4. Restaurants

Athenian Seafood Restaurant and Bar

1517 Pike Pl, Seattle, WA, 98101
  • (206) 624-7166
  • Store is closed

Athenian Seafood Restaurant and Bar Menu

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  • Lisa G.

    The clam chowder was great. Staff was very helpful and friendly. Priced right.

    (4)

  • R M.

    Food and service are good. Nice scenery of the water.

    (4)

  • Gary I.

    This was a big tourist trap. The biscuit and gravy was really oily. The the gravy didn't have a nice consistency. The crab cakes benedict was very bland. I had a side of lamb sausage and it was served kind of cold. I recommend skipping this place on your vacation.

    (2)

  • Grace T.

    bf and i stumbled into her on the scorching hot seattle day (what the heck, right?) where no one had AC and the athenian was no exception...initially, they sat us by the windows and we had a GORGEOUS view (go for the view!) but it was so hot we ended up getting re-seated by the bar and the waiter even brought me a paper fan to fan off! service is classic in that it's casual and easygoing and it's the kind of place you can just relax and be...the food is delicious...oyster happy hour deals and amazing blue cheese sweet potato fries where even me, the blue cheese detester, was a big fan! it's located right in the pike's place market so you'd think it would be overpriced and only "eh", but this place is alright in my book and i would totally go again -- maybe on a more typical RAINY seattle day!

    (4)

  • Mizz B.

    Highly recommend going here for breakfast and getting an upstairs booth with a view. Everyone at the table had something different and everything was how breakfast food should be. Over medium eggs were just right, scrambled eggs fluffy, bacon just cripsy enough, sausage was tasty, hashbrowns were amazing and the pancakes done with a homemade batter. Delicious.The service was also good - you could tell the waiter had been in the food business for awhile and knew what he was doing.

    (4)

  • Ari C.

    I'm a bit undecided with this review. On one hand, I liked my food, on the other, service was sub-par. First of all, if you're thinking of dining with 3 friends, DON'T. Why? Because they'll seat you in a booth for TWO. Seriously, we were crammed into a 2.5' x 4' booth. All FOUR of us. It really made a cozy breakfast. A little too cozy. Although some people might like it better that way *wink wink* The place is constantly busy, so expect a wait before you get seated. Then more waiting for menu, drinks and food. Need more coffee or OJ in your cup? Don't even bother waiting for the servers to come, ASK FOR IT. The servers are always walking about our table but nobody even stopped to refill anything. They don't have bad personality, just bad hospitality skills. My food was pretty good. It had clams, rice and soupy broth. Not sure what my fellow diners thought of the food. I think the descriptions on the menu are actually better than the food itself.

    (3)

  • Thigh C.

    It's my favorite breakfast destination especially during holidays. If you ask where I can find my favorite clam chowder, it's here. I know, not the "famous" clam chowder. I really like it here because of the ambiance, food, and the great view of the bay on the 2nd floor. I call it very Seattle. Everytime I have a visitor, we always come here for breakfast. The only drawback, it's always crowded and hard to find a seat. Well, it's in Pike Place and ofcourse, Tom Hanks been here (Sleepless in Seattle, anybody? Wow, that was 10 years ago or so?). I tell you, it's a plus when you have a visitor. Always 5 stars!

    (5)

  • Nikki K.

    My mom & I went to Athenian Inn during our last trip to Seattle. It was definitely worth the hype. The view is great and the food is reasonably priced with huge portions. We sat on the benches on the 1st floor and had a great view of the wharf and the bay area. My mom is vegetarian and was still able to find a couple options for dinner. I had the salmon burger which was perfectly cooked.

    (4)

  • Liz M.

    When I came to Seattle, I was determined to have as much fish as humanly possible for every meal I ate. After much deliberation from some friendly Welpers (western Yelpers), many people recommended I come here. I always was a sucker for Sleepless in Seattle. It was around 1:00 in the afternoon, but I really wanted the salmon eggs benedict. The menu had changed over to lunch, but they serve some key breakfast items all day, and the waitress said it was no problem after I saw salmon wasn't offered with the eggs benedict. Whew! While we waited, we got many many refills of water because it was really warm in there and we were on the 2nd level. If you can, wait for these seats. They are rather small, and it was tricky getting two people onto one bench, but you make it work because they give you the best view of the sound. I honestly can't tell you what other people got because from the moment the eggs benedict were placed in front of me, I was obsessed. I took tastes of everything separately, together, by twos, using every bit of my taste buds as I could. The hollandaise may have been generic, the yokes were not runny, but I really didn't care. It was just that good. The salmon had a good salty flavor to cut the richness of the hollandaise, I made sure that even if I couldn't move afterward, I would eat every single bite of this plate.

    (4)

  • Krisztina V.

    You know when your so hungry your almost drunk. We walked back and forth for hours in a haze. The menu looked OK, seafood specials a nice view, blah blah. Our waitress was this nice mousey girl that was very attentive and sweet, good service is always a plus. The fried corn fritters were yum (cant screw up fried). I ordered a salmon with blueberry chutney. Sounds awesomely fancy and cool but all the while tasted pedestrian (not like the human being that walk across the street, those taste delicious with blueberry chutney). This food did the job that food is suppose to do, make you not hungry anymore. The bill for three starving bitches almost $150! You know when you wake up after a drunken time and regret what happened the night before, this is what this felt like.

    (2)

  • Kim C.

    A solid sit down lunch location in Pike Place Market with a beautiful view. They have a great local beer list and your beer comes to you in a nice frosted mug! A pretty standard menu and decently priced considering that you are in the market. I had the clam chowder bread bowl and the chowder was tasty and the bread had a nice sourdough bite. Also, be sure to see the Sleepless in Seattle stools at the front of the bar. Rob Reiner and Tom Hanks - cool surprise when we walked in.

    (3)

  • Matt D.

    I don't know whether to give this place 2 or 3 stars...2 1/2? Pros: Serivce was good, staff was friendly and attentive. The happy hour menu had reasonably priced food that filled us up. The fish and chip basket was tasty. They offer a good variety of local beers, including a tripel that is brewed right down the street. The view from the bar area was also pretty sweet, looking right out on the water. Cons: the roasted chicken nachos just weren't that good....the cheese was way overdone, to the point of making the pile of chips one big practically inseparable mound. The chicken itself wasn't that great. You also have to buy one drink per happy hour appetizer, which was weird to me, as I'm used to happy hour being happy hour with only one drink purchase. I'd probably go here again given the good value on happy hour stuff, but I'll be trying other places in Pike's Place before doing so.

    (3)

  • Ponarett X.

    I really wanted to like this place. Great view, great location, what's not to love? I went here for the first time with some out-of-towners. We probably waited 10-15 minutes, which was fine because it was a busy Saturday afternoon. Once we were seated, the four of us were crammed into this tiny little booth. I had to eat with my arms glued to my sides. The food was kinda pricey, but then again, what can one expect from a tourist spot? I ordered the seafood bisque which was good but nothing memorable. I had some of my friend's mashed potatoes and I have definintely made better ones than what they served. The best thing that I did have was the apple cider ale. That was delicious! Order a pitcher; it's well worth it! Needless to say, I will not be suggesting this place when I have more out-of-town guests.

    (1)

  • Julian H.

    Food was meh. View is nice. Some tables have outlets if you need to plug in. Service was fine. The atmosphere at breakfast was too sleepy, and they have no espresso, only mediocre drip coffee. Not really much here that was memorable, but it's cheap.

    (3)

  • Mayank R.

    We loved the food here. Thanx to this place, the feeling we got when we visited Seattle was that people in Seattle are so jolly. Maaan.. the waiters were like they were on caffeine high :-) it was amazing.. Beautiful view from the tables of the sea... great choices of beer and very very yummy food.

    (4)

  • Dan M.

    The sign says "Athenian Lunch" but I came here for breakfast with a couple of friends on a Friday morning. It was pretty empty so we had our pick of seats, and the view of the Olympics and the ferries was great. But what impressed me immediately was the range of options they had for breakfast. Hangtown fry... Kedgeree... Kippers... Scrapple... A nice change from the usual breakfast options. I went with eggs benedict because, well, that's my default if I see it on the menu. And they were good--decent Hollandaise, poached eggs a bit on the firm side, and really good ham. The hash browns were just okay, nothing to write home about. Service was also great; our server gave us the separate-check option right at the beginning (always nice) and came by frequently to warm up our coffees. It was pretty empty in there, after all. The Athenian was good, and I'm eager to get back there to try some of their other breakfast options.

    (4)

  • Max M.

    Well, we were on the hunt for Fish & Chips and this place had the cheapest once among the sit down restaurants. Then we also saw that it was used in the movie "sleepless in Seattle". They marked the spot where Tom Hanks was sitting. The waitress seamed still to have a hang hover the way she approached the line in front of "Please wait to be seated sign". Once we got our booth (very good view for that they become the 2 stars), we had to wait a while to be served. Food was not pretty good. To sum, they are in business for 100 years (they have a big banner saying so), basically based on the advertising in Sleepless in Seattle but not for anything else (maybe the view is to be noted).

    (2)

  • Jody F.

    Too bad. This used to be my favorite place to eat breakfast when we over-night in Seattle. I'm wondering if they had a change in ownership, because the menu was new and the quality was down. You can't even order a 2 egg breakfast unless you want scrambled, the combos are all three eggs. (though our waiter said he could get one left off). I got corned beef hash & eggs. The portion was much smaller than in the past, and my eggs were WAY over-cooked. The hash was yummy enought, but it was over $11! My son really didn't like his scrambled eggs, either. We tried Lowells (next door) a few months ago because the Athenian was closed (a Sunday??) I think we're making the switch. You have to order at the counter, but they have the same view & better food.

    (2)

  • mike T.

    Came here for some appetizers. Was dissapointed in the food. The calamari was over cooked, super rubbery, the clam chowder was average. The fish and chips were apparently good though, I did not those them. I am giving this place 3 stars for the drinks and the service we got. Super nice girl, very attentive. I had an irish coffee which was really just a warm glass of jameson flavored with coffee, yum yum.

    (3)

  • Rona M.

    My husband and I were looking for somewhere to eat as the businesses in Pike's Place were starting to close up for the day. We saw the happy hour menu posted on the door and decided to give it a shot. Being tourists, we were delighted to see that this place was in "Sleepless in Seattle." We ordered the shrimp scampi, clam chowder, elk sliders and oyster shots. The shrimp scampi was pretty good, it was a little spicy and I think it was in a curry sauce. The clam chowder was excellent. It was very creamy with a hint of cheese and a nice touch of spice. The elk sliders were yuuuuuuummy! The meat was very tender and tasty. As for the oyster shots, I loved that at happy hour you could order 1 for a buck because all I wanted was a taste and not have to order a half -dozen like you usually do in other places. We're definitely going to stop by again before we leave Seattle and have some more clam chowder.

    (4)

  • Kimberly H.

    If you're looking for a diner-style breakfast, even on crowd packed weekends in or near Pike Place Market, this is a great spot where you can get seated quickly - as long as you follow my advice and SIT AT THE COUNTER. Tourists line up forever trying to get a booth. The booths are really uncomfortable in the first place, being made of hardwood and being about as big as 1.5 people. They have a really extensive menu, surprisingly! I recommend the oatmeal and perhaps a classic egg breakfast with sausage. You're not going to a gourmet place here, but it's exactly what you need if you're going for a standard, no nonsense American breakfast. They also have lots of seafood options. One strange thing is I think that they're not open on Sundays except for in the Summer, so be sure to check before making the hike and fighting for parking. This is a good alternative to Bacco (another place I reviewed) if they're too full and you're hungry and don't want to wait. Plus, who doesn't like walking through the Market?!

    (3)

  • David D.

    happy hour fish and chips are the bomb! the view is the bomb! but getting thru the market to get there is a bomb! great tho! I wouldn't want to work there. My friend had a burger and enjoyed it, but its definitly seattle prices. not all of us are rich, but i dont want to go to mcdonalds because I cant afford a 10 dollar burger.

    (3)

  • Richard E.

    Forget the food -drink the beer and enjoy the view from this Pike Place dive.This place has the true Seattle old time vibe.It's funky,unique and teh view is unbeatable especially near sunset.Enjoy!!

    (5)

  • Marie E.

    Ate here with my husband, and 3 small kids right before Christmas. 2 kids had the shrimp bisque. It was delicious. One son with a gluten allergy ordered fish and chips from the kids menu, and his fish was prepared grilled instead. Very nice. I had the fish and chips. Fish was delicious, but the cole slaw was dry, and lacked flavor. Server was very prompt, and courteous, but never smiled.

    (3)

  • M A.

    I was a little disappointed in the food. I was expecting excellent seafood for the price. The seating area is also uncomfortable little booths. The carrots did not seem fresh (even though the restaurant is located in the market) and the waiter was also the bartender that was to busy hanging out with his buddies at the bar. I wish I would have shopped around for better. Our tab was at least $60.

    (3)

  • Lyca F.

    I've been in Seattle for 4 yrs. I visited this restaurant finally. There are not many to see as a tourist here, but I heard about this place being one of them. My partner ordered adobo prepared by real pinoy cook. I was surprised it was greeat. For the great view from the loft, thier prices are reasonable in the middle of Pike Place Market, this restaurant has survived about a hundred years. I like survivor restaurants. They also have a lot of good classic American treats. I particularly like seafood, so I ordered... I forgot the name, but it was seafood soup with rice. It was very refreshing and healthy. I liked the waitress and waiter, they were relaxed and comfortable, did not make me nervous... I loved the interior, felt the history. I hope they can survive and beat the label "sleepless in seattle restaurant." I think it is a cozy place. But, I guess I would not want to wait in a line to get into this place, so I am giving 4 stars.

