Athens On 4th Avenue

Recommends

TrueReview2

Joined 3 years ago

Athens on 4th Caters Executive Parties. Folks, I have been dining at Athens on 4th Avenue in Tucson for years where I have consistently found high quality authentic Greek cuisine including artisan Greek dishes, fresh fish and seafood, chop-house quality prime meats, vegetarian specialties, homemade soups, and handmade desserts. The current General Manager, Georgios Varnasidis (though I just call him “George”), is friendly, outgoing, and treats each customer as a family member. A couple years ago, I asked George if he would be willing to cater an evening barbecue at my home for a small group of international executives. Not only did he say, “Yes” but he and his staff did an excellent job. The food and wine were superb. Setup, service, and cleanup were quite reasonably priced. Even if you do not know much about Greek food, I suggest you give Athens a try. I am sure you will enjoy the dining experience.

Doesn't Recommend

BigAndHungry

Joined 3 years ago

Food...Yum....Owner...YUCK. I took my girlfriend there for dinner to celebrate her graduation from college. At first I was impressed by the owner walking from table to table making sure everyone was enjoying their meals, and the atmosphere, then I realized out of the 10 tables he went to we were the only ones he never made an effort to come say hello. Its not that he didn't see us, he walked past us numerous times and never even cracked a smile. It wasn't until I was out the door that he yelled "Thank You" from the back of the restaurant. I left with the feeling that I was not welcome there and would never recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Waitress and food were good but could not good enough to overcome the feeling of being treated like second class citizens.

Recommends

Christina Pappas

Joined 3 years ago

BEST GREEK. Having worked at Athens during my college years, I know firsthand what goes on in that restaurant.

The owner, Andreas Delfakis, is one of the pickiest people I've ever met. He doesn't actually work the line as much anymore, but he has a constant behind-the-scenes presence to monitor the quality that place puts out.

They don't even use ready-made chicken broth for their soups - they actually make it every day from scratch! Same goes for their famous braised lamb, sauces and desserts. Every single thing from scratch every day. Watching the kitchen on a busy weekend night is an amazing scene, especially to watch them make the Seafood Santorini dish, which is a several step process (this is not fast food folks).

I just read some reviews that the owners are arrogant. I think what that reviewer meant to say is that Athens does not tolerate rude customers. And that is true, they don't. They work too hard over there.

If we ever had a complaint, we were always told to fix it immediately (to the extent we could). Period. That's what I call five star. Premium food and premium service. And they were premium employers too! I miss that man. Andreas, if you're out there reading this (doubtful - he doesn't bother with this stuff), I'm driving down to see you next Saturday! I'm craving the Santorini! - Christina

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kdthegreat73

Joined 4 years ago

Delicious, not over-done!. I think the previous reviewer is a smoker or something if he/she can't taste the spices and garlic!

Doesn't Recommend

tucsongal

Joined 7 years ago

only ok. The food was ok, the service was ok.............not the best experience i've had in a tucson restaurant, maybe just an off night?

Recommends

sahoney79

Joined 8 years ago

The Service is better than the food.... Athens on 4th is a nice restaurant. You could tell that the staff is predominently greek, but the food isn't. Everything seemed a bit bland. When I eat greek, I expect to TASTE the garlic and herbs. It was the first time I have ever eaten at a greek restaurant and not seen any feta cheese. For $14 for a Gyro Platter you would expect something that resembles a greek salad served before or as accompaniment. The portions were decent, but the prices a bit high. The baklava was good, not great. Great baklava is sweet, but not overpoweringly so. All I could taste was honey, the filo and nuts were drowned out. The staff was excellent, they were so accomidating that it was almost worth the bland food and high prices. For a Friday it was surprising how many empty tables there were, a reservation was definately not needed.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

This alluring Hellenic bistro brings all the flavors of Greece to Tucson.. The Scene:
The menu at Athens is dependable, with favorites like spanakopita, moussaka, gyros, lamb dishes, and other Greek favorites, as well as shrimp, sweetbreads, and pasta. All dishes are served in large portions; it's fully possible to make a gratifying meal of only appetizers and soup. The side vegetables are braised especially well, and the quality of the main dishes, if not Olympian, is thoroughly respectable. Athens can be easy to miss from the street; it's in an old house set back slightly from the northeast corner of Fourth Avenue and Sixth Street. Reservations are suggested on Saturday nights, but are not usually necessary the rest of the week. Parking along Fourth Avenue can sometimes be a challenge, especially at lunchtime; rest assured that the residential side streets are safe day and night.