Athenian Deli & Cafe

I like this place for a quick lunch. Salads and soups made fresh daily, homemade dressing. Appears to be friendly mom and pop ownership. Good prices.

The chef seems to have hired some new help and while he is still there, the food is suffering. The quality of the food is lessening too. The house favorite country Greek has different ingredients every time I come in. The chicken was overcooked on my last two visits and the gyro changes all the time. Is the big guy still running things or has the restaurant gone back to its old ways? And they seem to always be closed too. I came by at 1:30 and they were closing down and they took the whole week off for thanksgiving too. I’ve never seen it open after 2 either. I really hope they can make the changes that had me hooked on this place cuz with the latest quality control issues I’m not sure how long I will be able to put up with the lack of quality even if it’s so close to my office. At least the bearded guy takes custom orders and the cashier is friendly too. Let’s hope they pick it up a notch.

Ordered the Gyro. If you ask they will put on the house spicy sauce. Which I enjoyed. It added a lil kick to my Gyro without having to add hot sauce. The meat was nice and tender and had a good amount of sauce. It came with sherred lettuce red onions and tomatoes with the tzatiki sauce that was mellow and not over powering. The pita bread was soft and fresh tasting. I asked if the baklava was made in house? He said it was and even let me have one on the house. I enjoyed it. You can taste that it wasnt bought at a store.

Went for lunch today. Extremely dry falafel, horrible tabbouleh (Made with cous cous instead of bulgar!), tiny portions I got like three tablespoons of hummus and babaganoush, and way over-​priced. Their online menu says prices have gone up 10% when you get there it’s more like 40−50%. (For example the veggie combo platter is $ 5.60 on the website, but is $ 9.75 when you get there). Lousy service and an attitude.
Fuck these assholes.
Update: Apparently leaving a bad review for this place will cause employees to send you nasty messages here on Unilocal

Quality food for a decent price. It’s not cheap, but you get what you pay for. $ 10 for my gyro & beet salad. Needed a little variety in my diet before I turn into a chicken& fly away. Great service, with a smile.

It’s ridiculous this place isn’t more full. It’s 12:15 in downtown Oakland and I’m one of 3 people here. I don’t how authentically ethnic it is, but the food is very tasty, prepared in a timely fashion, they offer healthy options, good portions (unlike nearby suya), the staff is nice, and it’s cheaper than everything around. What’s not to like?

The best Gyro meat I have ever tried. And they have fantastic side salads that are also amazing. Their soup is good and the cucumber iced water is so refreshing. Small friendly place worth the wait and and always serving their customers with a smile. I really dig this place.

I really liked the falafel, but I wish they used fresh ingredients in the cucumber salad (instead of garlic powder). And the baba ganush was mainly smokey, like the eggplant had been burned. More care about quality would bring me back.

I came in for lunch with my coworker and went for the lamb wrap. We ordered to go and had to wait about 10 – 15 minutes for our food orders to be prepared.
The cashier was very friendly and accommodating with our somewhat complex orders.
The lamb was well seasoned and nice and tender. My side vegetables were a little on the salty side but that’s okay. The baklava was excellent, whether it’s made in house or just purchased in bulk, I can see why there are regulars for it! Light and flakey, just the right crispness– I highly recommend it, along with the lamb.

Came here by chance as I was walking by. Ordered the chicken delight sandwich and the artichoke salad. I thought both were solid choices with pretty good flavor. I would come back!

Had lunch here today with a friend, I got the gyro and my buddy got the tri-​tip thursday special. Both were excellent and came with our choice of a side, we both went for the mushroom salad.
The food was very fresh and the service was excellent. To top it all off there was an amazing jazz trio called High Standards playing out front. They did excellent takes on jazz, soul, and R&B tunes!
Overall a great experience, I will be back soon!

This place is amazing. Good service, freshly cooked food, reasonably priced, a verity choices of vegetarian food. Family run business & good service from the lady at the counter. I work one block from the restaurant, I go there at least twice a week.

I always loved the Athenian Deli, but the new cook makes the most delicious, fresh vegetable salads. The people are great.

I went to Athenian for lunch on Thursday after a leisurely walk through the uptown area and decided to give it another try. I had been here once before when I used to work around the corner and wasn’t really impressed but the band playing out front and the bustling activity of the World Cup soccer on a big screen tv encouraged me to go in for a nibble. As i approached the counter I saw a huge stack of meat (not the loaf kind) rotating on a spit and when i asked the lady about it the chef happily walked over and explained to me the process of how he thinly slices a beef brisket and leg of lamb and alternates them in layers before roasting and thinly slicing the meat to be used in their signature gyros. I had a gyro sandwich, tabouli, and a side of grilled artichoke potato salad. The place is so much different than I had remembered and the food was excellent and affordable. Even though I work a little further than before, I will definitely be coming back for lunch soon.

dropped in Athenian after failing to find Primo’s (which according to Unilocal is a few doors over). Athenian was in last acts. so just literally grabbed a baklava.
eats: homemade baklava (1.5)
–so much honey over layers of crisyness,
definiitely homemade.
lots better than whosesale stuff availale at wholesale places,

I had the lamb gyro which was pretty good, but the cucumber side salad was a bit week. If I’m craving greek during my work week, I’d go back for another gyro but try a different side.

This place has really turned around and the quality is showing. I wanted to try the new gyro (real slices of marinated lamb and beef, not that processed crap served at other east bay greek locations of which I won’t name.) However, when I went inside, they were all sold out! Instead I got the falafel plate which was really good with the seasoned rice and dolmas, and they gave me a free Mocha Latte! The coffee was an unexpected delight and the service was great. I think it is only a matter of time before more people realize how good Athenian has become (as evidence by the sold out gyros today), and my secret lunch destination in downtown Oakland becomes something like a hotspot. All I can say is get their early !! I know I will be next time!

The spicy gyro is so bomb! Im from out of town but I grabbed lunch here and everyone is super nice :) The smoothies are also really really good! Definitely check it out

I came into Athenian Deli today with a friend for a Gyro and it was the best i’ve ever had! The place is tucked behind Broadway on Franklin Street in Oakland’s Uptown.
As soon as I stepped in the door the staff greeted me and made sure we were taken care of. The Gyro is on point 5-​stars. Normally Gyro meat is questionable but the quality of Athenian’s meat is unbelievable! Behind the counter you can see the steak/​lamb combination rotating as the juices glisten and drip down the meat. Spiced and seasoned to perfection, I will be coming back for another one very soon! My friend ordered the Gyro and a side Greek salad and had the same experience I had. Everything is fresh, reasonable priced and mouth watering. I am surprised to see so many negative reviews but I understand they have new management so it is not the same restaurant it used to be. After devouring my sandwich I got a Mocha and their barista made it perfectly. Their coffee is as good or better then any coffee shop in Oakland. and theres a lot of good coffee shops in Oakland! Who would have known this place has one of the best cups of coffee!
Food: Flavorful, Fast, Affordable (5-​Stars)
Staff: Friendly, Generous (5-​Stars)
Coffee: Strong, Fast, brewed well (5-​stars)
If your in Oakland/​Bay Area and want a delicious breakfast or lunch by friendly family run business come down to Athenian and try it out!

I’ve tried the gyro and the falafel. Both are botched attempts. If it’s a Greek restaurant, they should have these down.