    (4)

  • J K.

    I don't like giving bad reviews, but I just can't give this place more than one star. Cons: The food was awful. The ingredients seem to be cheap. They can't even make an average-tasting hamburger. Way overpriced too. Pros: Apparently this is where a scene from Sleepless In Seattle was filmed. I guess that's interesting. The atmosphere is nice. If you're lucky you can get a window seat overlooking the bay. The service was good.

    (1)

  • Becky W.

    The service was awesome and the view breathtaking and the chowder to die for. I wish I would have made that my whole meal. I got the Ahi Tuna salad. It was ok. It wasn't the best or the worst I have ever have but being in a fish market I was really hoping for an Ahi salad that would be something to write home about.

    (3)

  • Ryan P.

    The food was excellent!! Recommend the Salmon Saute'. I went by myself and sat at the counter where you can watch them prepare everything and a nice view into the kitchen... Service was less than stellar... I waited 10 minutes before they came to take my order, then they never came back for refills or to check on things. Had to ask someone else for the check...

    (4)

  • Christine O.

    So, this is the place where Tom Hanks filmed a scene in Sleepless in Seattle... though I didn't even know that until my friend told me as we were leaving.. cool, I guess. After walking around Pike Place, we ran into this restaurant randomly for lunch. We got seats upstairs overlooking Elliot Bay. It was super hot that day (Seattle has been breaking records this summer!) and wasn't feeling too hungry so I had the fish & chips. Food was satisfactory. Service was average. Price is about average for a sit-down restaurant.

    (3)

  • Blake C.

    I've lived in Seattle for 47-years. Back in the 80's my Dad used to eat at this place every Tuesday with a group a buddies. I had been there a time or two with my Dad but had no real memory of the food or otherwise. Yesterday, my sidekick Bill and I were walking around the market and decided to give it a try. The view of the water from the loft was wonderful. Nothing else was. It was horrible. There are so many excellent restaurants in Seattle, restaurants operated by owners who really care. Owners who have pride in their product and service. This is not one of those restaurants. It's a shame and a sham. The space is nostalgic and the location superb. Take a look in, if you're a "Sleepless in Seattle" fan, take a picture, and then walk on by to a better place. A place with a heart. NOTE: Recently I asked my Mom about this place. She said "it's awful, always has been." I asked "why did Dad go there"; she didn't know. "Maybe to meet up with his buddies, the food was probably secondary."

    (1)

  • Amiee M.

    Finally ventured into this place for a weekday breakfast with a friend. The view from the top is amazing, and I appreciate the "oldness" factor (booths are super hard wood like you might find on a boat or something else that's cool), but that's about where the fun stops. The service was RIDICULOUS. Our server brought us two coffees and literally laughed in my face when I asked if they had soy milk. Fifteen minutes passed. We still hadn't been brought menus. We asked a passing server if we could get some menus. She stopped in her tracks, turned and gave us the oddest look, and kept walking. And - no surprise here - didn't bring us any menus. I think my friend's exact words were, "Maybe she thought I said, 'hey, can you look at me for a second?'" A few minutes later, our server returned and asked what we would be having. Only then, when he was met with nervous stares, did he realize we had yet to see a menu. After perusing the menu, my friend asked the server to describe hominy. Even though it is prominently featured on at least two breakfast entrees, his response was, "No clue." He eventually recovered and realized what exactly hominy is, but feck, come on. The food was decent. My friend never received her side of ranch that she asked for. Coffee was topped off in a timely manner. I don't know. The whole experience was just weird. I can't remember the last time I have actually been a little scared of my server.

    (2)

  • Eddie I.

    I had breakfast here, The london breakfast (3 eggs, sausages & bacon strips with fried tomatoes)...coffee and toast came to 13 bucks..not bad as the view alone was worth most of that. The service was very good and though I didn't have a beer they seemd to have a good variety. A very comfy little bar and grill, wish it was around the corner from me.

    (4)

  • Hannah L.

    Great view, shoddy service, a-ok food. Overall, 3 stars. The servers here seem like they're always in a rush to have you order and hustle you out the door. I ordered a bowl of clam chowder and ordered the ahi steak burger. Clam chowder was pretty average and the ahi steak burger was good, but it seemed like it was missing a component. The wasabi mayo was way too bland and I couldn't taste a hint of wasabi anywhere in this burger. As I mentioned before, the food was mediocre, the service was non-existent, but the view was spectacular.

    (3)

  • Me H.

    I don't like this place. It's kind of dirty and normally filled with tourist wanting to eat at the "Sleepless in Seattle" place. For being in the market the fish and chips are tiny and just a notch above Van de Kamp frozen fish sticks ok maybe two notches because they didn't have that frozen taste to them. And the serving, for the price you pay, was on the small side but again it's in the Market and they are catering to tourist who need to eat out not to me. I have people who love this place which is why I go, the company is always great the service and food not so great. Plus the booth like tables are extremely uncomfortable which I think they do on purpose so that people don't take leisurely lunches here. Oh and how can I forget about the tarter sauce it was warm and it was store bought not homemade. HELLO this place is located in Pike Place Market and does not make its own tarter sauce; I think it was Heinz, pre-packaged ready made tarter sauce.

    (2)

  • David S.

    Not very good. We had appetizers for an afternoon snack and were sorely disappointed. Prawn cocktail was more like bay shrimp cocktail and service was slow. Nobody seemed to care, so I don't care to return.

    (2)

  • Trish P.

    Sure it's a tourist trap, the host is hard to find and the booths can only fit two people but the views here are priceless. We were seated on the second floor by the window and got great views. The food is ok. My halibut was fresh and fried to perfection. I was a little bit annoyed because the menu stated that the meal included french bread and butter. So I ask the waitress about the bread and she said unfortunately it doesn't come with the meal and if I wanted it I would have to pay extra. Uh, okay.. Then why does the menu state that the meal is served with bread? If you don't serve it, take it off the menu so customers don't get confused!

    (2)

  • K O.

    We wanted to get a quick snack before dinner so we came because there was no line and the view was great(which was the best thing about this spot). The calamari was tough and chewy, seemed like it's been thawed, then refrozen, then recooked. The aoli was too mayonnaisey and had a discolored tint like its been sittin in the fridge uncovered. I'd rather wait a bit longer and dine next door.

    (2)

  • Sarah M.

    I would only come here if you were 100% sure that you could get an upstairs seat by the window, otherwise I say don't go. I know that this place has such the appeal because of "Sleepless in Seattle" - it's true Seattle Pike Place if you want the experience. However, the service is horrible and the food is subpar. My boyfriend and I went here and were seated at this really nice seat by the window and then a larger group came in after us and then the hostess moved us to a smaller seat away from the window. She claimed that the group had come in before us and forgot to seat us...but this was entirely untrue. We still had a semi-decent seat but it took forever go get our mediocre food...I had some kind of a greekish salad and my boyfriend had a hamburger. It's just typical diner food. The restaurant itself is kind of a cool place...I just wish the food and service were better.

    (2)

  • Trish F.

    We were starving. And didn't know better. Otherwise.. I probably wouldn't have eaten at Athenian. I do have to give some small props to the place because Tom Hanks filmed part of Sleepless in Seattle there. And the fact that because we were the smallest group (twofer) we got to skip the line (which seems somewhat unfair but I don't like to fight with my stomach about such matters). Besides the nice host, the waitstaff seemed friendly but uninformed. The waitress had told my friend not to order the chowder because the salad she was ordering was going to be "huge". Her salad came out.. chock full of iceberg lettuce.. and my friend was still hungry at the end of the meal. Hydrated, but hungry. As for me.. well.. after living in Boston for almost 7 years, I had to try the "Boston Chowder". I didn't even know we had one! Or is that what people on the west coast call New England Clam Chowder? Anyway, it was pretty much potato soup (despite the menu's claims of fishiness) and it had a strong taste of black pepper. Is that how it is made? Or did someone take it upon themselves to pepper it up for me? (Side note: blegh). With high hopes for an entree, I ordered the crab cakes. They came out hidden underneath a plate full of fries. Why hidden? They tasted decent, but they were fried crab pancakes masquerading as crab cakes. More diner style than anything.. this isn't what I expected from a legendary restaurant. The atmosphere is very diner style. A lot of the waitresses knew the patrons which balanced out the amount of tourists. The guys at the back bar seemed all too familiar and gave the place a divey kind of feel. There were a couple guys that have probably had a beer perma-stuck to their hand since the 70s.. Oh but I did like the lemonade. 2ish3ishstahz?

    (3)

  • Gerald S.

    Hell, I didn't even know that they shot a scene from Sleepless in Seattle here! Well, it doesn't change a thing for me anyways... My wife ordered the veggie scrambled eggs which come with hash brown and toast. They supposedly used 3 eggs, but it seemed like they used 10 eggs. The thing is huge! I think it's cuz they used tons of veggies in there. It was ok, I didn't care for it, but my wife liked it. I ordered the crab cake benedict and that was actually quite good. The hollandaise sauce was just right and not too sour. The crab cakes part, from what I could taste of it, was delicious. I also thought the hash brown were better than what you'd find at a place like Denny's. And where the heck was that toast they promised us? I'm not even sure if I was supposed to get one. I know my wife was supposed to so we had to ask for it. Apparently, they don't bring it to you unless you ask for it. The same happened to the table behind me. WTF? Come on, man... if it's in the menu, just give us the damn toast.

    (3)

  • James F.

    Sure the food is bad, (I ordered fish and chips and one of the pieces was still raw!) sure the service comes with a salty aftertaste, but damn good cheap beer and amazing views with little Tourons in sight! I don't know why it is but the bar at the Athenian is a mostly local feel, right in the heart of the Pike Place Market, I am always surprised not to see more camera touting, map wielding travelers here (maybe they just don't sit in the bar). Go enjoy a pitcher of your favorite local brew and enjoy some views of the sound and Olympics in the distance.

    (3)

  • Vicki L.

    wandering through the market, we decided to stop by here as it was convenient and there was a nice view overlooking the water. aside from the view, everything else was just plain bad. our waiter was never around, somewhat rude/aloof, and on top of the bland/bad breakfast, there was some sort of horrendous construction going on downstairs by the kitchen that resulted in ear-splitting banging/clashing/drilling noises. i ordered the kedgeree which ended up tasting more like dried salmon rice pilaf drowned in a pool of saffron seasoning. the best part of my breakfast was the biscuit, which tasted suspiciously similar to pilsbury biscuits, and from the look of the place, i wouldn't be surprised if it was. i consider myself to be pretty easygoing with my food, but if i'm going to drop $9 on a plate for breakfast, i'm usually expecting something at least halfway decent. the food is nothing special, and i can (and do) make better breakfasts at home.

    (1)

  • Bill N.

    This place was way too busy because of the great view. I have never eaten here but I have had drinks a few times in the bar. Regulars are always hanging out and the bartenders seem to know everybody. The food didn't look like anything special but it does have the view. Fun to talk to the alki regulars and have a beer.

    (3)

  • Patrick D.

    I lived in Seattle for about 11 years. Moved away a long time ago, but every time I return to Seattle I try to spend some time at the Athenian. I don't remember eating there. I'm sure I did, but that's not why I go there. It's for being in the Pike Street Market, a wonderful place visually interesting, interesting people (both the merchants and the visitors - locals and tourists), great smells, and the opportunity to sit quietly at a window table drinking a cold beer - the Athenian has LOTS of them on tap - and enjoy one of the best views in Seattle. Go there during the week when the breakfast or lunch rush is over and relax. If you are a food snob, stay away. If you go there because of the movie, WHY? If you go there to be pampered, try an expensive hotel. If you go there to eat and run, you're taking a risk, If you go there to enjoy the place, not what you want it to be but what it is, you will. I always look forward to my next visit.

    (4)

  • Matt R.

    Their coffee is pretty good for greasy spoon coffee. They have Scrapple on their menu along with lots of familiar staples of any good breakfast place. The patrons here are a very diverse group and I overheard a pretty good joke from one of them*. If you happen to have family or friends visiting from out of town, take them here on a nice day for some fantastic views. Even if the weather is shite, they can watch ferries come and go in the dreadful weather. I would subtract two stars for the weird service. Our server on Sunday was sent upstairs by his boss to work the upper level. No one mentioned this to us so we had to go ask some waitresses where he went. The extra star is for their bacon. Real thick, well-cooked but still tender and flavorful. *For those of you that stuck it out until the end of the review, I reward you with the joke: A doctor brings a patient into his office. He says, "I've got good news and bad news." The patient asks, "What's the good news?" The doctor says, "Well, you've got 24 hours left to live." The patient asks, "Wow, what the hell is the bad news?" The doctor replies, "I forgot to call you yesterday." BA-DUM-BUM, CHING!

    (4)

  • David L.

    I had breakfast here the second morning I was in Seattle and it was about average, at best. Though the restaurant was only about a quarter full, I was kept waiting by the staff for about 15-20 minutes before I was finally told to seat myself in the corner of the bar area! The view from the bar was absolutely fantastic but it was just about ruined by the quality of the meal. First off, the orange juice I got was in this tiny cup and cost me about $3 without refills. Second, it didn't taste very fresh. Third, the waitress was very unkind when I asked for a breakfast recommendation after finding out I was a tourist. I would think she would have tried to be extra nice to get even more money out of me! That said, I ended up ordering an open topped oyster omelette, which was tasty, though the bacon was way overcooked and too crunchy for my liking. The oysters themselves were the best part of the meal, but not enough to make up for everything else.

