We're on a road trip, looking for a place with healthy food: Vegetables, easy on the fats, and freshly cooked. The Athenian Cafe ticked all the boxes. I can't say enough good things about the stuffed grape leaves (cold), or the huge size of the small Greek salad. It was chock full of kalamata olives, feta crumbles, tomato and cucumber slices. Our server was cheerful and helpful and offered to bring boxes for our leftovers! It's a really nice, clean little place! We'll be back for the baklava! read more

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Always have a good meal there and the new location is very nice inside.they do get busy and at times they need more staff. It is worth the wait when there busy. read more

Great food, service, and drinks. Stopped for lunch and it was so filling we didn't need to eat dinner. FYI- We were informed that the restaurant will be moving to a new location in the near future. So check the website before you head out. read more

We stopped by for lunch today and thoroughly enjoyed our meals. I selected the Gyro special as it includes French Fries and a drink. My wife ordered a Small Greek Salad. We thoroughly enjoyed both selections and each was excellent. I was just able to finish my meal and my wife asked for a box to take home about half of her lunch. The staff was very friendly and attentive. We will be coming again soon. If you are interested in good Greek food you need to try this restaurant. You will not be disappointed. read more

The Athenian Cafe - Small Greek Salad at the Athenian Cafe - Greek Near Me - Altoona, Pennsylvania

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Mediterranean Gyro Salad Large: Three triangles of bread, 2 Salad Dressings, Container of Salad, small amount of Gyro Meat. NAH not for me. read more

Another update: Well another year of fantastic food and good service at the Athenian Cafe since I last posted a review. I can't get enough of their lamb gyros. Their tzatziki sauce is awesome. I wish they would package it and sell it. It has to be the best I've tasted. They are still 5 star and now they are serving wine and beer. Had dinner there with a group of friends this weekend and we had a wonderful evening. Looking forward to going back again soon. read more

The Athenian Cafe - New announcement. - Greek Near Me - Altoona, Pennsylvania

In case the name didn't give it away this is a place serving primarily greek cuisine. It does have various american food options with a kids menu. The location is just north of Pleasant Valley Blvd and near the Frankstown exit. We've bypassed it for years and finally gave it a try. It's a quaint little mom and pop style restaurant. Go for the food and not the ambiance. There's parking around the restaurant and direct access off of Union Ave. This place is a true hidden gem and the real star is their food and service. They are both unbelievable and reasonably priced. Most dishes here go for $10-$15. The wait staff is always on top of everything and helpful. I would consider it a great family stop. My go to is the gyro platter (comes with a salad and fries). We've also tried various salads and other dishes and everything is fresh and tasty. It's by far my favorite gyro loaded with lamb/beef, tzatziki, lettuce, onion and tomatoes. You can choose a gyro with chicken, steak or falafel as well. Writing this is making me want to return. read more

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I'm writing this after they moved to new location. I've been in twice since the move and both times I've left disappointed. Portion size and quality has dropped significantly. For the price, I just don't think it is worth it anymore. Soggy fries and gyro that is about 6 inch's for 15$. I think that is over priced. read more

Best Gyro in town. Great service and excellent food, not just the Gyro. The ambiance is nice and welcoming for both family and date night.

We were excited to try their new location to give their restaurant a try. We haven't been there for years as their old location was not convenient for us. The new building is very nice inside, much better than their old place. We were greeted fairly quickly at the door, given our own silverware and menu and told to sit where we wanted. I did think in a nice looking restaurant like this they could have simply asked us where we wanted to sit and taken us to that area instead of relying on us for the set up. We brought wine as they are currently BYOB. We had to ask for a wine opener twice before getting one which didn't come to after our dinner was served. We ordered meals with salad which were suppose to come with pita bread. The waitress announced she forgot our bread with our salads and would bring with our main meal. Our main meals seemed to have some quality issues. My Gyro seemed like it needed more meat and cheese. My husbands meal with steak was very chewy. When my husband told the waitress he had an issue with his steak, she said, "it was chewy right?" It was very strange that they knew they were serving sub par steak, but choose to do so anyway. Overall I would say our experience was very disappointing especially considering others positive recommendations. Perhaps they are having growing pains in their new location. It didn't appear that anyone was "in charge" of the restaurant when we were there so perhaps having a more seasoned staff or owner on duty would help. read more

