Food was very good. But we had the surliest, most unfriendly server I have ever encountered in my 40+ years of dining out. We suspect he was related to the owner, possibly his son, maybe mid-30s. Almost comically hostile and unfriendly. Too bad, the food was good. read more

Authentic Greek. Been here plenty of times. Quality menu and selection. They have grilled octopus! Also whole branzino.

How this place has a 4-star rating is beyond me! It started out okay. When we walked in, we greeted by a lady with a huge smile on her face, but that's where it ended. The waiter was the WORST I've had in a while and came off like he would have preferred having dental work done with no Novocain than be in that restaurant. After he sat us down, he literally asked us, "What do you wanna drink?" with no voice inflection, no facial expression, nothing. We placed our order and looked at each other and were like, this is going to be rough meal. I had to ask for refills because he NEVER once asked or even seemed interested. Anyway, enough on the service - it was terrible - nothing redeeming about it at all. We both ordered the falafel sandwich with fries, but I didn't want any cucumbers. What I got was definitely a falafel sandwich that was swimming in Tzatziki sauce - swimming in it (see picture). The falafel was bland and easily the worst I've ever had and the fries were soggy. My coworker found what looked like two dog hairs in his food (see picture) and didn't finish his meal at all. This was absolutely the worst restaurant I'd been to in a very long time. read more

Athenian Garden - My falafel sandwich doused in Tzatziki sauce and soggy fries. - Greek Near Me - Absecon, New Jersey

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DO NOT COME HERE We were a larger party and the waiter (who was very rude to us) refused to seat us all together. We were then charged over $20 for water the food was meh very salty. Overall bad place do not come here unless you want to be treated like a dog! read more

Absolutely rude waitress! Went out with my husband and father for a nice dinner at a local family-owned restaurant. My father has a bad nut allergy (many episodes of anaphylaxis in the past), so first thing he does when he sits down at a restaurant is to ask about that. The waitress was so rude about it, and wouldnt ask the kitchen about what type of oil they use unless he told her exactly what he wanted to order. He asked if they use peanut oil in their fryers and her response was "well were you planning on ordering fries?" And then when we were going to order, he asked for the Greek salad that comes with his platter to be on the side; she claimed they would not be able to do that. It comes on the plate and thats it. So I asked if then we could have a small side plate and we could take it off the plate ourselves...she had an attitude and said no. So I said nevermind I'll take the check for our waters (apparently they only serve bottled water and not tap - which was a surprise for me bc the last time we were not served bottled), and we would be leaving. The waitress then went and told the owners that we wanted to leave bc we wanted tap water and didnt want to pay for bottled water. My husband and I both make six figures and paying for a bottle of water is never a problem, but rude service like that from the minute we sat down definitely is. We paid the $4 for the 2 bottles of water we had opened. On top of that, when I went to speak to the owners, they brought up the fact that the waitress told them we were leaving bc of bottled water and refused to listen to anything I had to say. The woman told me she had many orders to tend to, and the man started giving me a lecture on the fact that water is not free. What a shame! read more

Honestly, I don't know if I have it in me right now to write this review. Plainly put, what was supposed to be a romantic (and rare) night out with hubby turned into a "get me the hell out of here" kind of night that drained the life out of me. A few months ago we stopped at the Athenian Garden for lunch. What a warm reception by the woman (owner) that waited on us. It was like she welcomed us into her home and cooked us delicious food from her heart. Fast forward a few months. Hubby and I have a much needed 24 hour getaway planned and we cannot wait to visit our favorite new restaurant. This time we were barely welcomed. The waiter was just plain rude. Constantly muttering under his breath while walking around. Arguing in the kitchen for the entire dining room to hear. Nothing sweet and romantic about this place tonight. I never expected a waiter to slam down plates on the table and be verbally rude when I asked for more sauce. I honestly have never witnessed anything like this in my life. It wasn't just us either. A table with a young family were sitting by us. He responded to the woman's "thank you" with a "you're not welcome." He then went on to say next time they should order take out. I couldn't help myself, I had to say something to the sweet Greek woman we met our first time. Ahhh she remembered us. I explained our evening was being ruined by this person to which she tells me "just ignore him, he's my son". WHAT???? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Hey mom... your son, apparently the Greek Prince, deserves a slap in the face. He ruined our night out because of his nasty behavior and you tell me to ignore him? Im a paying customer and your son is a jerk. Not a recipe for business success mom! Speaking of recipe, while my food was just as good as first time, my husbands dish had zero flavor. None. Oh and the shrimp was way overcooked. Maybe if the family stopped fighting for the entire restaurant to hear they could work on cooking. So the spoiled Greek Prince ruined our night and the other tables night too. We also weren't offered dessert and I was still eating when the Prince asked my husband if he had the check ready. Sadly what was supposed to be our new "go to" turned into a "never again, you couldn't pay me enough to go back." I couldn't make this up if I tried. Anyway I wouldn't want too. While not entirely sure, I believe the Prince called me a bitch on the way out. And yes he was standing right next to his mother. Class act. Like I said, he needs a slap across the face. Clearly his parents failed child rearing and their restaurant will fail with a coddled, obnoxious, jerk waiting tables. Diners want to dine in peace. Don't waste your money on this place. Quality was terrible tonight for the price. Sad. I really wanted a new place to get excited about. read more

