On a beautiful sunny Friday evening in Glasgow (yes, Glasgow!), I found myself meandering through Finnieston for some grub with the boyfriend in tow. Nestled along the lively Argyle Street and right next door to the Crabshakk, you can escape into the refreshing simplicity of Greek cuisine at Athena Greek Taverna. An early dinner date before the boyfriend headed off for an evening shift at the BBC, we took full advantage of their pre-theatre menu: 2 courses for £8.95. I must admit this was the first Greek restaurant in Glasgow I’ve ever set foot in, and I’m pleased that I did. It was also a welcomed break from preparing other Greek dishes at home.

Upon arrival, we were greeted and promptly seated next to the window (perfect for people watching!). Athena offers a contemporary clean space with a cosy atmosphere. After hearing the specials, we quickly glanced over the menu and settled on a couple starters, a side salad and mains to share.

Stuffed Mushrooms with goat cheese and garlic dip (starter)
With a crisp outer shell, these warm bite size orbs of delicate goodness melted in my mouth.

Houmous (starter)
This essential dip was just your standard blitzed up chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. I lapped it up with the accompanying pita bread. It would have been better with a wee well of olive oil and a dash of paprika.

Chicken Souvlaki (main)
Skewers of tender juicy chicken marinated in garlic, oregano, lemon juice and olive oil were charred to perfection. These heavenly bits of chicken, along with the salad and supple potato, went down a treat in my belly.

Keftedes (main)
Athena definitely knows how to keep their meats tender and juicy. Alongside the Chicken Souvlaki, these savoury lamb meatballs smothered in a tangy tomato sauce melted in my mouth. These were not your typical dry overcooked meatballs that you might find elsewhere.

The food was delightfully fresh and savoury. The service was lovely as well, although they did forgot to serve us our Greek side salad, and it took some effort to make eye contact with “Chatty McChattersons” behind the bar to get our bill. Thankfully, they apologized for not serving our salad and took it off our bill. If you’ve got a hankering for something different from your typical pub fare, definitely pay Athena Greek Taverna a visit!

Athena Greek Taverna
1116 Argyle Street
Glasgow G3 8TD
Phone: 0141 339 3895