Athena Cafe

I am so happy that they are a part of our little Carmel Valley Community. Michael is awesome, professional and so accommodating, not to mention it taps the dining experience off with a great personal touch. Great Portions, Nice Ambience and very reasonably priced and a meal you will not regret.

Spectacularly good gyros! The meat, the tzatziki sauce, even the pita bread, are all top notch. Tasty fries too. The portions are big, and often enough to share. Really friendly service. I’ve only ever ordered the gyros, but based on that alone, I’ll definitely spread the word about Athena Café!

Casual neighborhood gem with a passionate owner who greets guests at the table. Food is truly five star. Service is excellent. House wine pairs well with food selection. Highly recommend!

My wife has been going there almost daily since opening a store near there. I now meet her there a couple times a week. GREAT service and excellent food. The Rosemary Chicken!!! It’s just as good when having takeout as it is when dining there. A must try.

I love greek food and I know what the food tastes like. I got falafel which was 1 step away from being burnt, I didn’t enjoy the garlic bread (for appetizer) very much — that was burnt too. Tzatziki was good, hummus was good and bread was super soft.

Nothing was mediocre. Fabulous, seriously. Gyros is the best I’ve had. He makes it so moist and tasty. Five star!

Dinner tonight on a Monday at 6 pm, our first experience at this restaurant and after a challenging day with car difficulties we entered this oasis. Michael the owner quickly helped us choose a nice wine, to relax and browse the menu. Greek salad (on par or even above the Greek salads we have had in Santorini). The Rosemary chicken in an exquisitely executed sauce was melt in your mouth delicious. We also decided to try the much talked about Eggplant sandwich, which we enjoyed. So much food, we will have another chance to enjoy it tomorrow.
After two glasses of wine and after listening to our day of challenges, Michael gave us the rest of the bottle to take home, on the house. We will definitely go back before returning to our home in the pacific northwest.

I went there for dinner with my in laws. The gyro was amazing! I would definitely go again.

All of the greek dishes are fabulous every time, but the really great thing, are the burgers! Best Burgers and natural cut fries anywhere around! Oh, and the Lemon chicken soup? To die for!

Love the owner Michael and the food and atmosphere are superb. I drove far to get here and it was totally worth it. I went with the veggie platter add a chicken kabob… yummers. great falafel, smokey babbaganoush, smooth hummus, and excellent dressing on the gorgeous salad. all with some smooth jazz and great service.

I found this place because of Unilocal.I’m new to the area and somehow missed this place. I spoke briefly with the owner (at least I assume he was the owner but I forgot to ask!) who told me that others said the gyro was the best in town. He was right. It was superb! For just over $ 10 I got a gyro and Greek salad. It was a large portion, full of flavor and the pita was soft and delicious. I will definitely be back.

This place is fantastic! Some of the best Mediterranean food I have ever had. Michael, the owner, is an excellent host and provides the highest quality service. The gyros are, hands down, the best gyros ever. The meat is so tender and the Tzatziki sauce is killer. The chicken/​lemon soup is also amazing. This is a beer and wine only establishment, but Michael carries almost all local wines and beers so it’s fun to try them.
This place is a diamond in the rough. Great food, great service.

We had Athena cater a party for us while on a family vacation in Carmel.
The food and service were excellent. We ordered many dishes and were quite happy with them all.
The owner Mykal is a great guy and very passionate about the quality of his food and your dining experience,
This is not a fancy place, yet very enjoyable.

Now we are occasionally getting Dolmas from Mykel. We take them to parties and pot lucks etc! They are delicious and always disappear! The case of the disappearing Dolmadi! For a neighborhood café this place is tops!