    (2)

  • Peggy R.

    Met a friend for lunch at this Market fixture, and was awe-struck by the view. The waitress greeted us and took our drink orders right away, and she actually gave us water without asking. We started with the steamed clams, which were fabulous with a buttery wine sauce. My friend ordered a salmon burger, and I ordered a Monte Cristo Sandwich. Our food arrived quickly, which was awesome. My friends salmon burger consisted of several small strips of salmon, not a salmon fillet as she expected, and the salmon hadn't been trimmed at all, which seemed a bit odd. My Monte Cristo was a decent ham and turkey sandwich with swiss cheese, but it wasn't the way I traditionally prefer them. I like when the sandwich is put together, then dipped in the egg batter and fried. This one hardly seemed like there was any egg batter at all, and each slice was lightly dipped. I will say that the French Fries were the perfect flavor and texture, and my friends veggies on her sandwich looked fresh. I think I'm going to take Sage's suggestion and try Happy Hour!

    (3)

  • Luisinho B.

    Cold clam chowder, over seasoned, over priced, praws were NOT cleaned so i dealt with the unpleasant cord in one if them... tourist trap at best because of location and view... Skip it if you can

    (1)

  • Traci J.

    Walked over to the Market on a blustery day to get our Seahawks shirts (good thing we didn't go full boat and buy a jersey at Macy's). We walked in to the Athenian for a quick lunch and were quickly seated at the window, Companion ordered the bacon cheeseburger and I got the Reuben sans sauerkraut. Iced teas came quickly and were pretty good and strong, but you felt like you had to suck on the skinny little straw till your eyes bugged out. Food came pretty quick and didn't disappoint. The burger patty didn't look like anything out of the ordinary but the caramelized onions had a hint of rosemary and the bun was pretty good looking. My Reuben had a good amount of meat, but when you took a bite, it seemed like the whole slice of corned beef came out in your mouth. Fries were good and the service was pretty fine. Maybe not a destination restaurant, but if you're in the Market and need something homey to eat, this is the place.

    (3)

  • Helen C.

    NOT good at all! The best service... the worst food. Steamed clams.... so not good. No flavor. Crab Cakes............ si not good. Too dry. Yuck!

    (1)

  • Shari X.

    Although the place was very busy for Friday lunch, we (2 people) were able to be seated within 5-10 minutes. We had a table on the upper floor beside the window, and the view was amazing. The service was good. The waiter was in no hurry, and checked in often. Even though they were busy, we felt no rush to leave from the waiters or management. Clam chowder...where do I even begin to describe how wonderful it was. After this summer, I don't know if I will be able to stomach the clam chowder anywhere else. It was sweet and delicious and flavorful. We also got a daily special of calamari. I was expecting it crispy and fried, so it was interesting when it came in a tomato soup base with artichokes and other vegetables. Interesting, but I don't think I will get it again. We ordered both of our dishes from the daily specials: seafood lasgna and salmon. We enjoyed both dishes and were thoroughly stuffed.

    (4)

  • Patrick W.

    Came in around 10:10 in the morning and was looking for lunch, but they don't start serving it until 11:00am. We tried to explain to the busboy that we were going to leave and return, but he completely ignored us. When we returned and were seated, our service was surprisingly slow even to get our initial drinks. Our food came almost an hour later, while people around us that ordered were getting their food first.

    (2)

  • Jonny H.

    The Athenian Inn was recommended to us by the guys throwing the fishes at Pike's Place. We asked them to recommend a breakfast place and the one of them said Athenian for good food, a great view, and decent prices. So we decided to go. They sat us down by the window and the view was great (5 out of 5)! Then they made suggestions and I ended up having the "Athenian Seafood Bowl" (4 out of 5) and a "Frosty Mac & Jacks" (which was from a local brewery (4 out of 5). The food was good, not great, but good. However, I would highly recommend having a frosty mug of beer, that experience was great (5 out of 5). My partner had the breakfast; she thought it was only 3 out of 5 stars. Basically, it was ok, nothing special, just a regular breakfast.

    (4)

  • Yaya W.

    To say the very most, I am not impressed. That's the nicest way to describe this food. I ordered shrimp bisque for starters, there was zero actual shrimp in my bisque.When I asked the server about it he says they puree it into the bisque. Sorry, not good. That's a fail to me when I'm surrounded by fresh seafood every where.i replaced it with the New England claim chowder. That was actually pretty good. We ordered a salmon on a stick appetizers. It was greasey and unpleasant. We left most on the skewer. 3 people ordered the taste of the north west meal. Comes with steamed veggies and your choice of fries, mashed potatoes, rice or double veggies. Veggies got a range critique of "they were alright" to "I really didn't care for them". The crab and shrimp crab cake looks and taste like it was frozen before it came out. The small claims in the very small bowl of claims where decent. He discribe the French fries as being like McDonalds. I don't care for McDonald's anything. But that's what ordered and they were the best thing on the plate. The salmon... no one finished it...if that's telling you anything. Bottom line. Choose another restaurant in the area. Oh, and when we arrived we had a choice of happy hour OR dinner. We couldn't have both. Who does that? Never again.

    (1)

  • Doris Z.

    Come here for the view not the food! The service was not so pleasant, food was no good also, felt like cafeteria food. But the view! Nothing could compare!

    (2)

  • Amanda E.

    Pricey, but... OH SO WORTH IT! If you are a garlic lover, their mashed potatoes and garlic prawns are thee greatest! I was also really impressed on how much broccoli they gave with their "side." My hubby had the prawn fettuccine and it was delicious! I was so happy with my service as the waitress was a delight. The one downside is that the portions weren't too big but if I am ever back at the pikes place market, I am definitely coming back.

    (5)

  • Crystal D.

    If you want a great breakfast, this is the place to go! A gorgeous view of the Seattle Waterfront makes this gem a romantic way to enjoy a classy breakfast and it's definitely a must for those that have a love affair with seafood. You can roam the Pike Place Market before and/or after you feast. Personally, their Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict is my favorite on the menu and I usually have their Irish Coffee to get me started. My partner is particularly picky about Bloody Marys and after the taste test, we both approve!

    (5)

  • John E.

    Breakfast is great when it's early and the market is just setting up. My kid loves the blueberry pancake. You will definitely get more food than you need to eat. I recommend one of the salads at lunch. I love the shallot vinaigrette. I don't know why other reviews don't like the service. Maybe I'm a local.. I've always had great service there.

    (5)

  • Shruti N.

    I wasn't expecting a delicious meal when we ducked into this restaurant to avoid finding a stall to eat at in the crowded market. But I was pleasantly surprised. I had the NW crab and shrimp cake sandwich, my mom had the vegetarian wrap and my dad had the wild salmon pita. We were all happy with our choices and enjoyed the view as well.

    (3)

  • Elizabeth R.

    I think the 3 stars for this restaurant is pretty accurate. You come to the Athenian for the view. It's amazing. The food left a lot to be desired. It wasn't bad by any means- just decent. My husband had the surf and turf and said it was good but he's had better. I had the Crab and Shrimp cake sandwich - and it was pretty good as well. Definitely not the best meal I have had, but it was acceptable. The prices were a little inflated, but again I felt like I was paying really to have dinner with a spectacular view of the water, ferries, and Ferris wheel. I would suggest going and sharing an appetizer and some drinks, and pick another spot for a great dining experience. They seemed to have a decent selection of beer and everyone at the bar sounded happy.

    (3)

  • Ed L.

    Amazing food! And beer! And view!!! And Callison was great!!! Gotta get the spicy prawns and salmon skewers......

    (5)

  • Liam W.

    Rob Reiner. Tom Hanks. You? Oh yes friends you too can also eat where Sleepless and Seattle filmed a scene. So immediately you think...tourist. Well, you are right, but it shouldn't be so quickly discounted. I have eaten here eight or nine times and 75% of the time I have had a very nice meal. Best in the city? No. Best in the market? No. Enjoyable? Yes. Their friend oysters are fantastic, and their crab/shrimp cake benedict is an interesting take on the classic. What is infuriating about Athenian is that their quality control isn't good. They do a heavy volume so it is possible that you will get overcooked shrimp, sloppy plating, undercooked or almost burned hash browns, undercooked english muffins, etc. Little things that don't need to be done poorly, but are routinely overlooked. They usually do the main things on the plate well, but the sides are clearly an afterthought and that is a shame. If someone worked the pass with good QC this place would be much, much better. I find myself now talking myself into going, instead of being excited about eating there.

    (3)

  • Edrienne G.

    The food at this restaurant was just okay. We came here on Saturday night. We were hungry and being that we passed this place by so many times at the market, we decided to give it a try. The service was good. But the food was just okay. The seafood was fresh, but the "tiger prawns" are very deceiving. They are just regular shrimps, nothing compared to the tiger prawns I ordered at a different restaurant. The steak that came with my prawns was very bland. My boyfriend, however, enjoyed his seafood soup. My favorite thing besides the view of the restaurant, was the clam chowder. It was thick and flavorful! I would come back for the chowder!

    (3)

  • Qi P.

    Ironically the Athenian Bowl, which is supposed to be one of the specialties, was not as tasty as some of the appetizer looking foods like the fish and chips and the sandwiches. There was a ton of fish but the squid was not one of the tastiest parts though it was plentiful. Definitely got money's worth of fish Customer Service was great. And so was the view. It was really noisy but added to a cozy ambience. Next time will go for fish and chips or a sandwich.

    (3)

  • Katherine C.

    The appetizers were really good here. Better than the meal itself. I ordered the spicy cream sauce shrimp and the coho salmon. Amazingly the salmon was cheaper than the shrimp. The spicy sauce was indeed spicy and it was so very tasty that the I used the bread to dip in it. The salmon skewers were outstanding. Especially with the lemon sauce poured on it. We ordered the chowder, ahi tuna salad, and a regular burger. The burger was fine, nothing special but the hubby didn't like the fries. He said they tasted old. The salad was fine although I didn't like the tuna seared. Even though it looked rare in the center, it felt very firm like it was cooked. The salad was tasty. The chowder was thick but not from having a lot of clams or potatoes...it was thick from flour and stuff like that...I like my chowder thick but not like that. Service was fast and friendly.

    (3)

  • Sarah P.

    There are two things you have to do when you come to the Athenien: sit at the top level of the restaurant for the view, and order the seafood basket. Doing anything else is stupid and you should be ashamed of yourself.

    (4)

  • Mariah V.

    If you're roaming the market this is a must for lunch or dinner. The clam chowder and salmon were delectable, and the quaint booths provide an intimate setting that is perfect for chatting away the afternoon. You can also watch the boats on the bay while enjoying some baked goat cheese which is definitely a win in my book. Great service, wonderful food.

    (5)

  • Lester A.

    After walking around the market we decided to give this place a try, after all, it was in a movie. We were seated pretty quickly and had a great view of the water. We all ordered beer and they came in frosty cold mugs which made the beer taste even better. We ordered grilled oysters to start, I was expecting grilled oysters still in half their shell, instead i got breaded grilled oysters. They were still good though but not what i was expecting. I ordered the crab nurnberg something, it was really good but i hated that it came in such a small serving, it was like an appetizer. I tried the paella too and it wasn't that good at all, i've had way better paella. what's up with the cup-o-noodles shrimp they used, use real shrimp. the paella was dry and almost tasteless. they have a huge menu so it's worth going back to see what else they got. Great view and friendly service.

    (3)

  • Leo M.

    I've been here about 3 or 4 times and had a different dish every time and I haven't been disappointed yet. Its located on Pike Place Market and their seats are all window seats so you'll get a good view of the water. If you didn't know already this is also the restaurant that Tom Hanks was in in "Sleepless in Seattle." Recently I had the biltong which is dried beef on eggs and muffin and sauce all over. I really don't remember what was in the sauce but it was pretty tasty. They have really good southern comfort food. Other times I've had the corned beef and the steak. I was surprised to see they had Filipino dishes in their menu. I heard they have Filipino chefs. I have yet to taste those. Overall, the atmosphere is good and very Pike Place. The service is okay and if you don't want to wait for the server to process your check, just go up to the cash register. I wanted to go here on a Sunday but found out they close Sundays! It would have been a great brunch spot.

    (4)

  • Jennifer M.

    I want to like this place- I do. But they make it so hard. Yes, its in Pike Place Market, yes they filmed a scene from Sleepless in Seattle here and yes, the AMAZING view makes it worth having a meal here. once anyway. We've been to Seattle a few times and always go (don't know why) and are always left with a so-so impression. They are trying really hard to be the cool local bar but end up alienating everyone else in the meantime. The place isn't very nice looking the food is really ok. You'd expect it to be knock out and it just ain't. We had steamed clams (obviously cooked with another fish in the same pan, we found pieces of it and wondered what it was at first), fried clam strips (really kick ass, actually) and fried salmon. The fries are frozen, the cole slaw sucks, the tiny glasses of water they bring you are ridiculous and the servers' attitude stink. I would be marketing the hell out of that place based on location and history but its like they kind of don't care. They must be doing pretty well to not try that hard...

    (3)

  • Trip C.