Food- 10/10 Please try this place out. The food is great and was definitely made fresh. It came out hot and it smelled soooooo good. The pita was pillowy soft and had been lightly griddled which made it even better. Not shown is the Spanakopita and it was so good that we ate it before even realizing that we should have taken a photo. Definitely order that. I ordered the Mousakka which did have a lot more nutmeg than I'm used to but it was still wonderfully yummy. My cousin had the gyro and she said it was really good. The salad was nice to although I will say it was heavy on the vinegar dressing. Service- 10/10 The lady who took our order was really nice and attentive. Ambiance- 8/10 It's in an older building and you can tell the space is old but it also kinda homey. It's simple, no frills. I look forward to going back when I'm up that way again. read more

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We have patronized Athenian Cafe for years and love what they serve. Service has always been great UNTIL they moved to this new location in Altoona. Last evening, June 18, we visited with two couples from Bedford. They never tried this food so this was their first visit. It took one hour (no exaggeration) just to get water!!! The owner (cook) comes to our table to tell us it's gonna be a long wait because someone called off. (At least that is what I could understand). Meanwhile, there's only one other waitress for their very large dining room.. She says to "Buckle Up". Sorry, that's crude to be telling customers. How about just using a sincere professional apology. Or better yet, admitting maybe you bit off more than you can chew. If your establishment can't find waitresses to accommodate the increased volume of customers than perhaps you took on too much. We left and ate at Lena's and were served promptly. This will definitely influence our decision to return. read more

Very authentic Greek food and very reasonable and healthy Family owned restaurant off plank road in Altoona Desserts are also very tasty and reasonable When you tire of chain restaurants, go to local eats like this read more

I am not Greek by birth, but something tells me the owners/cooks are not either. I ordered the combo plate with pistachio spinach, pie and moussaka. All three were absolutely horrible. The meat was like sloppy Joe with no seasoning and the béchamel was like a fluff. There was absolutely no taste on any of it so I asked for marinara and I think they opened a can put it in a bowl and served it cold to me. No rice or vegetable with the meal as well. Just a disaster and don't even get me started about the hummas. I swear there's no olive oil in the whole place. was really rooting for it to be good, but it just clearly wasn't. I could go on but you get the point. Service was very friendly. Will not return. read more

One of my favorite restaurants! Food and service are great. My favorite meal is the Mediterranean grilled chicken salad and I love that it comes with pita bread. read more

Great spot to eat, two great meals on consecutive days while in town visiting. Great salads and entrees. Baklava was delicious! Service was friendly and efficient. read more

Have only been back once since they changed ownership, seemed to lack the same flavor but still a good place for lunch and you can byob.

Used to be a great place for lunch, no longer. We stopped for supper. Wait was very long, Onion rings were greasy and over cooked ! Gyro had big chunks of lettuce some of which was spotted brown. Will not return. read more

Best Greek food in the Blair county area. Love the Gyros, Greek salad and Lemon Chicken and rice. Staff really know their menu and are good at describing Greek items. Interesting murals on the wall create a nice atmosphere. Nice place to take the family. read more

The service is always cheerful and the food is crave worthy! We don't live in Altoona so we go out of our way to have lunch at the Athenian at least once a month! Altoona, you are so lucky!!! read more

This is some of the best Greek food I've had in a while! The salad was tasty and filling. I got the chicken and it was great! Definitely get the baklava for dessert!! It is sooooo delicious!! read more

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I have eaten here many times. The food is very good and well portioned. The service is outstanding and always super friendly.

Delicious food and even better service. Recommendations on the menu made it easy to order something different and know exactly what to expect. Was not disappointed at all. read more

The chicken gyro is amazing. Their tzatziki is some of the best (if not THE best) I've ever had.

Excellent food and service. Food was done to perfection family friendly and staff was kind and efficient

This was a great mid-afternoon meal for us after the Flight 93 memorial. Fresh & quick enough. Sweet little local spot that was busy even at 3 pm. read more

The Athenian Cafe - Salads with gyros & chicken, warm pita & tazzeki sauce. So good. Worth the short drive in off the interstate. - Greek Near Me - Altoona, Pennsylvania

Three and a half -- okay, four stars. The Café's entrance is in the side of the building, but not the side an arrow on its sign shows; the other side. It's basically a diner. Parking is weird, but there are spots. I ordered a lamb gyro from a waitress at the cash register, once she deigned to look at me. She has one of the weirdest voices I can remember; I think she reminds me of a waitress in an old TV show. She speaks in a nasal monotone, and she most definitely needs a personality transplant (or maybe a couple of shots of espresso to rev her up). The gyro was delicious. It had two hefty chucks of real tomato, not that red cardboard stuff some places call a tomato. Of course, they didn't give me enough tzatziki sauce; no one does. For ten bucks it was a good value. I'd get it again, but I don't live anywhere near Altoona; I was passing through, on my way to the railroad museum. read more

Great food, great service. Our go to is the gyro (original) platter. Would definitely recommend!