Boy are reviews unpredictable on Yelp. Waited till the next morning to write this review. The service was a bad family accident. You didn't want to hear them argue but couldn't help but listen. Food was ok at best but hid authentic flavors with way too much salt. Service was super slow, rude, and they forgot to bring us two item. The positive about forgetting the two items was they did not try to charge us for them. I'm sure last reviews were true and Covid makes it difficult to find good help. I go out to dinner to relax and this was not relaxing and not cheap. read more

Fantastic, authentic Greek food. Freshly prepared To order! Every time we eat in or have takeout, the meal is predictable and delicious. The owners take pride in what they prepare and it shows through. Highly recommend Athenian Garden! read more

My partner and I have been coming here for years and we've always loved the food. I was very disappointed at out last visit with the changes to the menu. The "platters" are no longer available for dinner but they are for lunch and take out. The only male server is not as attentive as the others. We'll give them one more try before we look for another Greek Restaurant. read more

The first time we went here, we loved it. Has gone downhill from there. They have serious problems with how they run the business from ordering to how they interact with their customers. Food not as fresh. read more

terrible spot .. food is super overpriced.. staff is super unfriendly. won't even give you water you have to pay $2.50 for one he looked at me crazy for asking for tap. made a comment about the other guys service & the other woman looked at me like she could've killed while I'm trying to order my food. asked for beef got lamb. do yourself a favor and read the reviews before you go here. read more

Very pricey here for the simplest Mediterranean foods, but oh my god do they make a mean falafel. Along with a dessert with a funny name, galactoboreko? It's hard to say, but so worth ordering. Haha! read more

A welcome change to the ubiquitous Italo-American and otherwise generally uninspired fare that characterizes much of the local restaurant scene. Tasty food, reasonable prices and pleasant wait staff. BYOB but staff happy to open wine bottle and provide appropriate glassware. read more

What is this absurd tip and service fee on top of the delivery fee for my order. I expect the delivery fee but not the tip of almost $11.00 and then a service fee of $4.00. Nuts. Food excellent as always, but these added fees are ridiculous and not an option in the order, just added without asking approval. read more

Let me cut to the chase. The food at this family- run restaurant is not just very good, many of the dishes are extraordinary. I had the Alexander shrimp, and I uncharacteristically cleaned every last bit of it from my plate. It was just superb. The food at this restaurant surpasses much of what I had while in Greece . The calamari and octopus appetizers were also exceptional - fresh, delicious, and perfectly seasoned. I believe all of the wait staff are family members and dinner guests are treated like family. This was our second visit with close friends who have a timeshare at the Marriott villas. The food was great last year but it seems to have improved since then - amazing. read more

Excellent home cooked Greek Specialties. Lots of items to choose from on the menu and everyone is delicious. Family run business so you know they care. Will return for more delicious food! read more

Wish this restaurant was closer to my home. Home cooked quality. Good serving portions. Outstanding taste!

A wonderful family owned restaurant with fresh, homemade, authentic Greek food. The family is always so kind and you can tell they are dedicated and take pride in the food and service they provide. I love ordering takeout from here or dining in with a bottle of wine. I have been going here for many years and consider this the best Greek food in the area. read more

Going here after pull ups at the gym. Asking to sit outside and then asking tedious menu questions to find the menu item that is delicious is a hobby of mine. I enjoyed the garlic almond pouree and fish filet dish with raisin. Each meal was reasonably priced. read more

We had the Athenian salad, baked lamb on orzo and Scottish salmon and it was one of the best meals we have ever eaten. Order the specials.