The portion is huge here. You better come hungry or just share unless you don’t mind tons of leftovers.
We are staying at the quail lodge golf club nearby and were looking for somewhere that we could take out for dinner when we found this place on Unilocal.We called and placed our order and were told the food would be ready in 10 minutes.
When we showed up the restaurant was not very busy and there is only one person manning the whole place. I couldn’t tell if he was the waiter, the cashier, or both? Anyway he sorta greeted us but still gave no indication if he would be the one to give us our food or if we should be looking/​waiting for someone else. It was just very weird but we didn’t mind since we weren’t in too much of a hurry. Eventually he confirmed our order and brought our food out. He seemed friendly enough when we interacted with him, but after he swiped my credit card and handed me the receipt he disappeared into the back again without saying anything to us. We ended up leaving without saying bye and just felt weird about it. I guess I am just used to servers/​hostess that would greet you and say bye to you? I know he’s just busy and trying to do everything all at once though.
As far as the food goes, we enjoyed all the dishes we had which were the lamb kabobs, the traditional Greek salad, and the eggplant sandwich. Everything was huge and we ended up with way too much leftovers. I personally love the traditional Greek salad because I had a lot of it when I visited Bulgaria and have always wanted to get it here but not many restaurants have it. My eggplant sandwich was quite heavy as it was filled with cheese. The eggplants and the peppers were roasted perfectly and so flavorful. The lamb kabob came with delicious rice and salad. The kabob meat pieces were almost too big if you can believe it. I think that’s why the tenderness is a little tricky to manage.
Overall, it’s a cute local neighborhood restaurant that serves good hearty food.

We visited the Athena Café for the first time this evening and we were very pleased.
It is obviously a locals spot, the staff seemed to know most the customers by name as they came in, and we were made to feel very welcome.
The soup of the day was a cream based cauliflower that was delicious, and it was a pure joy to watch my six year old attach his gyro which he loved.
We will be back and if your looking for a casual well run spot in the valley give the Athena a try.

Athena is our favorite local restaurant and we have dinner there about once a week. A few years ago it used to get lukewarm reviews but all that changed when Mykel took over the restaurant.
Food is served hot and the service is impeccable. Mykel pays attention to the details and likes to get to know his regulars. He supports the local winemakers and you always get a generous pour. We have yet to find a better Baba Ghanoush anywhere.
Highly recommended !

Ok I think we eat here more than once a week for dinner and other days for lunch. I often stop in for lunch after a round of golf at CVR or one of the other local courses. Athena Café is my goto place when no one wants to cook dinner at home, usually me. Having the full menu available for take-​out just makes it easier to satisfy all the different hungers in my house on any given day. But my favorite part is when we go see Mykel and have a great sit down meal with some of the great wines he has available both by the glass or bottle. Athena is a local Gem in the Carmel only about 6 miles from Hwy 1 and Carmel Valley Road. So if you’re interested in a great meal, perhaps a glass of wine or a craft draft beer, try Athena Café in the Mid-​valley shopping Center.

Cozy restaurant and really great food. Ate an early Saturday dinner and actually sat at the bar. It does seem to get full closer to 7. We had the Athena burger and the gyro sandwich with the soup of the day-​creamy spinach. Everything was prepared quickly and served hot. The gyro is a must-​tender meat, good pita and fantastic yogurt sauce. The burger had blue cheese which was a great pairing. Great neighborhood spot!

Athena is tucked away in the Mid-​Valley Center in picturesque Carmel Valley. New owners are at the helm but the same great dishes and welcoming service remain fixtures at this beautifully appointed café. Athena blends fine dishes and first-​rate service with a cozy and comfortable setting and reasonable prices.
Athena features a large menu of Mediterranean and Greek favorites along with some mouth-​watering Italian and seafood dishes. Menu highlights include the hummus dip and pita bread, bruschetta, falafel wrap, Greek burger, seafood pasta, osso bucco, grilled salmon, prawns kebob, moussaka, ravioli, chicken pesto pasta, tiramisu and baklava.
We started with the delicious hummus and pita bread. Their pita bread is so buttery soft and comes straight out of the oven. Big crowd pleaser! For entrees, we had the falafel wrap and the eggplant sandwich and finished our meal with the toothsome baklava dessert plate. The falafel sandwich comes packed with breaded falafel wedges and is topped with fresh tomatoes, onions and finished with their cool and creamy tzatziki sauce. My friend was very happy with the eggplant sandwich. It’s stacked with grilled eggplant, grilled caramelized onions, melted provolone cheese and marinara sauce. The baklava dessert arrived beautifully plated with baklava triangles adorned with strawberry sauce and whipped cream; a nice take on the flavorful Mediterranean dessert staple.
Athena is a culinary gem with great Mediterranean-​inspired dishes and an impressive list of wines to compliment any dish. Athena is opened for lunch and dinner and offers indoor and outdoor seating.