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    Athenian III

    3.6 (457 reviews)
    ModerateBurgers, Mexican
    Closed • 7:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Athenian III Photos

    Business Info

    ATHENIAN III ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Athenian III

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    Reviews With Photos

    MACHACA burrito!
    Son N.

    Machaca Breakfast Burrito is a 4/5 for sure!! Delicious. Favorite breakfast burrito in OC for sure. Service is a 4/5! Best you can expect from a small diner. Ambiance 4/5! Reminds me of an old mom and pop shop. Everyone enjoying their food. Good energy!

    Final receipt (two breakfast burritos, large horchata) of $32.80
    Nayomi C.

    Food was perfect, best breakfast we've ever had! Really flavorful, salsa paired well with the food. Portion size was decent as well. The staff was very friendly, great service overall. Chill ambiance, not many people and no line, we got our food pretty quick. We did go around 11am. Heres a breakdown of what we paid for: * 1 Suicide breakfast burrito (3 meats, egg, cheese, hash-browns) * 1 Sausage & bacon breakfast burrito (including egg, cheese & hash-browns) * 1 Large horchata Total of $32.80 Side note: I purchased Ranch separately, it costed $1 but I will say it was good size, not too small.

    Suicide breakfast burrito
    Timothy C.

    Perfection in every bite! This breakfast burrito was pure bliss I am so glad and thankful my brother showed me this spot years ago. I finally moved down here and I've tried breakfast burritos around but this one just hits home every time. I have to give this place some love and a review! Let's talk about that suicide breakfast burrito--hands down, the BEST I've ever had, and I'm a self-proclaimed burrito fanatic! The moment it arrived, I was struck by the vibrant orange tortilla (a total game-changer, and apparently, it's thanks to a touch of lard or butter for that extra flavor--genius!). Stuffed to the brim with fluffy scrambled eggs, perfectly crispy hashbrowns, melty cheese, ham, bacon and sausage, this burrito is a masterpiece. Every bite is a glorious mix of textures and flavors--savory, hearty, and just the right amount of indulgent. The salsa verde they serve on the side? It's fresh, zesty, and adds the perfect kick to elevate this already flawless creation. What makes this place even more special is the love and consistency they pour into their food. You can tell Athenian III has been perfecting this burrito for decades--it's no wonder OC Weekly crowned it the best in Orange County! The portion is massive (easily enough for two meals or one very happy, stuffed human), and at such a fair price, it feels like a steal for the quality. The service is lightning-fast yet so friendly, and the outdoor patio is a great spot to savor every bite while soaking in the Buena Park sunshine. I'm already counting down the days until I can come back and dive into another one of these life-changing breakfast burritos. Athenian III, you've stolen my heart (and my taste buds)! If you're anywhere near Buena Park and craving comfort food done RIGHT, run--don't walk--to this iconic spot. You'll thank me later!

    Storefront (Jul 2025)
    Luke L.

    *** $7 minimum to use credit otherwise there's a surcharge *** Athenian III or Don Carlos #5 is a classic Greek diner that serves gyros, burgers, and burritos. This is a family-owned restaurant and has been around since 1970's. There's a giant sign stating this spot was voted #1 Best Breakfast Burrito in O.C. and that's a pretty bold statement. [Parking]: Easy and free private parking lot and I had no issue finding an available spot to park in early morning on weekdays. [Service]: Friendly staff. In fact I walked to the counter with my 50% finished breakfast burrito at the end and the staff offered to re-wrapped & placed it in a takeout bag. [Menu]: The most popular and highlighted breakfast burrito is Suicide Breakfast Burrito. They also offer other non-breakfast burrito options like breakfast plates, breakfast sandwiches, omelets, classic American breakfast items like steak & eggs / pancake / french toast, burgers, sandwiches like gyro, and other endless items. *** Suicide breakfast burrito (bacon, sausage, and ham - $12.50): The staff asked hot salsa inside or outside & I said outside. The portion was huge and I could only finish half of it. Cheesy burrito packed with potatoes. While hot salsa didn't have the 'wow' factor, it did its job and made burrito taste better with the right amount of spiciness. Tortilla had a slightly orange-hue color and was slightly seasoned on the grill. *** Overall it was a good all-around breakfast burrito. I can't say it was the best breakfast burrito in Orange County, but it certainly tasted a lot better than I had expected. This is one of those local favorite go-to spots and I certainly see an appeal to it with surprisingly friendly service.