Today for lunch I had Athenian Garden for the first time. I had the balsamic spinach salad with grilled chicken and a side of egg plant hummus! The salad was so good and this hummus was AMAZING! All the flavors were great and the portions were very filling. Only downside was the pricing.... apparently to add grilled chicken to my salad was an extra 6 dollars. That is a bit pricey if you ask me! read more

Athenian Garden - Greek Near Me - Absecon, New Jersey

Last night was my fourth visit. The food kept me coming. However, the service, at least for me, increasingly deteriorated since the initial visit. My usual order would be the bronzini, with grilled shrimp as an appetizer. This time around, the usually large shrimp were replaced by much smaller pieces. Paying $12 dollars for three pieces of shrimp the size expected in a Denny's shrimp scampi was a let down. I figured maybe they were just out, but should have given notice before bringing it over. Disappointed but didn't fret about it. My main complaint here is the gentleman who usually serves. I never caught his name. Not once during the four visits had he introduced himself. He avoids eye contact whenever possible and barely acknowledges any request beyond a hasty nod. Not to mention, not once had he ever bothered to say thank you after collecting the bill. He doesn't act this way towards the other customers, so I have to assume it's something to do with me, I guess. This last time around, our server (a very nice woman) was taking a while to come back to us so we had asked the gentleman to please have her bring us the check. Again, no words. Just a nod and a rushed dash away from our table as if we had just burdened him with something beneath him. 15 mins go by. Our server comes back, and wasn't given the message. They've walked by each other over three times, and have stood by each other at the main podium just as many times at this point (it's an intimately small place so you can see everything). I have no idea what would make this guy act this way. He is friendly and upbeat and actually speaks to other people in the restaurant when spoken to. This has happened FOUR times in a row. We tip every visit. And each visit he has made us feel like a bother. The only difference I see between myself and the other patrons during each visit is skin color. It's 2018. Please do better. read more

I love gyros, and this one was definitely one to love... plenty of meat and it came with some spiciness to it die added flavor.

The best! Food is always delicious! However they make there potatoes, they are amazing! Love the hummus, pita, platters, dinners. Excellent!! read more

I ordered the Gyro & Soup of the day- Chicken Avgolmono. Everything was fresh & Delicious. I forgot to ask for feta cheese, and the gyro was still excellent.There wasn't nothing skimpy about that lunch. I'll definitely be returning here in the nearest future to try something else on their menu. read more

Athenian Garden - Greek Near Me - Absecon, New Jersey

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Love Athenian Garden - wonderful authentic Greek food. The Chicken Oreganto is a favorite, and their hummus, skordalia and tzatziki is a must. Desserts are great as well. read more

This is the best Greek place in south jersey!! By far my favorite restaurant ever! If you're looking for a relaxing dinner in a casual and comfortable environment with the most fresh and authentic greek food, this is the place for you! The greek salad with shrimp or the lavraki is my favorite, but everything on their menu is delicious! Whenever I come home to my parents house, this is the first place I visit. Love Athenian Garden so much! read more

Athenian Garden - Greek Near Me - Absecon, New Jersey

Came here a few years ago when in the neighborhood and enjoyed. Was back again and because of the terrible rain and no indoor dining we ordered take out. Was just as good as I remembered. Would recommend eating here if in the area. read more

When I'm in town......this will be our spot! My husband andI were celebrating our 32nd anniversary and we wanted to try something different. Food was great, but the waiter..... different story. Blah. No personality at all. The lady that cooked our food.... very pleasant read more

Athenian Garden - Lamb Souvlaki Platter. AWESOME!!!! If you're in New Jersey, try this place. - Greek Near Me - Absecon, New Jersey

Had dinner there tonight. First time in several years, but rest assured I will be back soon. Excellent service and a fabulous meal. Everything was so fresh and flavorful. A perfect meal! read more

