Salaam is fine dining in Athens but that doesn't mean the pretension that term typically conveys…read more The Mediterranean cuisine delivers what you would want - hummus, baba ganoush appetizer or mezza plate combos. I typically opt for the grilled lamb chops (generous portion) or the lamb kebab. You can also get wraps if the full dinner portion, usually with grilled vegetables and a rice pilaf or french fries choice, is too much. If you are a cold tea person, the Moroccan Mint Iced Tea is a favorite for sure and it is endless. Good wine and local beers selection. A number of the waiters have been there for years and really know the place, the patrons, and the vibe. Annie's Salad is great, just wish it was included as an option for the entrees as it used to be pre-COVID. Lovely ambiance and decorations. Big room and can at times get a little loud but still feels intimate at your table in the non-standard shaped room with pillars, screens, and nooks breaking it into smaller de facto sections.

This place is one of Athens' best kept secrets. What looks like a small storefront opens into one…read moreof the most appealing dining establishments I've been in since getting to southeast Ohio in 2019. The ambiance is inviting, with simple but incredibly well placed decoration throughout. And the scent of grilled meat walking up to the door.... I don't even remember waiting for the table, just sitting down and tearing into pita bread. The hummus has character, the tzatziki? Finally! Enough dill! Remember that real Mediterranean olives have pits - this is important for dental work! The shawarma and gyros graced our table, and we're a memory before too long. They are fine dining, so the price is a little higher on the entrées than I normally go for, but it's worth every penny no doubt. Delicious.

Sadly Firdous Express in Athens has closed. A loss amidst the sea of cheap pizza and homogenous…read morefast food on Court Street.

Eating at this restaurant felt like being given a gift - so surprising and wonderful! The food is…read moredelicious, fresh, and well-prepared. I had falafel (yum!), hummus (creamy good!), lentil/rice mixture (amazing), lots of fresh vegetables with some homemade cabbage, and a pillowy soft pita. My meal was topped it off with a freshly made square of baklava. Oh. My. Gracious. I live in Parkersburg, W. Va., and I will drive back to Athens just to eat here! Additional info: clean, friendly staff, easy to order. It is set up like Chipotle but with a Mediterranean slant. (I would dare to say, they may have moved above Chipotle in my list of favorite, quick, healthy places to eat, and that is saying something!)

First: appropriate for eating in the car until you get to the end of the wrap. Then it's kind of…read morejuicy. Watch out for oop on your shirt. I drive for Red Cross as a volunteer. The hospital in Parkersburg gets a shipment of blood from Columbus six? days a week, I believe. I'm trying to take this route once a week. And when I'm done with my delivery and before I head back to CBUS, I'm going to stop at Chams for lunch. It's not someplace I'd expect in downtown small-city WV, though maybe I'm just prejudging. Probably just prejudging. But it's a very Lebanese place. Nary a French fry in sight. But a nice long menu of middle eastern street food for lunch. Seriously yummy wraps, some salads, a few other things, and baklava. I've been twice. First time, I got the spicy wrap. Excellent. Very tasty, multifaceted flavors; each bite something just a bit different from the last. Just a little heat, nothing like Thai or Szechuan. Your spouse should be able to handle it, but they'll make a surprised noise for the first couple of bites and their nose may sweat. My second trip's lunch was shawarma wrap. Same yumminess, different flavors; no heat. Both were five stars. Also got baklava, one for me, one for my wife because she'd be able to smell the honey and walnuts on my breath when I got home and be very cross if I didn't. We both thought it was very good, if not quite amazing. Second trip I came home with Chams' cream cheese baklava. It's different - a big hunk of, well, cream cheese instead of walnut filling, but still wonderful sticky gooey honey on top. I thought it was very good again, but it wasn't to my wife's taste - just too much cheese for her. Each to their own, right? They also have pistachio baklava, and each kind comes in either filo wrapping or birds-nest style. I love both. The store is clean. Parking on the street nearby isn't much of a challenge when they open at 11AM. The staff is VERY friendly and all speak with just enough accent to be charming yet perfectly understandable. They want you to enjoy your food, and I did. I'll be back. Go there.

Good food. Good service. Good location. Looking forward to returning. Definitely shared with…read morefriends.

Good Greek and all around spot. The bartender/waitress/do everything is excellent. That's solo…read moreservice coverage for you. She earned a well-deserved recognition. Got the Greek salad, the spinach chicken and a side of fries. The salad was delicious. Crisp and tasty. The chicken was ok. Not bad at all, just doesn't scream Greek food goodness. Yeah, I'll come back. It's a solid 3.5.

Food was average. Prices were average. Service was good! Cute little family spot! Parking was a…read morelittle annoying...