    So, I had a visitor in town and wanted to show her the sights. Among them, we headed to Pike Place to see what we could see, and to explore the many levels of the market. We happened to be there around lunchtime and after fruitless searching for Matt's in the Market (I know, I know), we came across the Athenian Inn. After reviewing their huge menu and the fact that they've been around since the early 1900s, we figured that if nothing else we'd enjoy a good basic meal with a great view. The hostess seated us promptly at a table for two at the window, across from the bar. We gave our menus a more thorough perusal and wondered how in the world they could offer so many choices (seriously, six pages, one side, of items...a total of about 12 pages of meal options). This should have been a huge red flag. We both decided to go with choices that were probably popular menu items and thus ensure the optimum dining experience. I ordered the fish and chips and my friend ordered the turkey breast sandwich. We waited about 20 minutes for our food, and when it arrived I was honestly shocked into silence while my mind screamed, "Are you kidding me?!?!?" My fish and chips were the standard three pieces of fish atop fries, but the fish was orange. Bright, screaming, Cheetos orange. I have NO idea what they added to the batter to make the fish that color, but I do know for a fact that the neon orange color of the fish on the plate placed in front of me does not exist in nature. The turkey sandwich now in front of my friend was largely unremarkable, but looked like something a toddler might have made for his lunch. Basic white Wonder bread, a piece of lettuce haphazardly drooping (yep, drooping) out from underneath the bread. The garnishes, a single olive and a pepperoncini, were both shriveled and dried-out. After realizing that we were really going to have to enjoy the hell out of the view as it may be the most redeeming aspect of the Athenian Inn, we dug in. My fish tasted fine, like fish and chips do, but it was hard to get over the Cheetos-orange color staring at me, bite after bite. My friend's turkey sandwich was dry and the lettuce drooped....I was embarrassed on behalf of their kitchen staff. We finished our meal and sat for awhile, trying to mentally figure out how to get back the hour of our lives and the wasted lunchtime opportunity. But, you can bet that we did make the most of the stellar view we had from our table. I will never, ever be back. I am really surprised that this place is still in business.

    (1)

  • Will M.

    Food was ok but a little over priced. The clam chowder would have been great if it wasn't cold. Thee seafood lasagna was decent and the vegetables crisp. Once again the vegetables were cold. I.probably wouldn't come back for dinner but the happy hour looks good

    (2)

  • Frances L.

    This place has the location and the view. However, for what you are paying for, I expected the quality to be a little better. The fish was fresh and I enjoyed the clam chowder, but the fried seafood platter wasn't the best I have had and cost a pretty penny. The location is seriously the big selling point-- we sat by the huge windows that overlook the harbor just as the sun was setting. Service was good and it wasn't overrun with tourists reliving scenes from Sleepless in Seattle. I'd come here again, but it's not my favorite in Pike Place Market.

    (3)

  • Will L.

    I'm kind of in the same boat as a few others. Atmosphere is pretty cool. Took a while to put in an order, but got my food pretty quickly. It was all right -- I got the Athenian Steak Sandwich, which comes with a side salad and fries. Piece of meat, some sauce, some bread. Hard to go wrong. What was hard to get was my check. Or someone to take my money. I'd say bout 1/4 of my time was waiting for someone to notice me waving money (hey don't knock it, waving a $20 at the Bellevue Macy's got me service!) around, and then someone to come and take it at the register.

    (3)

  • John R.

    Ice cold beer AND ice cold crab cakes......yum AND gross. That sums up my experience at the Athenian. I went for a quick bite and to kill some time prior to a meeting. Both my drink and meal were ice cold -- if I were drinking beer and eating ice cream that would be just swell, but the fact that I was eating crab cakes...not so good. So why four stars? The beer is damn good, served in ice cold big mugs -- which i love and it is only $3! AND the Athenian room really does have a pretty spectacular vista...so, if you're looking for a good spot to grab a drink and check out some views go the Athenian room.

    (4)

  • Jasmine M.

    The Athenian Inn is a staple of any trip to Seattle. The view, yes is lovely, but it's the people that make me bring my guests here. I've been a regular here for 9 years. The salmon saute is one of my fave dishes, and if you can get it with rice instead of french fries. The salmon and chips is delicious, as is the pork adobo (Tuesday special) and the Philipino Steak (Monday special). The spinach salad is scrumptious but a tad overpriced. Don't be afraid to ask the server what's good and what's not. The seafood bisque is creamy and nice but somedays it's not so fresh, know whatta mean? But that's okay, because they'll tell you that. The bar is a fun place to sit. Lots of market characters being odd and outspoken. The Athenian Inn has a huge selection of bottled beer, and their tap selection is very good too. Good to note: Last call is at 6:30pm everyday as the whole place shuts down at 7pm. And the kitchen closes at 6:30pm too.

    (5)

  • Michael S.

    Went here for dinner last week. Ordered Steak and Prawns. Wife had fish tacos. The prawns were the best part. The garlic sauce on the prawns was excellent. Other than that, the steak was a flat piece of dried meat, kind of like jerky. When I cut into it there were no juices flowing. The fries were also dry and tasteless. My wife said her fish tacos were average with no taste other than the sauce they were buried in. She was told it would come with vegetables and that she had the choice of an additional side. She selected mashed potatoes. It did not come with vegetables so all she had were mashed potatoes. She brought it to the attention of the server. He shrugged his shoulders and walked away and did nothing to repair his mistake. I have her some of my vegetables. The service was well below par. This is a tourist trap restaurant and worse than most. We were not impressed at all. One star is for the garlic prawns.

    (1)

  • Adam M.

    Food was a lot better than I was expecting. View was beautiful.you never know with some spots that are in the tourist areas but the food here was tasty and the service was great, prices were reasonable too.

    (3)

  • Justin M.

    It's a Tuesday, drizzly afternoon around 3PM. We were looking for a nice restaurant to eat to admire the view before we leave Seattle. We walk through the double doors. The host greets us "Oh, there's a 20 minute wait." We gaze at the open seats at the bar and a few open tables. It looks somewhat empty with a few patron eating inside. Ok...sure. We'll walk around for 20 minutes and return. We ask if we can put our name down and the host states that he'll remember who we are. Fine, we'll wait and return. So were walking around the Public Market starving (since we skipped lunch) and return in 15 minutes instead of 20 minutes. The host gives us this "sigh" with a facial expression almost like he wanted to say, "$#it, they're back already!?" He states, "It'll be another 10 to 15 minutes." I look back at my watch, almost wanting to go off on this guy just from his facial expression like we're some unpatient customer. I saw open tables, I saw another couple walk through the door and get seated before we entered the second time. Was I dressed wrong? Was there a secret handshake to eat at this place? WTF?!! Screw this place. The host could have said....sorry...we're terribly busy....or my cooking staff is on break. I could have understood and just ate elsewhere. The facial expression from the host is what really turned me off. What kind of service is that?! Especially from a tourist who is willing to pay a little more to patronize their business. Is this a valid review? I didn't even eat here! Had a better experience at the restaurant next door!

    (1)

  • Jack N.

    Better clam chowder than Lowell's. Also good fish 'n chips. Great view. Not a bad wait (20 min) even at 1pm on a Saturday.

    (4)

  • Erika B.

    Whats not to love about $4 Salmon skewers dosed in lemon butter? They were amazing. You know how fresh the seafood has to be, if it's located at Seattle's seafood epicenter. Happy Hour starts at 4pm, they have a variety of bar foods and beer, not to mention a sweet view of Pugent Sound. When you go there, walk all the way in, don't sit at the immediate bar, you gotta walk around the back, where the additional bar is, that's the cool one.

    (4)

  • Bob G.

    Geez, it's only been 2 weeks since we ate here while at the Pike Place market. I remember the view, as we got a window seat! Awesome! I remember we got seated within 30 seconds. Our server was fairly attentive and friendly. But I can't remember what I ate here! I can remember every place else we went that week. So the food was not memorable, but it wasn't bad or I would remember. I am giving it 4 stars, why? Fast Service, Great View, Food didn't make me sick - what more could I ask? Now if I could remember what I ate, I'd adjust the stars.

    (4)

  • Deseree K.

    Despite the somewhat negative reviews this place has received, my husband and I enjoyed ourselves. We ventured down to Pike Place Market this Saturday to take some pictures and enjoy the sunshine. After walking the stalls and looking at all of the beautiful produce, shellfish and meats, we stopped at the Athenian for lunch. I wasn't sure what sounded good so we choose Athenian because of the extensive menu. Heck they even had Chicken Adobo on the menu and that is not something you often see. The atmosphere was nice. You could feel the history of the place and the view was great. Our server was also very attentive. We decided to order a couple of beers, which came in very frosted glasses and we each ordered a sandwich. I had the chicken salad sandwich and my husband had the pastrami. We also ordered a side of fries with which our server brought us some house made tarter sauce that was really good. Overall we enjoyed our lunch. I noticed that they feature different Filipino dishes on during the week, I think I may have to go back and try their adobo and compare it to mine. We'll be back.

    (4)

  • Angie T.

    Great easy lunch spot with a nice view of Elliott Bay. Fresh seafood. The fish and chips looked amazing but i ordered something lighter. (Seafood saute). Everything was great.

    (4)

  • Anthony M.

    I'm a born and raised Seattle native who enjoys the Athenian, apparently that is a bad thing. I had no idea it only catered to tourists, whatever... fair prices and a decent view without feeding them my wallet, sounds fine to me.

    (4)

  • Bubba N.

    cool happy hr. salmon skewers small, but good. sweat potato bleu cheese/garlic fries savoury & filling. habanero chicken wings are nice pieces of meat w/tasty marinade. prawn scampi in some of the best sauce i've had, w/nice crunchy garlic bread. decent screwdrivers. wouldn't hesitate to return. great view & nice decor & staff. bill for 2 , $35

    (4)

  • J G.

    Unbelievable happy hour specials in the bar! Huge portions, and couldn't believe how low the bill was!

    (4)

  • Walter P.

    I felt so bad that I made Omar walk around Pike's as I searched for this restaurant! I really wanted to impress my buddy because I had yelped about how great this restaurant is on the flight to Seattle. We finally found it, took our seats, and waited..... and waited... and waited... man... and hella waited for our waitress to bring the menus and serve our drinks! This wasn't going so good. During our delay we decided to take pictures of the waterfront afternoon scene and recreate the wonderful dishes Jeremy and I had back in the summer of 2001. What made this place so great was the Filipino dishes! It appears as an American bar and grill on the outside, but this place serves Filipino dishes! No lies! Check out the pics of the menu! They serve Sinigang (a traditional soup dish with fish or meat)! The daily specials present: pansit, adobo, philippine steak, and mechado! Unfortunately, the service really killed the presentation of our dishes. Again, our waitress didn't appear happy to work that day so my Escabetseng Apahap dish arrived cold and our water refills never happened. I was tempted to ask if she could have this reheated, but it would only create a burden for her (and don't get me started on what our waitress looked like... let's just say a mean Mrs. Garrett from Facts of Life). So nevermind, i'll just finish this up and enjoy the rest of our visit here. I loved the sweet and sour sauce on the sea bass - nothing like Chinese sweet and sour. It had the pineapple sweetness and the fish was moist. Very good - mixed with steamed white rice... man i went to work! Props to the Philippine cooks (although I never seen or met them). I would have personal given them my Filipino respects! I normally provide a gracious tip in the end, but there was no happy ending here. Two bucks. I was upset, but hey.. that's business. Especially when I yelped this to Omar... and he had that look on his face "i've eaten better". I really want to re-visit this restaurant. So i'll make another visit. This time i'll fly solo and see what happens. If this was a yelp review back in 2001, Jeremy and I would have been happy to give it the full five stars! So two stars to the Filipino dishes on this trip! Highlight: Ask for waterfront view on the second level of the restaurant. Its the best seating place to enjoy the view!

    (2)

  • T T.

    Craptastic. I could have found something tastier (and fresher) in the dumpster.

    (1)

  • John C.

    This place also reminds me of East Coast Diners....See, I grew up in NJ and there are more diners in NJ than Pho&Sushi places here combined (this might be a slight exaggeration, but only for effect)... Service was prompt and breakfast was out in under 10 minutes, just like the Greek Diners back home....Our waiter was a kick & comical, he was messing with out-of-towners in a good way and was quick witted despite the fact that he was banged up from the night before(I think he might have still been drunk...) The view from the upstairs window booths are amazing and I really enjoyed the feel of it....Plus the coffee and food were both delicious. They have such a wide variety of tasty items its hard to not find something to like... Good filling breakfast food for a good price.....I mean despite being in the middle of Seattle Tourist Central they are still cheaper than CJs in Belltown...plus they have more personality than all of CJ's Family... I am not sure how this place was in the past, so I cannot say it has gotten better or worse than it was....but one thing for sure...I think Lou Reed or at least a Lou Reed lookalike works here..

    (4)

  • Damon C.

    I stopped in here today for lunch with a cousin of mine that was in town. Be prepared to put on your reading glass as the menu is as big as the table I was sitting at and that was only one side! There is a plethora of seafood available, as you might imagine, but there's actually so much that they have to delineate some of the sections out by the specific type such as salmon, halibut, etc. I ordered the Open-Faced Dungeness Crab Sandwich, which was excellent! It was between that and the Steamed Mussels and the waitress recommended the sandwich. There were big juicy pieces of crab that I would seek out underneath the melted cheese like little pieces of gold. One thing to note - my cousin was going to order one of the market-priced Broiled Giant Prawns, but the waitress recommended against it as it is obscenely expensive ($38 for 3 prawns at todays price) and you could order a different prawn dish for half the price and get just as much. With the awesome views this place affords, I could have sat and stared out the window all day, alas...I had to return to the work and the real world. This is also where a scene from Sleepless in Seattle was filmed and the seat where Tom Hanks sat has a nice little plaque over it. I took the time to sit down and experience that little part of history and I recommend doing the same if it's a quiet day. It's the first seat at the bar to the right when you walk in.

    (4)

  • Drew S.