Got there on a Sunday at 7:30pm after calling earlier in day to make reservation (was told I didn't need one) and it was completely empty. We were a party of 4 and immediately sat and greeted by our server. First of all he had 0 personality. Possibly less than 0, he was a miserable person that didn't smile or have any rapport with us. Which would be been ok if the food was good. The gyro platter I ordered was very salty and way over done as were the lamb chops. My friend got the moussaka and the top slid off as soon as it was placed on the table. Looked very unappetizing and taste went a long with the appearance... not good. We rarely saw our server but he did come immediately after the food was served to ask if it was ok then disappeared again. The problem with that was there were 4 of us and we got 5 entrees which meant we didn't try everything within 45 seconds of delivery so didn't get a chance to tell him how bad the lamb chops were. When he showed up again after we were done, my friend mentioned that they were very tough and his response was "but you said everything was ok" We paid and left. The only thing good was the lamb kabob and tzatziki oh and the water. I'll never be back which is sad because I like Greek food and I'm in Atlantic city a lot. read more

There is one waiter, I'm guessing a family owned business we waited so long for drinks and napkins. Worth the wait but reservation was at 6 left at 8:45. Hire more people please we wanted dessert. read more

Athenian Garden - Seabass was incredible. - Greek Near Me - Absecon, New Jersey

I got take out, it was very delicious. Kabobs are grilled to charred and seasoned well, salad is fresh, and the dessert was excellent! Highly recommend the Galactoboureko! It's a custard filled dessert! read more

I have to say, I'm glad they're up and running take outs and deliveries. Before quarantined, their food was delicious. Now?? Still yummy!! I was upset they weren't open when we first went into quarantine. So my daughter tried calling again 2 weeks ago. Someone actually picked up!! We got the chicken kebab platter. Maybe I was hungry and missed them, cause I finished the whole thing(comes w/ 2 kebabs, rice, salad and pita bread). It was a lot of food read more

I'm tired being nice to this idiot of a "manager" named NICK. He looks like the soul was sucked out of him by his parents. Really nice how NIcK can't even do the simplest of tasks (how about some straws NiCK!!?? IDIOT, got lost in the kitchen...took like 2 hrs. Follow me on Insta Nick...see me eating out at the fanciest restaurant all the time--no longer trying to support your little shack. Went out of my way for no reason. Thanks for reiterating what I felt about your eatery....I no longer feel bad about leaving this review! read more

I love The Athenian Garden. I have been going there for years and have yet to be disappointed. It is a super pleasant atmosphere. A lovely family-owned and operated restaurant with lovely decor. The sampler with tabbouleh, hummus, and tzatziki served with fresh warm pita is amazing to munch on while you are choosing your meal. Their grilled octopus is another favorite appetizer of mine. The chicken avgolemono (chicken and rice in an egg-lemon broth) soup is a delicious comfort food when the weather's a bit chilly. I usually order the souvlaki as an entree and have never been disappointed. Their pasta entrees are also quite good. You could also make a meal of appetizers here and leave quite satisfied. The service is always prompt, friendly, and warm. The servers are mainly relatives from what I have gathered over the years. This is not a place where your water glass will sit empty through half of your meal. They are attentive and polite. It's really a charming atmosphere - great place for a romantic date, a meal with family, or lunch with friends or colleagues. I have never left unhappy or dissatisfied in any way. I highly recommend for lovers of Greek cuisine or even people who have never tried Greek food. You will not be disappointed! read more

The food was ok. The experience was something else (bad) The waiter\host had no personality/ was unpleasant. We were seated -after a wait when there were lots of open tables. The menus are thrown down on the table and he said nothing. We waited for quite a while and. As he walked past our table multiple times making no eye contact. He finally brought wine glasses and took our order. We were never offered water. We ordered 3 apps and 4 meals. One app came, we could hear the family arguing in the kitchen while we were waiting and our entire meal. We never got the other 2 apps, and our meals came 55 minutes after we arrived. We had decided we would leave after waiting an hour but it came just I time. It arrived and was ok, but as we ate we had to listen to the fighting in the kitchen. We couldn't wait to finish and leave, left cash so we didn't have to deal with our waiter anymore.. the waiter was clearly the son of the owners and clearly there were some bad family dynamics. Makes you feel better about any family drama have. read more

I'm here early grabbing some food to go..By the smell already I can tell My food is going to be great ...Since my trip to Greece this year may possibly be cancel .. This is the best next thing read more

Very rude! Not sure why also heard the same waiter be extremely belligerent with a woman who came in. The food was ok wouldn't say it's the best I've had. Had the Athenian burger and had hoped it was not a commercial flat Patty which it was dry! - This is not a FAKE review as they stated. I never have posted a fake review. Be real and accept your wait staff and food is horr read more

The food might be good but only go if you can wait over 1 1/2 hours for your main entree. The service is horrible.