They have about eight outdoor tables so we decided to come with our pup. After dropping off the menus, the server came back with a water dish for the dog. We ordered the lamb/beef gyro plate, the gyro sandwich w/spanakopita and a cup of avgolemono soup. Everything tasted great and was quite filling. Service was friendly and courteous. We'll be back. read more

I felt compelled to write a review for this place, and I never write reviews. I'm from out of town, this looked like a safe bet and it more than delivered. Large lean pieces juicy chicken, well seasoned and seared with a beautiful and flavorful crust. Salad/greens were nice and fresh. My only critique is that the rice pilaf was a bit mushy. I did a carry out order (only waited about 10 mins after ordering), staff were also very welcoming and friendly. Will definitely be back again on my next visit to the area. read more

Athena Gyro - Chicken Kebab - Greek Near Me - Palm Desert, California

Great service. Explained difference between moussaka and pastitsio....the second has pasta to make it a Greek lasagna. Our group each tried something different and each one of us loved our choice: falafel gyro plate with salad, pastitsio with salad and I loved my moussaka with salad. Iced tea and lemonade drinks and unfortunately no one had room for dessert. read more

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Awesome menu and delicious authentic Greek food! It was crowded for a Thursday afternoon so you know it's good. We will be back!

Wish I had taken photos of food and atmopshere. Appreciated the warm welcome when I entered with friends. Atmosphere of Greece inside - tasteful blue and white Aegean decor. Delcious spanokopita, mousaka , and pistachio baklava prepared by chef (a woman) whom we asked to say hello to. Freshest ingredients. Accommodating, smiling staff. Hope to return on my next trip to the desert!! Recommended. read more

One of my weekly go to's! Love this place, the service, the food and ambience! I love Greece and this place takes me there read more

Incredible all around food and experience. Love the location to enjoy the nice weather of the palm desert and the whole vibe of the restaurant was fantastic. The waiters were attentive and helpful when ordering; would 100% come here again. read more

Athena Gyro - Beef/lamb gyro plate - Greek Near Me - Palm Desert, California

We had the classic Greek salad with lamb kebab ....,it was mediocre and the lamb meat was so tough it must have been from the hooves.

The food is Amazing! So far, I have had the Greek salad with Lamb Gyro, the Lamb Gyro plate, the sampler plate and the Greek Lemon Soup. Been here twice in three days and could eat here every day. It is a basic hole in the wall in a mall. The food is great. Wait staff are friendly and attentive. We will be back at least a couple more times this week. Oh, try the Turkish Tea. The Spanokipia is also great; nice light pastry. Just try everything. read more

From the moment we walked in, the service was warm, attentive, and genuinely welcoming. The staff went above and beyond to make sure we felt taken care of without being overbearing. The food was the real star, everything was fresh, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. The gyro was packed with tender, juicy meat and the pita was soft and warm. The tzatziki was easily one of the best I've had, cool, creamy, and perfectly balanced. On top of all that, the ambience was inviting and relaxing. It struck the perfect balance between casual and charming, with a clean, cozy atmosphere that made us want to stay longer. If you're craving authentic Greek flavors with top-tier service and a comfortable setting, Athena Gyro is a must-visit. read more

Excellent food, very good service - we will definitely be repeat customers. They have a small, sunny dining room, as well as outdoor seating. It's a nice, casual place to dine in, but takeout would no doubt be terrific, too. We had no bad bites - I didn't manage to get an photos of the entrees (lamb shank, chicken kebab, lamb/beef gyro plate), but that was because we were too busy snarfing down the tender, flavorful grilled/braised meats. Our party also enjoyed the freshness of the side salads that accompanied the meats, the tasty rice pilaf, and the plentiful warm pita (freely refilled upon request). The appetizer sampler is a great way to share bites from the majority of that portion of the menu - and the various dips are great accompaniments for the entrees, if you have any leftover (we did! The portions were very generous). A great value all around. read more

Athena Gyro - Appetizer Sampler - dips, 1 piece of spanakopita, 2 kefte, 1 falafel, 2 dolma, a generous amount edge of feta, Kalamata olives, and pita - Greek Near Me - Palm Desert, California

I like this place ...frequent maybe every other week...nice owner onsite watching quality control...entire staff is conscientious & polite Lamb w rice tasty as are the gyros ... Consistent quality...tastes homemade I appreciate the lunch specials & pricing... read more

This place is awesome! Would definitely recommend! food and service great! very clean and nice!