    Bacon Cheeseburger Combo
    Lindsay V.

    Amazing service! My children loved this place! The fries are incredibly delicious. We will definitely be returning to this location!

    Dontay Y.

    Drove by one evening and saw the sign for OC Beat Breakfast burrito which sparked my curiousity. Next day since i had to get an oil change decided to give it a try and it was on point. I had the the sausage as my protein but it included eggs, potatoes with thr right mix so I didn't feel like I paid for 1 or the other. It wasnt greasy and I left satisfied with a nice size portion. The staff was great and service was fast, even with people streaming in to pick up to go orders. The place is dated in a strip mall thats in need of a make over but doesn't discount the burrito taste vs others I've has which were greasy or or short on ingredients. I would be back and would recommend to friends for the burrito

    Cheeseburger basket - fries, onion rings & fried zucchini
    Amber S.

    The highly recommended this place. Their food is delicious and it comes out quick and piping hot.. if there is a line they work together to get orders on paper that easy when u get to the register ur ready to go.

    "Large" drink
    Gabby S.

    I recently placed an order and paid $22.28, which included a large orange juice. However, the juice I received was very small -- more like a kids' size compared to what's typically considered a large at other restaurants. Additionally, I had requested two strips of bacon in my burrito, but there was none included. The burrito itself was mostly filled with hash browns, with very little of the other ingredients.

    Delicious crispy bacon , egg, cheese, hash browns so nicely wrapped burrito .
    Maria P.

    I had a bacon breakfast burrito so good . This place is hidden pretty much - fast paced. Service was excellent

    Decent taco hard shell
    Michael C.

    Great service. I ordered something that was not up to my standards, or the standards of Mexican food in SoCal. (Fajita burrito) ... I spoke to whom I can only assume is the owner and she offered to make me something else. I went for tacos as they should be a staple in every Mexican spot. They were good, I enjoyed how much meat was in them and the salsa as well. I will come back and will definitely get hard shell tacos. Very good!

    Chilaquiles with mild red sauce. Not on the menu but you can order it with either red or green sauce.

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    5 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    23 days ago

    Not the best breakfast burrito in O.C. Give it a 4/10. No flavor just warm. People are decent and service is good.

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    10 months ago

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    29 days ago

    The best breakfast burritos. I've had 30 of them, and will keep them coming every Friday morning!

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    1 year ago

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    2 months ago

    The absolute best food!!!! Especially the breakfast burritos and the cheese burger. The portions are huge!!!!

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    10 months ago

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    8 months ago

    Loved the food. First time trying it. Did not disappoint. I definitely recommend coming here.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Awesome nachos! Nice portion size and shareable too! We called ahead to pick up and the order was ready. It's a neighborhood favorite.

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    Ask the Community - Athenian III

    Is breakfast served all day?

    Yes, but after a certain time (11:00 I think?) you have to pay a small fee, but it's not that bad

    Love the breakfast burritos here. Anyone know why the flour tortillas are orange?

    They're actually a shade of yellow. The flour tortillas usually contain lard in them (why some taste way better than others) the more lard the better but some tortillas use butter instead of lard or both. Bomb!

    View All 5 Questions

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    Johnie's Jr Broiler - Turkey Club House Sandwich!