I find myself working in Altoona with no lunch packed, so I jumped on Yelp to find a local spot. A quick search showed The Athenian Cafe, and who doesn't love a good gyro? Off I go in search of a food adventure, and I was NOT disappointed! A heaping serving of lamb made my gyro very filling and the Lemon Chicken soup was as good as I've ever had it. The restaurant was nice and clean, parking lot full (always a good sign to me, if the locals fill the lot there must be a good reason!). The service was friendly if a bit brusque, I will definitely call ahead in the future as I understand fresh tasty food can take a minute to get out when the place is packed. I'll definitely be coming back to try some other menu items! read more

The Athenian Cafe - Gyro and Greek Lemon and Chicken soup. - Greek Near Me - Altoona, Pennsylvania

We totally love this establishment. We have eaten here maybe 50 times now. If you like Gyros, this is the place for you. The staff is extremely friendly. Parking is not the best, kinda tight. I do like the warm feeling when eating in. Very good lighting. We do take out most of the time, but eating is is never a burden. The food doesn't take long at all. read more

Very good & great service! Greek salad was delicious! If you order a side of hummus, it's small & you need to ask for a side order of pita bread. read more

The food! The service BYOB Couldn't ask for more Clean and simple Will be making a reason to return read more

Great food friendly service small but nice clean place prices good I stop when I'm in altoona pa

This is one of my favorite restaurants and I'm particularly picky when it comes to Greek food. The steak Gyro was fantastic and the fries were crispy. The lunch special was cheap. Lucy was a great waitress and if you have any questions about her heritage she has no problem talking to you. I loved seeing regulars coming in and she being personal with them. That is the kinda restaurant I like to support. I absolutely recommend this restaurant. I know I'll keep coming back. read more

The Athenian Cafe - a pita sandwich and fries - Greek Near Me - Altoona, Pennsylvania

Food is amazing! Hummus is to die for and so is the Tzatziki! To be honest I could rave about everything I've had from there, their lemon chicken orzo soup was by far my favorite light summer time soup. Service is also friendly and efficient! read more

This is our go-to restaurant when we visit Altoona. Their hummus is so creamy and delicious, especially paired with their grilled pita bread. Their Greek side salad is topped with big chunks of mild but tasty feta cheese, kalamata olives and their homemade red wine vinaigrette. The main reason we go is for their gyros. The original (lamb) is overflowing with perfectly browned meat, veggies and an amazing tzatziki sauce -- homemade, of course, with fresh dill. And don't forget dessert -- their baklava is to die for! If you're going with someone who is leery of Greek food, there are plenty of other yummy options -- salads, subs, and those crunchy beer battered French fries. In addition, the wait staff is always super friendly and very knowledgeable about the menu. Just go and find out for yourself! read more

The Athenian Cafe - Make sure to save room for their Baklava! - Greek Near Me - Altoona, Pennsylvania

We had just charged our car and decided-Sure why not. This is not our typical stop but we liked and would go back. Food was good, portions were ample and the staff was friendly. The atmosphere could use some attention but we were there to eat. As long as it was clean and friendly, we are fine if the scene takes a back seat. Price was reasonable. Give The Athenian Cafe a go. read more

Stopped in for lunch while driving through. I had the falafel pita and baklava because all the reviews raved about it. The falafel I don't think is actually falafel or at least no version I've ever seen. It looked and tasted totally different. It was pretty good but I just don't think it's falafel Baklava was also good but I don't think true baklava either. It's decent though I just don't know if I'd go back read more

Excellent Greek food! I get the grape leaves frequently for lunch, and baklava as a sweet treat. Highly recommended!

The Athenian Cafe has the most authentic Greek food I have ever eaten. it is consistent and the service is excellent. The ambiance is more of a diner but don't let that fool you. You will enjoy every bite. read more