As you can see from my last review, we have been coming here for quite some time. No surprise food is just as excellent and full of flavor! I also want to add that the staff are extremely helpful and provide great suggestions! This is a must stop when you're in the area. read more

Athena Gyro - Greek Near Me - Palm Desert, California

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Local Greek restaurant , family owned. Friendly servers and top quality food. Check out their lunchtime specials. Looking forward to our next visit. read more

Oh wow, what a find !! I was going to Bristol Farms when I saw Athena Gyro nearby. I just ordered up what they're famous for, the gyro combo. It had a fancy salad, rice and the most amazing thinly sliced meat I've ever had! Melt in your mouth is no exaggeration. I'll be going back but do I try new things or go back to the one I love ?? Time will tell !! read more

WIth out having tried any other Greek places in the desert area I will go out on a limb and say this has to be one of the best places for Greek food. We tied the chicken kabob and the branzino fish entree which was the special of the day. The taste of the food was great, the rice was good along with the hummus. They also offered Greek beer. I tried Aris Beer, good as well. The service was great, very attentive and helpful answering questions about the menu. It was good that we had an early dinner as more people started to come in and when we finished there was a short wait. read more

Best food ever!!! The owner is great don't miss this place definitely will be back. Will make this a weekly spot

Stopped for lunch with six of us and they will accommodated us putting two tables together and quick service. Food was delicious and everyone was happy. We will be back the next time we visit Palm Desert. read more

I think of this as a 4.5 star restaurant experience. If it were a fancier restaurant, I would likely go five. It has a fast eat restaurant feel with amazing food. The bathroom is clean, but there's only one individual bathroom. My mother got the shrimp kebab and loved it. I got the roasted lamb plate and it was fantastic. No fat chunks to cut off and it was extremely tender. Service is fast and attentive. read more

Athena Gyro - Roasted lamb. Fantastic!!! - Greek Near Me - Palm Desert, California

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Wonderful and authentic food. We enjoyed chicken and beef gyros. Salads were also excellent. Portions are generous and very reasonably priced. We did take out 2 times and the orders were ready on time. I can't speak to ambience, but it looks like simple seating area. read more

Food is very good, nice portions and don't skimp on the meat. Service was very good and staff was very nice. It's a little expensive for a more casual experience but the quality was very good and the portions weren't skimpy. The spicy dipping sauce was sooo good. read more

Have been going to this lovely place for years now. Nice people serving really good food. What else could you want?

I had the most amazing grilled salmon plate at Athena Gyro in Palm Desert today, It was cooked perfectly. I ordered it to go. There was so much food that came with the salmon --it was more than enough for two meals. The staff is wonderful! It is a very clean restaurant and well kept restaurant. I loved it! read more

First time trying them, and the food was delicious. I ordered the roasted shredded lamb. It was a little salty, but the taste was still amazing. The Greek salad- I couldn't eat it fast enough. The Dolmades here are amazing. The Greek salad only came with one dolmade, but I could've eaten a whole plate of them alone! I am definently returning. read more

My sister came here a few days ago and was raving about the food. She had spanakopita and other things. I had to drag mom here kicking ad screaming because she took home a chicken lunch from here that was not good and extremely dry. I was in the mood for Greek food so we went on a Thursday night. Our experience was like night and day from my sisters. Everything was dry, tasteless and salty. The only good thing was the homemade lemonade at $7 a glass . The baklava was served burning hot and could not even cut with a knife! I think it was stale that's why she heated it. In my whole life I have never had that served hot. Nor have I had such bad Greek food. We will not be back. If you see my other reviews I do not like to give poor reviews but I wish I would have been warned by some yelpers in advance. Maybe something went terribly wrong tonight. It can happen. read more

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Absolutely amazing!!! Unfortunately we arrived after someone drive thru the building so there was no indoor dining. We had them make the plates to go but sat outside and enjoyed our Greek beer and the slight breeze. Would have loved to sit inside and enjoy the Greek music playing, but that will have to be next time. The family feel wasn't lost on the accident as everyone was still relatively in good spirits and extremely friendly. Portions were HUGE. Hubby and I both had leftovers. The hummus was delicious, the pita bread (sorry no pic) was perfectly warm, salad had just enough dressing. The feta cheese on the salads crumbled perfectly. I cannot say enough how this meal was exactly what I wanted to kick off my birthday weekend, delicious, filling, great atmosphere. Will we return? Yes, without a doubt. Probably again this weekend before we head home. Saw after we ordered they have gyro fries, so that may have to happen. This place is a must! read more

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Found this gem of a Greek Food spot based off all the amazing Yelp reviews while passing through town so decided to give it a try. The staff were super friendly and suggested the lamb slider special. I ordered one To Go and it was absolutely delicious!! Some of the best Greek food I've had! If highly recommend trying it out! This will be my new go to spot when stopping through town Intimate & small restaurant interior with about 8 tables read more