    Johnie's Jr Broiler

    3.9(271 reviews)
    2.5 mi
    •$$

    My fiancé introduced me to his local place nearly 3 years ago, and there food is still amazing…read moreevery single time! I didn't even have time to take a picture of my biscuits and gravy, in the blink of an eye everything was gone. Always good service, clean, affordable and good quality food. 10/10 recommend

    I wanted to try this little local place for quite a while. I've always liked the cute little fat…read moreboy on the sign. We came here for lunch, and seem to leave the crowd. When we left there were quite a few people that have come in after us. There's not a whole lot to the place. It looks like it used to be an old Taco Bell or something. The color scheme is blue and white with cute little signs and pictures on the wall. It's got some booths and tables, and they still have up the social distancing dividers from The pandemic. There's also covered patio seating out front. There our menu screens that span above the entire counter with everything from Mexican food to breakfasts to burgers. They have a soda machine and also a machine with some aguas frescas. There is something here for everybody! We ordered a Fat Boy Burger, a quarter pound burger meal with fries, and a ground beef taco. I love ground beef tacos so I'll always order one if there's one on the menu just to try it. The burgers were good - - topped with cheese, lettuce, onion, and thousand Island dressing. The ground beef taco tasted very much like a Del Taco taco. The fries are those chunkier fries. All in all, the food was good. Someone came in after us and ordered the fried chicken meal and it looked so good, and another person ordered a breakfast that also looked pretty good. It's a cute place and I do like to support local small business. I may be back here.

    Photos
    Johnie's Jr Broiler
    Johnie's Jr Broiler - Our hottest breakfast item - BREAKFAST BURRITOS!! Served all day, everyday

    Our hottest breakfast item - BREAKFAST BURRITOS!! Served all day, everyday

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    RJ Burgers - El Caliente Burger

    RJ Burgers

    4.0(267 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    •$$

    Best fries best seasoning super crunchy fries…read more Burger was a mix of a smash burger and a juicy out at the park bbq burger - really juicy as the name suggests Coming back - stunningly surprised by how good this was not forget .... Big reasonable portion size too

    Walking in to the place it's not very eye catching to be honest, the restrooms had no soap and very…read moreunsanitary. I understand why they use a stick with a key to use them but the sanitary function of that is already a minus for me. Food: quite expensive for what I got!!!!honestly way below Average, they recommended the patty melt and it was subpar to say the least, very greasy and un flavorful, too much cheese I couldn't finish both half's when normally I do at any other place. The fry's were ok. The fountain drinks, very messy and not clean Staff: very welcoming and helpful, fast service. Seating area: many places to sit mostly booths ,again aesthetically not very pleasing but looked clean and plenty of space to sit. I risked it and tried this place out of no recommendation other than stopping by and I don't think I will Be back. Maybe some of their other items are good but I will pass on this place. Great staff though. I have moved this up to 3 stars solely because the response to my feed back was well received and that alone speaks highly of making an attempt to help their restaurant to be better. The goal is not to just criticize or review for the sake of reviewing but to actually help businesses and which comes full circle both for customers and business owners. Thanks to the reply I may give it another shot for the burgers if I am in the area and in hungry!

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    RJ Burgers
    RJ Burgers - Fiesta Pack take-out $10.99 - Two tacos, bean & cheese burrito and fries, neatly packed! Tacos were just ok.

    Fiesta Pack take-out $10.99 - Two tacos, bean & cheese burrito and fries, neatly packed! Tacos were just ok.

    RJ Burgers - Onion rings are fat and crunchy!

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    Thirty Acres Kitchen - Wagon Wheel Burger

    Thirty Acres Kitchen

    4.0(116 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    •$$

    I stopped in because I had business and n the area, and enjoyed a great meal. The space provided a…read morecomfortable reprieve from the heat outside. Every staff member I engaged with was extremely welcoming, but I'm especially writing this review for Chef John. After the server told me one of the items on the menu was not available and tried her best to suggest something similar, Chef John stepped out to clarify exactly what I was hoping for and whipped up something special. While I happily gobbled down some perfectly roasted veggies, fried chicken, and gravy, he even came out to check in. I told him the food really hit the spot and I meant it! Pairing my meal with the boysenberry lemonade really tied it all together.