    I went here because I want my fish plain. I don't need fusion or celebrity chefs. I ordered broiled Halibut with a side of tartar sauce, Ceasars salad and garlic hummus appetizer. The fish was perfect , the vegetables are not frozen, the salad and hummus were great. Fast service and quick refills on my iced tea. If you want your Asian Fusion, well good for you. Bobby Flay can kiss my ***. Go to the Steelhead so you can act like you don't have American Express. I think you can see where I'm coming from.

    (4)

  • teresa m.

    we saw the athenian neon sign at the pike place market, and went in for a drink before dinner. they boasted 3 levels and wonderful views. we were lead to the 2nd level with pew type seating next to the bar. it looked like seattle regulars were there, a big plus. it was festive, and all the servers were so friendly. we began with a heiniken, and a cherry slush with cherry love vodka and crushed ice cubes. both hit the spot. the view was amazing, and the crowd was fun. it was our last night in seattle, and this was perfect. we had another round, and decided to eat here, since it felt right, and the food looked great.we each had the seared ahi tuna salad with back/white sesame seeds, fried wontons. it was delicious. all 3 server/bartenders were the best. loved it..

    (5)

  • Kirsten O.

    We were looking for a regular breakfast place to eat after a long morning of traveling. Not being first-timers to Seattle, we didn't pick this place because of it being in Pike's Place Market, but just because it was close to where we were staying for the evening, was reasonably priced, and had just regular ol food. I was happy enough with my oatmeal and over-easy egg, and the view was great. The bf had some pancakes and eggs and something else, whatever it was, not very memorable. I wish we could have known another place to go to, but it was good enough. The view is fun if you get seating upstairs, and the food is fine.

    (3)

  • Lauren J.

    Gaaah, this is the worst restaurant I've ever been to. My friend was visiting so she wanted to do a bunch of dorky touristy stuff. Whilst strolling about Pike's Place, we came across this place. The views looked cool, and oh, wow, it's in Sleepless in Seattle. NICE. Anyway, we walk in, and there's a bunch of confused-looking can't-be-considered-line, more like a ... gathering... of people. A cheery host (he was actually really nice) waltzes down the stairs and seats someone, so we conclude this is, indeed, the line. I've hosted at many-a-place though, and I think it's pretty standard that you somehow acknowledge a new table when they walk in the door. But no, no "hello", no "just a moment", no nod? Just the mob of confused patrons. Anyway, after about 10 minutes, we were seated. The menu has like 8 pages!!! I'm all for variety, but wtf? This was just a bit much. Anyway, the waitress brings water. Water is my drink of choice, and the glasses were baby-sized. This wouldn't be so bad if they actually refilled them... but they don't. Not once did my waitress look in my direction or even pass by my table. Gahhh. I ordered the fettucine alfredo which was BY FAR the nastiest, most bland dish I've ever had in a restaurant. It was SO watery. I know their specialty is seafood, but holy hell, NO. I never return things but it was literally not edible. I ordered a bbq beef sandwich instead, and received an open-faced beef sandwich smothered in brown gravy. Wtf? At this point I was just over it and ate it anyway. I never order hot beef sandwiches, so I can't compare it to anything, but it was okay I guess? It tasted like gravy and was not satisfying. In conclusion: Do not enter.

    (1)

  • Mark P.

    Beware of tourist trap. Food is very subpar as is the service. But they can afford to be when unsuspecting tourists like us file in the doors leaving caution to the wind. After a long wait the server took our food order and walked off. We had to flag him down to take our drink order. it only got worse from there. My wife's burger looked like a 99 cent burger off the value meal at McDonalds and tasted worse. My overpriced fried prawns and chips were bland and greasy. How much was all this wonderful food? $32 t BEWARE.

    (1)

  • D n.

    Go to this place foor the happy hour. elk sliders are amaizng along with the calamari and the fish n chips.

    (4)

  • Margaux j.

    Brian and I eat here almost every Saturday morning, ever since Longshoreman's Daughter closed. I always go for the pancakes and Brian gets eggs. We like it because it is just plain old good diner food - and it's cheap. The view is spectacular, especially when it's a clear morning...I think I remember what those are like. When we feel like being food snobby we go to a place like Portage Bay Cafe - which by the way is really good. We did get take out salmon and chips once which didn't thrill me....After having the salmon at Chinook's it's hard for me to eat any other without comparing.

    (4)

  • Susie K.

    We went to this restaurant when we stayed in Seattle. The Athenian was a lovely and romantic place to go. A quiet and small table, a view of the Puget Sound, and a huge breakfast -- great price by the way! We went there two days in a row. Made a lovely memory of our being there together. Nice service as well.

    (5)

  • Rachel J.

    I love this place! my brother and I were wandering around waiting for a show to start at the paramount, and we went down to pike place and saw this place that looked pretty good. We both got fish and chips and chowder, and I thought it was amazing. Some of the best I've ever had. The fish and chips are different than I've seen before, the breading is orange, which kind of weirded me out, but it was absolutely delicious! I've been back since and it was just as good as i remembered it. I didn't know it had any sleepless in seattle until I JUST read the reviews here. It didn't seem like a tourist trap at all when I've been there. It's always where I want to eat if we're doing the sit down resteraunt thing at the market.

    (4)

  • Tamara T.

    The Athenian doesn't get enough love on here. Sure, it's not gonna blow your mind, but I wouldn't avoid it just cause it seems all touristy. I don't know about their fresh seafood, but they have a pretty expansive menu with some reasonably priced item. Clam chowder is a bit sour in my opinion (I don't know any better way to put it) but it's a good place to get a modestly price meal. The waiters are friendly to boot. A-OK in my opinion.

    (3)

  • Derek P.

    Overly friendly service and a great view [on a clear / semi-clear day] does not overshadow the mediocre dishes. Although the Athenian is a unique dining establishment in itself, the atmosphere may not be for everyone. Seats are borderline uncomfortable, the bar area seems to always be inhabited by early drinkers (on both occasions that I've dined), and despite continual recommendations by the waiter that seafood is what the Athenian is known for, I must say, "maybe in a different decade". Beverages are served in what looked like double-shot glasses (so be prepared to order refills). On my last visit with a friend, we ordered the potato / seafood stew, crab sandwich, and a salmon (lox) & cream cheese with eggs sandwich. The crab sandwich was too watery while my friend admitted that the best part of the lox sandwich was the hardboiled eggs. Dine here for that unique "pike place market" ergh "metronatural" experience and atmosphere...

    (3)

  • Keane L.

    Mehh, ... MEH!!!! That's all you get. Salmon and chips was only $8. It was pretty good. The poached seafood combo dish was crap, as was the sweet and sour fillet of something. It's 2006, switch from the rough powder soap to real liquid soap. This isn't a mechanic shop. Drunks, and not the cool, faux-smelly kind.

    (3)

  • Robert D.

    One of these stars is for the view, another is for the frosted mug they served my beer in. The fries are, however, pitiful. Size and shape of mic donalds fries but not as good. I had the BLT which was decent but not spectacular. My father had the burger which he said was pretty good. The yelp iPhone app blows chunks but that does not factor in to their rating ;)

    (3)

  • Dana P.

    Arrived from MO back to my beloved PNW. Had dinner at Athenian first day in town. Dinner made both my husband and me very happy indeed. He's a Kansas boy and tends to not be a big seafood lover and I'm just picky about seafood having grown up in SE AK and OR/WA. We had a most delicious meal: he had the salmon and I the fresh halibut. Both dishes had a lemon butter sauce that, had we been allowed, we'd have licked off the plate! Both fishes were cooked perfectly and it just melted in our mouths. Sides were roasted red potatoes and perfectly steamed carrots and asparagus that were crisp and delish. The beer was ice cold and to top it off we had a great view of the waterfront. Service was great. Highly recommend this place- take in the marketwhile you're there. A piece of Seattle everyone should enjoy!

    (4)

  • Jill k.

    your quintessential seafood spot on the water, that happened to be where "sleepless in seattle" was filmed. my scallops were very good, and the view was an added plus. our service was just fine, as well! i'd come back.

    (4)

  • Beata B.

    If you're looking for Greek food, you won't find it here! (except for one hummus appetizer) It's mostly seafood and mostly deep fried, but it's decent if you're really hungry. I have a thing for pan friend oysters and that's what I had here, but walked away sadly unimpressed. Still, in a bind, I'd go back and try something else on the menu. It's right in the market, so.... location, location, location.

    (3)

  • Jenny A.

    Go straight back and to the left to the bar if you want a beer or strong drink and need to see the sun glistening on the water or the dreary clouds hovering over the ocean. Waitstaff is ALWAYS friendly to me--even when I get out my laptop or Alphasmart and start writing / working on a story or poem. Never question how long I stay (once it was really busy and I was asked to stand at the bar to get people who wanted to eat a seat) and are attentive and down to earth. Best to go on weekdays and around closing on the weekends.

    (5)

  • Bryce S.

    Window seat + good range of menu fare + a handful of Filipino items = Decent Experience for a tourist destination. Bonus points for not having a barrage of Sleepless in Seattle paraphernalia beyond a poster/one-sheet near the entrance.

    (3)

  • Landon H.

    All that people say about the Athenian Inn is true: great view, bad food. The only reason to stop by should be to see the spot where Tom Hanks sat in Sleepless in Seattle. Other than than, this is just a tourist trap in the middle of the market.

    (2)

  • B B.

    Fantastic happy hour! Not fancy, but very well priced drinks and food. Stipulation: only one app per drink. Fine, the fish and chips was delicious, hot and fresh and cheap! The fries were the perfect combo of crisp and soft, they provided malt vinegar, and the tartar sauce was actually good! Too many places mix relish and mayo, then call it tartar sauce. These guys serve the real deal. Service is okay. Not going to be your best buddy, but that is fine with me. AND, happy hour is until 7:30pm! They get a star just for that.

    (4)

  • Michael N.

    Two words: Happy Hour. If you find yourself at Pike Place Market and in need of a relatively inexpensive beer then head on over to Athenian's happy hour which starts at 4:00 pm. $3.25 gets you a cold draught beer (they have almost a dozen on tap) and a view of Elliot Bay. That said, the view through the darkened and dirty windows isn't as stunning as it could/should be -- and the service comes as frosty as the beer mugs. If you don't mind spending an extra buck or two I would recommend heading next door to Lowells for their happy hour. The selection on tap is not quite as extensive but the service is friendly and the windows are clean.

    (2)

  • Jason S.

    Stopped in with a friend and had some salmon and chips. It was tasty enough. My friend's calamari and chips was fine too. But I feel like it could have been better. And I believe the menu was far too extensive. The place should probably scale back and focus on quality more. Service was fine--she was really honest about what was good, and what was absolutely not worth the money.

    (2)

  • Erin S.

    Maybe 2.5. The crab cakes were actually pretty good, but the open faced crab sandwich was absolutely awful. They put nacho cheese on crab, WHY? Overall, better places to eat in the market.

    (2)

  • David F.

    I came with a co-worker who had been here on a previous trip. It was kind of a touristy stop in, since its the place where they shot Sleepless in Seattle. I am not a huge seafood eater, but I am eating more since this is a seafood town. So I ordered a seafood (?????) with salmon, halibut, clams, peppers and mushrooms. It was really quite good. The view from our window-side table was awesome. My buddy got a french dip ( they were out of the reuben) that he said was just OK. The waiter was a bit of a strange guy, but fairly innocuous. Overall, I'd say it's worth a stop if you're checking out Pike's Place Market, and the original Starbuck's is right up the street.

    (4)

  • Bill M.

    Love this place. Clearly a tourist haunt. Love scott k's analysis (whatever his point :-), but have to disagree on the seafood blast. I had the Chunk Salmon Saute (on recommendation of the waitress) and it was literally divine. I think Jesus himself squeezed into my booth for two. I also appreciated the sour dough bread as a way of sponging up the juice left over from the sautee. The views are stunning (although the skyline is primarily industrial, loading docks and ferries), so that gives the place a bump. The 5 star rating was withheld due to the nearly non-existent service. I was lucky, I got my food rather quickly and drink refills after only a small amount of prodding. The waitresses are nice and when you get service, it's not rude, they just aren't very attentive. The food makes this place worth hitting.

    (4)

  • Sandra Y.

    Perhaps I just have bad luck with ordering, but I have never thought the food here was anything beyond mediocre. It is true that you can get an amazing view of the water if you are seated at the right tables, but you can at so many places in Seattle! Nothing really stands out to me here. I have not tried their Happy Hour, so maybe if I am at the Market again I'd give it another try. Otherwise, the Athenian is underwhelming...not bad, but nothing special either.

    (3)

  • Kathleen W.

    This place made me feel like I wasn't in Seattle, or I was in the old Seattle. As I was alone, at sat at the bar and had a fish burger and a beer. It was OK at best, horrible service; however, I'd go back, alone, for a beer and with a book. Perhaps I'll try their breakfast (I think they serve it all day?). but I will not recommend this to anyone I respect, unless they specifically ask me for a place to get lunch for under ten bucks that is mediocre at best, and unless they have time to kill as the wait staff pays you no attention the whole meal and then hurriedly count their tips in front of you. Part of the charm, maybe... definitely full of charm and history... which is where its two stars come from :)

    (2)

  • Mike C.

    Despite being somewhat of a tourist attraction at the crowded Pike's Place Market, my single lunch experience here was pretty good. Raw oyster's were fresh and huge. Service was average.

    (3)

  • Alison W.

    We were looking for a reasonably priced place for good ol' fashioned Fish n' Chips. Athenian Inn had one of the better prices and waterfront seating - so we stopped in for a bite. All 3 of us ordered the Fish n' Chips so this review is based solely on that one single dish...and it was amazing! The portion size was nothing to sneeze at - 3 large fillets crispy on the outside and so soft on the inside that we had to break the fillets in half before picking them up to eat. Being from So Cal I had never seen orange battered fish and the waitress told us it was saffron. The chips were chips - neither amazing nor awful. View was stunning and the service was good - I would totally recommend. Hard to get good food and a view like that for $10 per plate.