I believe the only REAL GREEK food in the desert! Found them on a you-tube show about Palm Springs. Crazy busy on a Monday night. Took a while to get a table but the service and food were prompt. Gyro sandwich large ( just a bit dry) but the lamb shank made up for it! Save room for dessert here folks! read more

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Had take out. Some of the best salad greens and tastiest Greek salad I've ever had. Falafel plate had 3 perfectly done balls with the salad. Rice pilaf was tasty. Would definitely recommend this place. read more

Athena Gyro, Palm Desert. Pretty much as I remember it, from my last visit in February 2022. Located in the busy "Plaza de Monterey" commercial center. Very clean, plenty of seating inside and out, nice lady at the counter. The free app is new (to me), and you can download it through Athena Gyro's website. I do recommend getting it, as the app made ordering a breeze, and at some point, I'll have spent enough money to earn loyalty rewards. My take-out order - which was hot and ready at the time promised - included a Gyro Platter ($23), a cup of Avgolemono Soup ($6), Extra Gyro Meat ($2.50), and Just A Gyro Sandwich, no tomatoes or cucumbers ($16). The generous amount of Gyro meat in the Platter was tasty, the salad was fresh (with a good amount of Feta Cheese), the soup was lemony, the pita bread was soft and warm, and Athena Gyro left the tomatoes and cucumbers off the Gyro Sandwich. An excellent lunch all around ... actually, this was a lot of food, and will be tomorrow's lunch as well. Athena Gyro, a solid, Four Stars. read more

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I have driven by this place multiple times and was curious about it. Yesterday I stopped for a little lunch and was very impressed. Most everyone was sitting out on the patio so I chose to eat inside. I like the way the place was decorated and the music was great!! I chose to get the lunch special - 3 chicken Shawarma tacos and it was fantastic!! I love the spicy dip that came with it and the server said it was their creation. I managed to eat 1.5 tacos so the rest came home for another meal. The service was great and I look forward to my next visit. There was a steady stream of folks coming in so you know they are doing something right! read more

Athena Gyro - Chicken Shawarma tacos - Greek Near Me - Palm Desert, California

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Honestly wasn't expecting much because Greek food is more like my 5th choice but...WOW! The salmon was amazing. Perfectly cooked, moist and nicely seasoned. What surprised me was the rice. I don't like the saffron rice normally served with Greek food because it's not sticky and the flavor diminishes as you eat it but Athena's rice was great. Every bite had flavor and complimented the salmon! Salad was excellent, loved the pickled onions. So, very impressed and will definitely be back. read more

Athena Gyro - Corner table, back of restaurant, looking towards the entrance. - Greek Near Me - Palm Desert, California

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Dined here yesterday for lunch. Ordered the lunch special, falafel sandwich with Greek salad and their refreshing lemonade. The greens were fresh, the pita was warmed, falafel was good, tzatziki accompaniment yummy, also pleasant and quick service. Everything was freshly prepared and delicious!! The restaurant staff and owner are efficient snd nice. The place is spotlessly clean with nice decor. A breath of fresh air!! read more

Athena Gyro - Falafel Sandwich & Greek Salad - Greek Near Me - Palm Desert, California

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Best Greek food around! Starting with the hummus and pita bread. The hummus was smooth, creamy, and flavorful, I couldn't get enough. The pita bread tasted like it just came out of the oven, it was so fresh. The entree's didn't disappoint. The chicken kabobs were huge, moist and flavorful. The salad had tons of everything. Overall, a fantastic experience! read more

We had a craving for Greek food and Athena Gyro did not disappoint! We went on a Sunday evening and the place was packed. Mind you it's not a large restaurant, but the fact there were no open seats tells you something! We started with the hummus and pita. Had to get more pita because they gave us so much hummus! My husband and daughter both ordered the chicken gyros. I ordered the beef and lamb gyro. So yummy! The Greek salads were huge and amazing! To finish, we ordered a piece of baklava to share. It was seriously as good as the baklava we had in Greece! Highly recommend Athena Gyro! read more

Athena Gyro - Hummus and pita - Greek Near Me - Palm Desert, California

My husband and I have ordered takeout from here many times, and the food does not disappoint. He loves to order the gyro plate, and I get the kefte gyro with a side of fries. It's always delicious. read more

I am so thankful for Athena Gyro. In February, I was diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension. My cardiologist told me I needed to immediately lose weight! I started a life style change. I copied the Mediterranean way of cooking from Athena Gyro. I also ate their Greek salad at least 2-3 times a week. I shared what I was doing with the team there and they were so supportive and kind. The food is delicious, and the owners are delightful. I can not say enough good. Just go. read more

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The food was amazing, the servers served with warmth and smile. Excellent service. Overall a great experience.

Great Greek food. Service is great. Big portions. I always have leftovers that serve well later.