    Four of us shared a surprisingly good pizza at Thirty Acres Kitchen. We weren't expecting too much…read more Typically, hotel restaurants that try to cater to everyone end up with a menu of mediocrity. Not the case here. We chose the Meaty Madness. A really good New York style crust was topped with a hearty sauce, Mozz, and copious amounts of pepperoni, sausage, ham and bacon. The crust held up mightily to the weighty meat. It was airy and offered a great chew. We asked for it to be well done to get a little snap in that crust. The meat was excellent and not too salty. Not the best pizza in the world, but it was certainly a good one. Paired very nicely with some ice-cold beers. Service was friendly and efficient.

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    Thirty Acres Kitchen - Inside

    Inside

    Thirty Acres Kitchen - Sons bacon burger

    Sons bacon burger

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    Jim's Super Burgers - Special Breakfast Burrito- mostly potatoes

    Jim's Super Burgers

    4.3(400 reviews)
    2.6 mi
    •$$

    My family was so thankful this place was open late on a weekday! My husband and I split a…read moredouble-burger + fries, and it was very filling. Burger veggies were not wilted nor slimy, and the fries were fried to perfection and seasoned well. We also ordered an avocado burger (none of the avocados were brown or gross) and a Jr Burger for our nephew. This is clearly a local favorite--there were several phone orders and family orders ahead of us, so the wait was a little longer than we anticipated, but it certainly was worth it! I thought that the establishment was fair in processing orders and went straight down the line of how orders were received! The man at the window was kind and approachable. We'll return!

    I've been eating at Jim's for years, and it's consistently one of my favorite spots in the area…read more Their breakfast burritos are hands down my favorite around--always satisfying and packed with flavor. The burgers and fries are also excellent. In my opinion, they're better than Paul's, and the prices are much more reasonable for the quality and portion sizes you get. One thing I really appreciate is that I can call ahead and have my order ready when I arrive. It's a huge time-saver, especially on busy mornings or lunch breaks. Friendly service, great food, fair prices, and convenient call-ahead ordering keep me coming back. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area.

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    Jim's Super Burgers - Outside area: Menu, place order etc.

    Outside area: Menu, place order etc.

    Jim's Super Burgers - Breakfast Burrito

    Breakfast Burrito

    Jim's Super Burgers - Menu

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    Peak Burger - Pastrami Burger

    Peak Burger

    4.2(172 reviews)
    3.3 mi
    •$

    Food was okay here, may have given it 3 stars if it wasn't for the rude woman taking orders. The…read morewoman behind the counter was very rude and rolled her eyes when I simply asked if my meal came with toast. She was rushing through the order inputting the next items and I had to stop her to ask if my meal came with toast or not. She told me yes and continued to move on. I had to stop her again and ask well what type of toast does it come with. She rolled her eyes again and said, "what ever you type you want". As a customer who has never been here, how am I suppose to know if my meal comes with toast and what toast options exists?! I had to continue to pull information from this bitter woman and ask what were my toast options and again with another eye roll, she told me my options. Not to confuse the nice woman who serves everyone coffee here. This eye roller is the woman who takes orders in-person and on the phone with the bright red lipstick - very bad customer service this person...

    Service - it was ok but the horchata I ordered had an off taste and I went to ask them if I could…read morehave it switched out to a Coke and I was given a judgmental look she then asked what was wrong with it and then again I repeated myself this time stumbled on my words because I felt pressure. She said she won't give me a new cup for soda instead she'll throw out the cup that had horchata and re fill it with soda. Food- Was good but the 3 star was just the service it just didn't sit right with me. Very reminiscent of older burgers Ambience- was calm and everyone did their own thing like any other place.

