Cafe Athena

This little gem is often unknown, even though it has won awards for the best Greek food in SD, from readers?? choice I believe (the awards hang on the walls). The chef has been there for over ten years, keeping the food consistently fantastic, and yet the prices have remained beyond reasonable. Some of the Greek wines are fantastic, as is the Greek coffee, and everything on the menu is a sure-fire treat. The swordfish is especially amazing, as is the chicken couscous, and even the spanaki salata (spinach dip) is impossible to reproduce, and remains the best I??ve found. Furthermore, the staff is particularly attentive and professional, and the ambience is very bright, casual, and fun, with Greek music pumping into the dining rooms and keeping the mood light. A GREAT place for vegetarians, and even vegans, as many of the dishes can be adjusted for different diets (this is one of the few places my friend with celiac??s sprue can safely eat). Also, the outdoor seating on a summer evening is the height of a pleasant dinner in Pacific Beach. I can??t recommend Athena highly enough.

I love the food at this restaurant and the fresh healthy ingredients they use.

I typically get chicken skewers or hummus or one of their excellent salads.

You can dine indoors or outside.

I like this place and prefer it over the pizza place that's next door. The food is delicious and rather healthy and the prices are reasonable. I always call ahead and pick up my order and the service is great!

Cafe Athena has decent prices and great food. They have a variety of meat dishes as well as vegetarian plates. The Kefta Plate is delicious and filling - you'll definitely be taking home leftovers. As for the vegetarian dishes - the Falafel Plate is very good. The place has a nice atmosphere and a friendly staff. Great for birthday dinners!

This is a great Greek/Mediterrean restaurant with a wide variety of authentic dishes to choose from. While there are many tempting items on the menu, I can never pass up the gyros plate. It's delicious, filling, and a good price. The place itself is nice- a good balance between casual and formal- and the staff is good. Looking for a slightly nicer restaurant? Check out Apollonia (on Genessee across from the UTC shopping center), a restaurant owned by the same company as Athena's. They have the same food for the same price, but the atmosphere at Apollonia is slightly more formal and sophisticated.

I recently heard about this place from some friends they could not stop talking about it. Tucked away behind the Asain food buffet place is this 'Cafe'. The food, service, and atmosphmere were geat. On the menu they have some vegetarian options, and some healthier entrees. Be prepared to spend any where from about $10-$15 per person for dinner. The portions were big and well worth it. Since I ordered a soup with my food I probubly should have shared my entree with one of the people I was with. I would highly recommend this place.