We came across Elenie's Souvlaki at an event and were pretty excited to try it. Unfortunately, they…read moreseemed to be having an off day. We were quoted a 20 minute wait, but it ended up being over 45 minutes, and there were multiple other customers asking questions about their lengthy waits as well. We ordered a chicken gyro, a gyro on a stick, and fries. The chicken in the gyro came out burnt and the crispy golden fries that looked like they should be great were overly salted. The gyro on a stick was the best - it was great to have a simple option for a reasonable price. The gyro meat came with a flatbread and was very tasty. The staff was friendly. The menu seems great - hopefully it was just an off day.

These folks make great food - nothing too fancy, but on par with some of the best brick and mortar…read moreGreek restaurants I've eaten at over the years. They're generous, personally engaging, and have left me with a yearning for loukaniko (Greek sausage) that I haven't been able to satisfy anywhere else (or even from the truck, currently, due to sourcing frustrations.) Their spinach rice side is excellent, the meats and feta are consistently delicious, the tzatziki sauce is stellar, and the baklava cheesecake is just this side of deadly rich. This would be a five-star review if it wasn't for a persistent issue of no-showing at places they've said they will be. Like, 10 a.m. their Facebook page will show them as scheduled to be at a particular location, but at 11 a.m. when they're supposed to be on site, they're nowhere to be seen, and there's no explanation or response to inquiries. This means that I can't reliably plan to have lunch there when I'm downtown at the office -- I have to pack a lunch either way, or find something elsewhere if they're MIA. Bottom line is - if you spot them someplace, absolutely TRY THEIR FOOD. But don't get too attached.

First time here. won't be the last. Very good restaurant…read more Crowded, but now I know why

Chef's kiss!! this place is absolutely worth the drive if you don't live here in Saint Albans and…read moreif you do live in Saint Albans and haven't been, what are you waiting for?!!! An invite!? Here it is! This food is top notch, best in show, gold medal food! Especially their hummus! Only way to eat better hummus is if you make it yourself!! This is a fantastic place with tons of options for everyone! Definitely get the fried feta, you won't be disappointed! Their veggie pizza is sooo good! Also don't forget dessert! The tiramisu is delightful!!! Go now! This place is right on the water, beautiful interior and that beautiful stone oven is gorgeous!!

I've been shopping here for a number of years - it's my go-to for items like feta (it's a whole…read moredifferent thing from what we get at the regular grocery store, trust me), olives, capers, mamood (little date-filled cookies, I can never resist. Think that's why they put them by the cash register?)... Check out the labneh in the cold case. Oh, and the diamond shaped bread at the counter, too. Incredible. The people who run it are always helpful, especially if you're looking for something specific and can't find it on the shelves.

Great selection of Persian groceries at reasonable prices. Helpful and polite staff. Store is…read moreclean and well lit.

Thiago's - Some Bright Spots, But Overall a Miss…read more We stopped by Thiago's in New Lexington not expecting much -- and honestly, that's about what we got. There were a few highlights, but overall it just didn't quite come together. We started with the Italian wedding soup. The broth had nice flavor, but there wasn't much else going on -- hardly any noodles or meatballs. Then we split the Italian sub, which tasted good once we fixed it up... but it came out looking pretty plain. No veggies, no toppings. We had to ask, and while the staff kindly brought out lettuce, banana peppers, and tomatoes, it felt like something that should've been included by default. The entrees were the real letdown. The "ribeye" dinner was decent but clearly not a ribeye -- more like a sirloin or NY strip. The veggies were a nice touch, though. I ordered the pasta al forno expecting a baked ziti-style dish, but it tasted more like pasta in canned tomato soup with barely any beef or cheese. My husband's steak and pasta combo wasn't much better -- he had to doctor it up with salt and pepper just to get through it. Service was okay. Not rude, but not particularly warm or attentive either. It just felt a little disjointed. That said -- and credit where it's due -- dessert was excellent. The cannoli was crisp and creamy, and the tiramisu was rich and flavorful. Easily the highlight of the meal. In the end, Thiago's didn't really check all the boxes for us. Friendly enough place, and we appreciated the desserts -- but overall, it just didn't hit the mark.

I've been here once to eat with my family and we were not impressed. The pizza tasted salty. Like…read moreso salty that it was nearly inedible. My mom got spaghetti and it the sauce looked like it had water in it. The waitress was nice. She didn't know much about the menu but this is when they first opened and she seemed young and inexperienced which was all overlooked because she tried and she was kind. My next experience was over a year later and I ordered takeout. The staff in the front were not welcoming at all. They acted annoyed that I walked in even though there was only one other vehicle in the lot. I can overlook subpar food but the lackluster service guarantees that I will not be back.