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    Peak Burger
    Peak Burger - Pastrami burger with fries

    Pastrami burger with fries

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    Wholly Smokes

    Wholly Smokes

    4.6(1.1k reviews)
    3.2 mi
    •$$

    Deliciousness BBQ beef brisket with fried cauliflower. Spicy & mild BBQ sauce with pickled onions…read morewith jalapeños balance the sweet/spicy/rich meaty flavors. Fast service and friendly folks. Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) wings with garlic soy was great, but I forgot to take a photo ‍

    Yesterday, my wife made some black-eyed peas--but nothing to go with them. That was my cue to find…read moresome meat and cornbread. On the way home, I stumbled across Wholly Smokes. I'd never been there before, so this review is all about first impressions. As we approached, the sign caught my attention: "Under New Ownership." Outside, an employee sat scrolling on his phone. It was a quiet Sunday around 3 PM, and we were the only patrons in sight. Checking Yelp beforehand had been a bit of a letdown, as their menu featured items they no longer offer. No links were available either. We ordered half a pound of pulled pork, half a pound of brisket, and four pieces of cornbread--all priced reasonably. Their tap selection turned out to be decent. The Cali Squeeze Blood Orange was a standout, and they also seemed to carry Firestone Walker products, including 805. The staff were friendly and responsive, which was refreshing. While the brisket had cooled by the time we got home, it was still tender and flavorful--just like the pulled pork. The real surprise? The chimichurri that accompanied the brisket--an unexpected and delightful touch. Overall, I'd rate the experience as average. While it's clear they've got potential, a bit more effort could turn Wholly Smokes into a go-to spot. Leaning in on those small details would really elevate the experience.

    Photos
    Wholly Smokes
    Wholly Smokes
    Wholly Smokes - Locked N Loaded fries with chicken!!

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    Locked N Loaded fries with chicken!!

    The Grind Burgers Chopped Cheese Fries Etc - New York Style Chopped Cheese

    The Grind Burgers Chopped Cheese Fries Etc

    3.9(96 reviews)
    6.5 mi

    Family had a engagement at the Cerritos mall to see baby gender when we were done it was munch…read moretime. My adult daughter her hub and kids got something my wife told me find something good. Now I stood in front of this establishment their 4 screen menu and special that jump on the screen, for two specials. BBQ bacon chopped sandwich.. You can watch the grill as the cook staff makes the food. Impressive how the young man manages the grill with pride. Counter staff very friendly and knowledgeable. Food is made to order so it takes a few minutes which is great because it's fresh and hot. The special we got was any sandwich and drink and they had two more special flashing that's why it took a few to decide. The sandwiches were well made hot, tasty and good size drinks also good size. So so tasty so filling, bread to meat ratio well done. For a mall food outlet this place I recommend price to product is good They are POS ready and even have a kiosk if you want to order Food = 8 Quality = 8 Customer service = 8 Price to product = 8

    Was exited to hear Cerritos now has a smash burger spot in their food court that differs rest of…read morethe fast food line-up. Not all smash burgers are created equal. Gotta say I was not impressed. Start with the Pros. Its fresh & hot made to order, wait time is expected when food is cooked fresh, but nothing, literally nothing stood out. I tried the Spicy Jalapeno Smash Burger, patty was nicely seasoned, but nothing popped. Sauce was ok, ingredients were ok, fries were nice but. Ot enough tj bring the rating from a solid 3. Solid Mid-rating, not the best but def not the worst. Did not try the chopped cheese samich, did not want to be more disappointed than what I already was.

    Photos
    The Grind Burgers Chopped Cheese Fries Etc
    The Grind Burgers Chopped Cheese Fries Etc - Fresh Ground beef Smash Burger

    Fresh Ground beef Smash Burger

    The Grind Burgers Chopped Cheese Fries Etc - NY Chopped Cheese!

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    NY Chopped Cheese!

    Athenian III - burgers - Updated September 2026

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