menu:

Roast fish,

dolomades

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