    (5)

  • Esteban D.

    This place is a little dive-y for the tourist crowd, and that's why I like it. The service is bad, but you can get a good view for cheap in the market if it's not packed. I've gotten bad coffee at the counter here more than once and sometimes that's what you want. The food here is average, but there is one special thing about this place that I love. Each day, there's a special that is a filipino dish, which can be hard to find out and about in Seattle. The filipino food is authentic, and that alone is a good enough reason to come by this joint. Trust me.

    (3)

  • Pepper B.

    Well, yet again, i'M like a moth to a flame. The food is marginal....at best. I don't think the fish and chips should be orange color like buffalo wings! Now to the worst part, the service. I understand that the help needs to make time to smoke a bowl, nosh on some shrums and adjust their ear spacers, but come on, a freaking hour for fast food lunch....never again. Give me the fish sandwich from the golden arches, it may not be good, but I'll have it in minutes!!

    (2)

  • Aaron B.

    I've been twice and had the seafood bisque both times. Maybe I'm not the adventurous type... But I do know that this is the best seafood bisque I've had in Seattle.

    (3)

  • Nathan W.

    Nice view, and the fish and chips were good. The irony is that in our party of seven people, those who ordered something fancier then fish and chips were dismayed when the food came out. One coworker even sent his fish back. The soup that they replaced it with didn't impress him, either. To add to the experience, my car had been broken into while we were eating, although this isn't the restaurant's fault. This place is a tourist trap.

    (2)

  • Neland M.

    I fly into Seattle frequently, and I've been to this restaurant for breakfast and lunch. The wait can a bit longer once lunch hits but it isn't too bad. Service is quick and friendly. Seating areas is 2 tier with the choice of upstairs or downstairs with views overlooking the bay. It is a little more crammed than a chain restaurant such as Red Lobster or BJs. The food here is made pretty simple with the exception of the fries which comes garnished with seasoning that I had to shake off. The focus really lies in the freshness of the seafood with the highlights being the CRISPI FRIED CALAMARI and the TIGER PRAWN AND CHIPS. It's not too oily and you can really taste the seafood flavor and not some dried out frozen crap. The frittatas they serve (pretty much an open omelet) are my breakfast fav especially the JALISCO FRITTATA. It has a really nice kick to it and pairs well with tobasco sauce and a little bit of ranch. You do spend a little more and while some could say its the atmosphere, it's worth it for fresh seafood. Just be ready to dust off the seasoning if you're more conservative about french fries.

    (4)

  • Ashley H.

    Great happy hour, pretty view, classic Seattle location...always packed and always feel rushed...

    (3)

  • Laura P.

    It's all about the view at this place. I had the salmon & chips, which were decent. The accompanying lemons were green, though. I find it intriguing that they have daily specials that are deemed Filipino. Better order multiple drinks since the glasses are itsy bitsy.

    (3)

  • Alyssa F.

    This has been my favorite place to eat in the market since I was like 7. The salmon and chips is the best and the view is good. I was there last weekend with a friend who was visiting. It was decent. Our waiter was nice and very quick despite the fact that it was packed and he was pretty much the only waiter there. Of all the places to get fish and chips in Seattle this would be my pick!

    (3)

  • Erin C.

    OMG. I have NEVER not tipped a waitress in my life until today. I realize this is a touristy type restaurant in the market, but my husband and i were up super early and nothing else was really open, so we gave it a shot. We were the only people upstairs overlooking the water, and it took over 45 minutes to order and receive our food. Our waitress didn't ever even glance in our direction to realize we had no food or water. We then immediately asked for the check and told the waitress we were in a hurry. She replied "so am i" and waddled back 20 minutes later with our bill. We went downstairs to pay it. There was no one manning the cash register. After waiting 5 minutes for someone to notice us, we left exact change and the receipt on the table and hightailed it out of there. NEVER again.

    (1)

  • Linda S.

    While wandering around Pike Place Market, my daughter and I popped in for lunch. We ordered sandwiches which came with fries. The ahi seared tuna turned out to be bad - enough to require emergency visits to rest room to throw up 30 minutes later. Daughter was mighty sick for hours. My salmon burger was OK but I felt nauseous the rest of the day - might have been in response to the kid though. The fries were ice cold and nearly inedible. It was raining outside so we were soaked and cold in the overly air conditioned restaurant and when we asked if they could turn the a.c. down, the waiter was ridiculed by the manager in front of us. We heard other folks at other tabled complaining also. In response, they turned the a.c. even higher. Nice! Misery for an expensive lunch. We wish we had just bought some of the amazing food at the stands but our feet were tired and we just wanted so sit for a few minutes.

    (1)

  • Julia L.

    This is my first review. We are regular visitors in Seattle and this is a first restaurant that made such a bad impression on me that I decided to share it. We went to Athenian for breakfast on Sunday morning. The restaurant itself is pretty dirty but you enjoy the great view. The service was Ok but the food was really bad. This is the first time that we left most of the food on the table. Seafood bisque was edible but had uneven texture from the flour or something else they add that did not quite mix in. My mom took clam chowder and could not eat it at all - never happened to us before. I ordered crabcake eggs Benedict. The bread and the crabcake were yucky. The eggs were Ok. Hash browns were overcooked and too salty even for me (I like salty food). My daughter's fish (fish and chips) had a strange orange color and was overcooked. What did they dip it in? Fried calamary were oily and not tasty but we still ate them. I will never come back again. You get better food even in Dennis.

    (1)

  • zachary b.

    ill come out and say it, but i like crappy places. i like places that have history, soul and an atmosphere that doesnt come in a can or an ikea catalogue. despite the surprisingly poor ratings for this place, i really liked the athenian for its earnest and down to earth resemblance to the gritty east coast diners i enjoy so much back home. located in the tourist mecca of pike place, this doesnt seem like the kind of place that would go out of its way to cater to outsiders, which i like, and seems like its business model has remained relatively unchanged since the days when pike place wasnt as postcardy as it is today. most likely due to its location, its a little pricier than i would like, meals ranging from 8-20 dollars (market price for most seafood items run slightly higher). i got the oysters and chips which were very good (12 bucks) and my company got a phillipino dish which came with seafood bisque (very good special at 9 bucks) and received very high remarks. the menu was deep and diverse (it was like 7 pages long) and they had a good variety of different breakfast and lunch items. service was quick and friendly and the view was fantastic. yes people were bellying to the bar at 11am, but hey, who are we to judge. the atmosphere was for the most part a mixture of tourists who wandered in and locals who are probably regulars. all in all, its a very easy going, enjoyable diner with some pretty damn good seafood.

    (4)

  • Cori J.

    If there were a choice for negative stars, that it what I would have chosen. This place is a tourist trap for sure! I will admit the view is nice, but otherwise there is absolutely nothing worth staying for. The food is WAY overpriced. $20 for a child-sized portion of fish & chips, of which the fish was tough and the fries were cold. Supposedly it was to come with sourdough bread, but we never saw any of that. My son used the restroom and in his own words "it smells like someone just gut a fish in there!" Keep on walking past this dive and find yourself the freshly made doughnuts around the corner.

    (1)

  • Jerry S.

    Stopped in this place for happy hour yesterday as I'm a sucker for a deal and a nice view. View was great, service was awesome, Bud Light was poured into a icy cold mug every time and was deeelish. The happy hour food menu looked good and prices were around $3-4 bucks for appetizers. I ordered the chicken quesadilla and it was BAD!! The quality of the meat was very poor and consisted of a lot of gross dark meat. Barely edible. Decided to try the fish & chips basket next. That was ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!!!! The fish was very poor quality (clearly a cheap owner) and the french fries were f'n gross (cheapest frozen I've ever had). I ate two fries and that's it, let me say again, they were barely edible! The cheapest, most tasteless fries I've ever had anywhere. It's really too bad because the place is cool and my server was cute and very attentive. I felt bad that she was forced to serve such Shi**y food. One more think I"ll mention. The receipt had 10, 15 and 20% tip calculation suggestions at the bottom of the receipt however the math was not accurate. My tab total was $18 before tax and the 20% tip suggestion (which I always tip as a rule unless service was poor) was $5. Creative math to say the least which made me lose even more respect for whoever was running this place. I'd skip this place unless you're just drinking.

    (1)

  • Craig I.

    i didn't have as bad experience as most of the reviewers here. our service was decent...the view is awesome and the food was just ok. nothing spectacular...pretty basic fish and chips (what i had) if you ask me. i didn't have any high expectations going in, so that's probably why it didn't disappoint a much. would i go back? probably not.

    (3)

  • CK Dexter H.

    Crapadapaporus.

    (1)

  • jozilla w.

    okay I know...i'm a tourist. i only ate here because it was near my hostel and they had the little newspaper clipping in the front window saying that this was where Tom Hanks ate at in the movie "Sleepless in Seattle". i don't even LIKE that movie that much.. still, the waiters and waitresses were all cool and crazy punky type of people (who knew instantly we were from san francisco and not from around there) and I had a pretty fantastic fish burger. Everybody at the bar seemed to know each other and the view is really nice if you get a good booth.

    (4)

  • Glen H.

    Great lunch. Terrific clam chowder and the raw oysters were to die for. Cap it off with some Buttes Black Porter beer and you have the perfect Pikes Market dining experience in Seattle.

    (5)

  • Kara D.

    The only reason I give this place 2 stars is for the view. Which is not really anything they have done so they don't deserve it. But if you are a tourist and want to eat "In the Market" and see an amazing view then this place is for you. Just don't expect friendly service or good food. With a name like the Athenian Inn I assumed the Greek salad would be delicious, instead it was a measly bowl of iceberg lettuce with one olive and a clump of feta. Not to mention it was warm and not served with Greek dressing, you in fact get to pick a dressing. Mmm Ranch goes great with Greek salad. The burgers are not even home-made. How sad, it's a pre-frozen patty. The most disappointing item of all was the baklava. Had I known it was boxed baklava and terrible boxed baklava that was served in the grocery store wrapper still, that was microwaved I most certainly would not have shelled out 5.50 for that tiny little piece of disappointment. I would never eat here again, unless really desperate or unless it was just for a drink and the view.

    (2)

  • Adam M.

    whoah. a truly unique place, the Athenian is notable for it's location and view, but also its menu amd atmosphere. seafood and meats dominate the breakfast menu which looked to me like it had 40 or more selections but i was pretty hung over, and seeing double. i was with a party of 4 and we were crammed into the littlest table with hard bench seating. very uncomfortable. most unusual disappointment: the toaster is shut down at a certain time (for cleaning? what?) so no toast for you! yep, this place is avoidable unless you really need 'Hangtown fry'.

    (2)

  • Cheryl D.

    We stopped Pike Place Market and unfortunately we had no idea they closed at 6:00 p.m. so we had only 30 minutes, we figured we would eat at a place in the Market. We chose this one because it was friendly to our mobility challenged mother. They seated us at a tiny window booth facing the sound which we squeezed ourselves and all our gear into, very hard wooden seats and not comfortable at all. The sun was shining thru the windows and we all sat and sweated, although the sign outside says come in in for Air Conditioning. I had the most fatty and gristly steak of my life accompanied by a brown rice concoction and some steamed veggies. Hubby had a seafood bowl and it included two dead mussels which he obviously discarded. Mom had the Salmon which she said was great. I also ordered the Athenian Side Salad which was pretty good but barely worth the $3.50 i paid for it. The water guy made sure our glasses were full, our Waiter dropped off our food and he seemed to avoid us after that. He asked how our food was when were were done. We sat next to a bar in the Restaurant where a bunch of 20 somethings gathered to drink and play with a baby? Very strange to me. Overall I would not eat here again nor recommend it, the food was decent enough (other than my steak, but not imaginative or tasty by Portland standards) and so not worth the money, Two positives were we enjoyed the view immensely and when I actually spoke up and told the Waiter my steak was terrible, he comped my meal.

    (3)

  • Chris D.

    Wow--great happy hour--gin and tonic- tequila gimlet--half dozen oysters--and calamari--$20.00

    (5)

  • Kandis W.

    We just dropped in unexpectedly, and we really enjoyed ourselves in the bar area during happy hour. The seafood was delicious and fresh and we received great service. We had a great view of the water, but the seating was dilapidated wood that seemed to be about to collapse and very uncomfortable. The restroom was gross. But for those things, I might have added another star. Be sure to get the oysters on a half shell and spicy shrimp! Great beer too!

    (4)

  • Geoff T.

    The ambiance of this place reminds me of Savannah River Street. Seems like a locals place. In fact, a 20-something at the Moore Theater recommended the place. If you're a 20-something looking for a place to hang out after work, this might be your place. I would've expected really good food. The food we ordered were basic sandwiches - a fried fish and a crab/shrimp cake. Neither had any flavor at all. The most flavorful thing on my sandwich was the bean sprouts. There was no spice in the cake and no great sauce. If you just need to satiate hunger with a little overpriced-for-what-you-get food, then this is your place.

    (2)

  • Kati D.

    This place was so yummy! A little pricey but so worth it. The shrimp was to die for. Good portion sizes too :)

    (3)

  • Rich L.

    Really good breakfast. I had a seafood benidect . Was really good. Looks like they had a good beer selection and full bar.Good fast service. Nice waterfront location.

    (4)

  • Ellie I.

    Went on a Monday morning... No wait. Beautiful view with a nice atmosphere. Waitress was sweet and refilled coffee and water constantly. Husband had London breakfast and enjoyed it, though on the greasy side. I went for sunny side up eggs with continental breakfast including the wonderful orange juice. Enjoyed.

    (4)

  • Julia B.

    Pleasant service and beautiful sunset view. They charged for extra bread, crazy, eh? The clam chowder and the shellfish appetizer special were AMAZING! After that, it was all fresh but lacked that "wow" factor the appetizers had. Or maybe we were starving and our opinion of the first thing we ate was biased by our empty bellies. :) gratuity was included on our party of 5.

    (4)

  • Brian W.

    Went there with an out-of-town friend while waiting for our reservations at another place. it was during happy hour and the place was packed. I got a giant beer. It's a tourist place in the PPM. What needs to be said? Tourist food in a classic building that can't be changed/upgraded because of it's national historic monument status. Go there, take pictures of the view, have a beer and some seafood. Note that a movie was filmed there.

    (3)

  • Ferdinand H.

    While definitely touristy, the Athenian will forever be etched in my memory when my brother and I went for a run with only a little cash in the pockets, and ended up stopping here for some food. I think it's been a very long time since he and I have had to count out how much we were going to spend, we managed to come under with two cups of coffee and a corned beef hash. While the waitress didn't know the local sales tax (we wanted to add that calculation in) We were able to watch the dawn break into day while sipping on coffee and sharing the hash. Good times. Great memories. :) I'd return for the nostalgia alone!

    (3)

  • Trixie L.

    Can't begin to say how much I love going here. For lunch dinner or happy hour, the drinks are stiff, the food is great and the views are spectacular! And an added bonus is it's OLD 1909 Old. You just feel so good in here. Such a terrific place to eat and to visit.

    (5)

  • Karen M.

    Why this place excites me because it was in Sleepless in Seattle...I don't know. I lived in Los Angeles for 13 years where literally every city block and freeway is in every movie, TV show and commercial and all I got was annoyed that the film crews were blocking traffic. Anyway, this place gets 5 stars for me. Not for the food and I want to be clear about that. I've only had the fish and chips which was dry overcooked fish and average french fries. Why this gets 5 stars you ask? Well...it has created some of my absolute favorite memories of Seattle. You enter through Pike's Place into an old restaurant with big windows and wood accents- say hi to the stools where Tom Hanks and Rob Reiner sat in the movie - and just walk to the back bar on your left. Order a couple of icy cold, frosty beers...settle in with your favorite person in the world...sip the cold beers which now have a layer of ice on top...and just watch the ships go by on the beautiful blue water while having funny, deep, thoughtful conversations with said favorite person for hours as the afternoon goes by and the sun sets over the water. Really. I will remember those times for years to come. Thanks Athenian!

    (5)

  • Tyrone M.

    Yum and fun! Tom Hanks sat here for Sleepless in Seattle. We all loved our breakfast here and the great view of the Sound. Next time we come back to Seatte, we'll try out the lunch or dinner!

    (4)

  • Lisa G.

    I have to start out with how delicious the food was! It's too bad that the service was so awful. We were seated with menus and ordered our drinks. It started off great! After our food was delivered, our server ignored us, passing by our empty glasses at least 4 times. Returned only to clear an empty plate, then took our drink glasses and did not ask if we would like another. We then sat for a full 10 min with no drinks or food at our table, while waiting for the tab.

    (2)

  • Daniel F.

    Great basic breakfast for under $10 with a sick view. Really good service! I asked if they had a Stranger to read and the host replied "no but that she'd find me one"...and did within like 2 minutes.

    (5)

  • Jishnu M.

    Great location with views of the water. We dined while watching the sun go down and the light come on around the pier and the ferris wheel. Service was great. The place is a piece of history at over 100 years old. Found a place in "Sleepless in Seattle". will find a reason to go there for breakfast. Good collection of local beers - ask your server for help to match with your food and personal taste.

    (5)

  • L P.

    Great view, but mediocre food. Tasted like it had just come out of Sysco freezer bags --- maybe acceptable for a dive, but here in the Pike Place Market, where there is excellent fresh seafood just a few feet away?? bisque - good scallops - $24 of disappointment mexicali burger - decent french fries - tasted like Oneida frozen french fries

    (2)

  • Lim K.

    We picked this restaurant for the view and to read the Sunday paper. Seafood sauté did not have much shellfish but mostly salmon. Fried cod was very good. Excellent service.

    (3)

  • Desiree P.

    Food was delish! Had the London Breakfast! I would've given 5 stars had the bacon been applewood and crisp! Our server, LeAnne was the BEST! Total ROCK star-very pleasant and welcoming!

    (4)

  • Shannon C.

    I was pleasantly surprised. Given the location, I expected higher prices and less quality, but our food was good and not overly priced. I would not order the aha tuna sandwich again. It was bland, even with the wasabi mayo, but my son had salmon and marinara pasta that was really good. The view is unbeatable, and the service excellent.

    (3)

  • Katherine C.

    I have never been more disappointed in a meal in Seattle, and I have lived here for quite some time. Even after asking for a reccomendation from the menu (and following our waiter's advice), my dining partner and i were very disappointed in our meals. We aren't picky eaters in the least. The salmon was extremely overcooked/leathery, crab cake was dry, flavorless and covered in a glorified fry sauce. The clams were not fresh in the least. The only redeeming factor about our experience was the giant beers we had to guzzle down to wash away this horrid meal. I knew there was a reason to avoid tourist traps.

    (1)

  • Jim S.

    A must when your in Seattle..

    (4)

  • Roman M.

    The food was just Ok, the service was slow even though the place wasn't crowded at all.

    (3)

  • Elsa N.

    Seafood Lasagna was just ok, pasta somewhat hard. Overall just okay. Calm chowder a bit too heavy.

    (2)

  • Steve N.

    We just stopped by the Athenian with our 10 month old baby for an early Saturday night dinner. The views over the water are beautiful and the food was spot on. The staff are awesome. If you are looking for an informal relaxed dinner that won't break the bank then this is your place. Next time we visit Seattle we will stop by again.

    (4)

  • Taylor C.

    If you've never been to Seattle, have an urge to visit the market and want some decent food with a great view... you've found your spot. There are better options to be had in the neighborhood food-wise (Matt's in the Market if you are looking a bit more upscale), although you might not get the view and location that you are looking for with a visit to the Athenian Inn. The food for in my few visits has been average, and the service has never been something for me to write home about. The atmosphere in the market and the incredible views are the real draws.

    (3)

  • Carol P.

    Mediocre at best. Uncomfortable seats, hard wood and cramped. A view of the water, yes, but looking over the ugly tops of buildings. Scallops were tasty but skimpy bed of spinach and sauce. Vegetables blah. Salad good but delivered with the meal. Silverware really tinny but worse were the melmac type plates. Not what I expected from the reviews I had read.

    (2)

  • Jennifer D.

    I had just given a presentation, and I wanted a celebratory drink! One of my mentors could see it in my face, and took me to Athenian Inn =] Right in the hustle and bustle of Pike's Place, it's definitely meant for tourists. Amongst the "pirate" decor, my eyes were immediately drawn to the multiple drink menus that hung on the wall. Firey apple, here I come! It was a wonderfully cinammon-filled drink that tasted like a hot tamales candy mixed with an appletini. Don't worry - I was not drinking on an empty tummy. I ordered their clam chowder in a bread bowl (when in Seattle!). It was good, but nothing made it stand out from any other chowder place. I did enjoy the view of the water from our table though.

    (3)

  • Kat L.

    Oh man am I happy to have found this place. The only satisfying breakfast spot in First Hill closed it's doors over the summer -- and I have been desperately trying to find a new one within walking distance. I will be honest -- I tend to avoid the Market like the plague on weekends -- I just can't stand all the tourist! One particular morning I was craving a crab cake eggs Benedict. Several places in the downtown area had it on the menu -- but Athenian had a beautiful view and it was nice out. I was pleasantly surprised that people don't get out to the market at 9:30 am. Athenian is located inside in the same building as the throwing fish -- it' is located just past Uli's Sausage. I recommend taking a look at the pictures on Yelp because i don't think I would of found it without recognizing their neon sign. It was pretty empty and we got a perfect seat upstairs viewing the beautiful glistening water! After seeing the menu I almost didn't get the Benedict because everything else looked so good and was well priced! I did end up satisfying my original craving though -- and I am so glad I did. The crab cakes were full of delicious fresh crab -- there wasn't much more to the crab cakes -- but that was A-Ok with me. The hollandaise sauce was perfect along with the poached eggs. The waitress kept my coffee cup nice and filled! I will probably back next weekend for their seafood firttata -- and maybe lunch or dinner.

    (5)

  • Nantaporn G.

    We stopped here for late lunch. Fried calamari was good. We also got calm chowder. It was too creamy and way too thick. The flavor was just ok. The view was good.

    (3)

  • Tess M.

    Took a visitor from New Orleans here. Embarrassed by the very poor service. Such a shame as the restaurant is such an iconic Seattle favorite.

    (1)

  • Paul V.

    It was a winter evening at Pikes Place Market when me and my wife were looking for a place to eat at the Market. We decided to try out Athenian purely because of a coin toss victory. The food was okay, nothing spectacular. The Penn Cove Mediterranean Mussels were fresh, but it's tomato based broth is somewhat mediocre. The Salmon Fillet was average as well; charbroiled surface and almost well done inside. Service was okay but a tad slow. What really discouraged our dining experience was our seating location. We were sat at the bench table on the very corner of the restaurant, isolated form pretty much everyone else. Though the view of the waterfront was fantastic, I could not help but to assume we were seated such isolation because we have a baby with us. Literally we were three or four booth's away from the next customer. Okay, maybe I am overthinking this too much, but if were are to be seated in the very corner of the restaurant away from everyone else, please hide your dustpan, broom, and employee clothes away from us.

    (1)

  • Laura M.

    Okay service. Over-cooked salmon skewer with terrible butter sauce. Ordered the Dungeness crab cocktail (not on the menu) and it tastes like brine. Elk sliders are okay. Excellent view: Olympics at sunset.

    (2)

  • Katharine J.

    The servers are always friendly and attentive. I love the portions on their breakfast plates! I've also come for happy hour and very much enjoyed it. Plus you can't beat the view!! Gorgeous!

    (5)

  • Rashi P.

    Great location...right in the middle of Pike Place Market. However, that's about the best thing about the place. If you like bland food then this is your place. The best thing about my meal was the calamari and beer. Very dry chicken and the prawns and vegetables had no flavor. Very tough meal

    (2)

  • Mardi C.

    I'm BAACK!! and this time twice! we took friends here who have never been to seattle, and they loved it. We had the goat cheese and artichoke appetizer, and plenty of drinks. the waiters for afternoon were lots of fun, and we had the end table and view to ourselves. this is such a great spot for fun, and sampling beverages from all over. I noticed you cut back on some of the beer selection , but thats okay. I came back the next day with my nephew for breakfast. salmon and eggs baby. and this time sat upstairs. in all the times I've been here? hadn't done that. gotta try something new right? LOL love this spot. I highly recommend....

    (5)

  • Alexis T.

    I had a bit of a seafood craze and decided to stop by the Athenian as per my pops' recommendation. Overall it was a decent meal, but nothing that I would probably come back for. The wait staff are friendly. View was pretty sweet. The other dishes might be more stellar. My broccoli tasted like fish which led me to believe they might be storing open broccoli with the fish in the refrigerator. My halibut needed some seasoning as it was superrrr bland. I cook better at my house. Unfortunate, but true. Calamari was delicious. And quite possibly my highlight. Cant say the same for my dads dish. He loved his. Good luck fellow yelpers.

    (3)

  • Angela A.

    Athenian Inn is right on Pike Place with an amazing panoramic view of Puget Sound. You get the locals at the bar and the tourists sitting down to eat. Not wanting to get too full at lunch because we were expecting to eat a big dinner, we just settled with a calm chowder bowl, fish 'n chips, and dungeness crab cakes. The food was not disappointing, in fact the crab cakes was super delicious. I discovered my new favorite beer there, a Halls (or Halles) Creamy Blonde Ale; smooth carbonation due to the use of nitrogen, slight honey taste, light and very refreshing.

    (3)

  • Quinn D.

    This is not my first time here, but today's service was terrible. There was a lot of staff standing around, but I lost count of how often we had to ask for refills, our table to be cleared-off, or to pay our bill. I had to wipe down our own table, and no new napkins were replenished.

    (2)

  • Ateh M.

    The second floor level is the best seats in the house. The view overlooking the sea side is just a breath of fresh air. I enjoyed the oysters and the calamari at this spot. The old furnishings and booth seats is what brings the character of this place. I just love treasured spots such as Athenian. Good spot for a quick lunch while venturing the market.

    (3)

  • Joy H.

    We used to LOVE this restaurant. Their Greek Salad small was the best in Seattle. For YEARS we (I turned many people on with this restaurant) used to come in for the fish, clam chowder and Greek Salad. NOT anymore. I waS SO DISAPPOINTED the last time I was there. No Greek Salad...I will not go back. I see on these ratings many feel the same...how many years can a restaurant live off of Tom Hanks was there?

    (1)

  • L T.

    I am just now getting around to writing a review but my last (and only) visit was last summer. I was super unimpressed with this place. The crab cakes I got were completely over cooked and were literally as hard as a rock. I told the server after taking one tiny little bite they were overcooked and gave them back to her (not in a rude way, I just didn't want them and was fine with the other food) - she apologized and took them and still charged me for them... The other appetizer we ordered was good so that's why I gave it 2 stars but service was unimpressive and I won't be back.

    (2)

  • Victor S.

    As far as epicly touristy restaurants, Athenian Inn is probably at the top of the list in Seattle (doesn't help that it was featured in that Seattle movie). Now, I typically shy away from places like this here in NYC, but I really do take people's recommendations seriously. If I'm at a hipster cafe in Capitol HIll and am asking about great local dive bars and the tattooed barista says Athenian is a must visit, especially during happy hour, well, you go. So i went. Pike's Place Market was getting that fishy ghost town vibe -- it was just past closing. I walked down the empty hallways in the early evening and there was the Athenian. It looked closed, or not hopping at all. I was disappointed and walked away. I walked out, looked beyond into the Puget Sound. Pondered life. I should give the Athenian a second chance. So I walked back into the deserted market and walked right in It was totally empty...until I turned the corner and headed to the back bar. A relatively boisterous scene with locals chatting each other up. And a wonderful view of the Sound. I sat down by a window and enjoyed a few cold local beers (frosty pints are a must). In fact, I was told the next day by another barkeep that the Athenian serves the coldest beer in town. I wasn't really hungry, but felt that I should enjoy a happy hour appetizer. So, I had a nice and spicy fish taco duo. Go here and to nearby Zig Zag Cafe for happy hour. You'll leave festive, full, and will have enjoyed a nice sunset.

    (4)

  • Dionne D.

    Looked around for an eatery in Pikes Place and decided on this place after looking at the menu. Grabbed a seat on the second floor by the window. Buttermilk pancakes, loaded hash browns and some sausages. Pretty standard. Came out of the kitchen warm. Service was very friendly. Couldn't find the server towards the end of the meal for more water. Best part of the breakfast was the view of the 'Sound'

    (3)

  • C Y.

    I had Classic Eggs Benedict ($9.75) and it was good; honestly better than I expected. The market was already busy around 10 AM on Sunday, so we thought we need to wait to get seated at the restaurant, but luckily it was no wait. We got a window table and the view was nice.

    (3)

  • Ed L.

    Since this located in the heart of Pike Place Market in Seattle, I was expecting an increase in prices. But after reviewing the menu, the prices are adequate, which really surprised me. We arrived with 6 adults and 2 children. In less than 10 minutes, the host led us to our own private table. Again, I expected small meal portions and everyone was surprised at how much food came with the meals. It's a lot. We were all hungry and no one was able to finish their meals. I ordered the Fresh Ahi Tuna Salad. You wouldn't think anyone to get stuffed over a salad but it definitely happened to me. This salad was very tasty and did not contain iceberg lettuce. The Ahi tuna was cooked just right and the vinaigrette had a nice citrus flavor to it. I was certainly impressed and will return to it the next time I visit Pike Place Market.

    (5)

  • Chris Z.

    Great seafood restaurant. I had a seafood bowl and enjoyed all of my shellfish. My wife ended up ordering a bisque which everyone else at our table had to order after tasting. Decent selection of beers. Good prices. Not too loud. Overall, I enjoyed this place and would be back if we were locals.

    (4)

  • Andrew S.

    I had the Northwest Sampler and a colleague had the Oyster Poboy. The Poboy was awful, but maybe it's because I hate oysters cooked or fried. Raw is best. In the Northwest Sampler, the Crab cake was really good, For dessert, we had the Creme Brulee, which was actually really well done. I love the location and the view out over the water. At the heart of Pikes Place, this place screams Pacific Northwest. I'd come back.

    (3)

  • S C.

    Really enjoyed the fish and chips. Great waitstaff and everything on our plates was delivered nice and hot. Loved the view. I will definitely go back next time I am in Seattle.

    (4)

  • Karen D.

    The atmosphere and view is great. Service was good. The Athenian salad was DELICIOUS. And the fried prawns were good too.

    (4)

  • TJ M.

    Great ambiance, and of course it's made famous from a movie. Besides that the food is average not memorable at all. However, I had a great time and the service was good as well.

    (3)

  • Daniel N.

    Hands down... best place in Seattle.

    (5)

  • Katrina O.

    Epic. I had no idea that I would get food so delicious. We went about 1 1/2 hrs before closing time and after Pike's Market had closed. This seemed to be perfect because there weren't any crowds and there was no wait for a table or the food. The staff let us stay up to the last second and gave us some good advice (even a map) on places to go and how to get there. They were definitely a casual crew which worked perfect for us. I had the Drunken Salmon Pasta -Linguini tossed with salmon lox, bell peppers and pancetta in our vodka cream sauce. $16.95 I can't begin to say how absolutely perfect and delicious it was. No idea what my friend got because I was completely stuck on my food. Though she did mention the bloody mary was yummy. Eating, with good company and watching the sun set -- fantastic.

    (5)

  • Jordyn B.

    Once you escape from the crazy of pike place market into the calm, comfortable environment of this place you will be happy you stopped by. With a view, and extensive menu of not just seafood, this place was amazing. Not to mention great service and prices. Highly recommend!

    (5)

  • Joe B.

    Won't be back. Seafood lasagna heartily endorsed by waitress, not that good and not really even lasagna. Worst part was the unexpected mandatory tip. Way too much $$

    (2)

  • Joel M.

    I went to the bar, and so should you. Inexpensive local microbrews with a view of the water. If you don't like that, you don't like America.

    (4)

  • Chris C.

    Casual, delicious. Had two different seafood salads, and both were terrific. Very large portion of excellent ahi on the Ahi tuna salad. Prices quite reasonable and quality top notch. We're visitors in town. If I lived in Seattle I'd be a regular!

    (4)

  • Yvonne C.

    Athenian Inn was a great choice after a long day touring Seattle. Our group was seated upstairs, and dusk was upon us. It was the perfect spot to soak up the gorgeous waterfront view! Service was excellent, and they have the freshest local brews on tap served in a cold, frosty mug. They have an extensive menu, but I stuck with fish tacos, which were on special. They were pretty tasty, but I loved some of the dishes that folks in our party ordered. The clam chowder and fish and chips were definite winners! I look forward to coming back for HH specials.

    (4)

  • Billy W.

    Not one to fuck around I was looking to bar-hop my first evening in Seattle and I ended up here for about 6 hours. Really cool views, cheap drinks, awesome vibe. Seemed like a local secret.

    (5)

  • Kym C.

    Most amazing blue cheese burger I have ever had. And they are genius because they don't cut the buns all the way through so everything stays all nice and neat in the bun. Tuna melt is great too!

    (5)

  • Joe I.

    Breakfast. Service was friendly and fast. View in the booth looking out the window was amazing, but we were seated in a booth that was clearly meant for only two people (one on each side) and we were two deep and it was like eating with the little useless arms that a T-Rex has. Super awkward. Food was fine, I just had a breakfast sandwich and it was okay. Portion size was correct. I'd say the cumulative rating this place had of three stars (when we visited) was spot on given our experience. Not sad we went, but wish several parts of the overall experience was better.

    (3)

  • Johnny B.

    My sister and I stopped in for lunch recently. My seared ahi tuna salad was AMAZING. So good. My sister's fish tacos were okay. She ordered fries and was given rice. She wasn't thrilled but decided not to complain as rice was probably a better match for tacos anyway. The waitress was kind of grumpy. I don't expect giddy or anything, but this broad was pretty much just sulking around, scowling at everyone in the place. We ordered creme brûlée for dessert. It was brought out with whipped cream on top. Weird, right? But whatever. Whipped cream is good, creme brûlée is good. So why not? Anyway, the first thing we notice is that the creme brûlée has been salted. Like, full on salted. Someone sprinkled salt on top. A LOT of salt. To reiterate: salt. Maybe that's why they put whipped cream on it? So, we tell the waitress and she brings us another, unsalted version. No cream this time, says the manager scolded her for putting it on there in the first place. What really gets me though, is that they didn't take the creme brûlée off the bill nor did they offer apologies. Having worked in food service before, this is like the ONLY acceptable response for giving someone a salted dessert. Anyway, here's my breakdown: 2.5 for the food (5 for my salad, 3 for the tacos, zero for the salty creme brûlée), one for the service (I mean, at least the crotchety waitress refilled our waters once), and five for the beautiful view. I wouldn't tell a friend *not* to go there, but I definitely wouldn't recommend them nor will I ever return.

    (2)

  • Melissa C.

    After a lot of walking around, my boyfriend and I wanted to just sit by the water and relax for a little. We popped into Athenian during happy hour and it turned out to be a great find! The oysters were reasonably priced and they have some other good appetizer options. We got a dozen oysters, then six more because I love oysters that much. Their drinks are cheap and they pour heavy! The service was good and the view of the water is beautiful. Definitely recommend grabbing a seat in the bar area to chill.

    (4)

  • Linda L.

    We had breakfast here today. My husbands pancakes were pretty good but my breakfast wasn't. The sausage tasted old and hash browns soggy. Left a oily taste in my mouth. The service and view was great though.

    (1)

  • Katie S.

    I love eating here whenever I get the chance to. We seem to always have the same awesome server. I think his name is Mike? Had a beard and loves Seinfeld and the niners (boooo). ANYWAYS he's totes awesome and so is this restaurant. Always recommend to peeps and will continue to do so.

    (5)

  • Katie C.

    This is a place I walked past dozens of times and never went in until a friend pointed it out. I was pleasantly surprised when we were seated with a beautiful view of Elliot Bay and a frosty beer. I had never tried oysters before and I was convinced. This was the perfect setting. While oysters won't be my first choice for a snack, I really enjoyed eating something while looking out the window to where they were caught! Also went to a Sunday morning breakfast and there were big portions and a nice waitress. Everything seemed delicious on the menu but ended up choosing the "downtown scramble" and a small orange juice. I left with a smile and full stomach. Oh, and the wheat toast was great too - with a hard crust!

    (4)

  • Chris C.

    What are you looking for in a breakfast place? Good food? Beautiful views? Attentive, friendly service? The location for a key scene in Sleepless in Seattle? The Athenian Inn has it all. -- Athenian sandwich scramble - Uli's lamb sausage, three eggs, tamatos, feta, and onion overflowing in a pita: A wonderful dish that mixed traditional Greek flavors with an American breakfast. Uli's is right next door to the Athenian Inn at Pike Place Market so you know the sausage is as fresh as can be. -- French toast: AC had the french toast and said it hit the spot. -- OJ: Fresh squeezed without any pulp.

    (5)

  • Carleen P.

    The first time I went to Athenian INN, I was not impressed. A year later I went back because my friend and I were looking for a spot to have a few beers, and she said this would be a good spot. It was. This place has such a great selection of beer!! If you're not with a huge group, or family, go find a stool at the bar and prepare to order. They have a few of everything. All different styles from different countries. There was even a beer there that was hard to google and wasn't even available to "check in to" on Untappd. It's called Song Hay. Go try it; tastes like Corona. I've gone again since then and had the fish n chips. I'm pretty picky about fish n chips and theirs was good. You should probably order those and a few beers. It will complete your market experience.

    (4)

  • Tyson B.

    This was a great family place to eat, as well as having some great beers. The food was yum-o. My fish tacos and the seafood lasagna was great!

    (4)

  • MaryBeth O.

    My friends and I went for happy hour. The fish and chips was yummy! The fish was lightly breaded and flaky and came with a dill tartar sauce. The calamari was good and the portion was generous. The Mahi tuna had a wonderful spice on it. Great food!

    (4)

  • Diamond C.

    My date's smoked salmon sandwhich was epic. My ahi steak sandwhich was also great, but I liked the smoked salmon sandwich a lot more. I should have had them hold the wasabi as well. There was a lot on there. I should have got it on the side or something. Really good place. The prices were a bit high, but both sandwiches were great and had huge slabs of fish on them and had good ingreidents as well. I'm not quite sure why this place doesn't have a higher rating. Service was typical and the view was great!

    (4)

  • Kevin C.

    Very cozy, clam chowder was excellent. Great view of the waterfront and little wait even at lunchtime.

    (4)

  • April C.

    My little crew and I were warmly greeted and accommodated on a cold Seattle day. We had two kiddos with us and the servers were so sweet and the food came out fresh and fast. We ordered salads, clam chowder, and the hummus plate, all of which were incredibly delicious. The view was so great over the water and we had almost the entire upstairs to ourselves which was just what we needed. Great experience and food!

    (5)

  • David H.

    Sleepless in Seattle (Rob Reiner and Tom Hanks) made this place famous. Nontheless if your big rear end can cram into the small wooden seat booths, then you got a winner. Portions are good size for eaters, quality ingredients. Ceaser is better than many of the "Famous" touted restaurants. Corn Beef Hash is made from actual corn beef (not canned) and diced potatoes. Service is dodgy and fair/poor as the place is swamped with tourists like myself

    (4)

  • Terrell E.

    Food is fine, bar is better, setting is best. This is the kind of place that you'd bring someone to from out-of-town - get a happy hour drink (great HH) and sit near the big bay windows to watch the ferries. The selection of beers are local (for the most part) and served in icy mugs. A scene from Sleepless in Seattle was filmed here, I have a soft spot for Meg Ryan...Tom Hanks too, for that matter.

    (3)

  • Jacelyn C.

    Husband and I tried this place for dinner. Their seafood selection is really fresh. Kind of overpriced but service was decent and food tasted decent. Nice to see the water from our table since it is inside Pike's Place Market.

    (3)

  • Maurie A.

    It was ok.. Nice view and great staff..I'm my opinion the food was just edible. I was not "wowed". My mom liked it though. Bottom line: I would not make another trip.

    (3)

  • Aki N.

    Seattle tourist trap in the public market. View is nice, and Sleepless in Seattle made my mom happy. Good calamari w jalapeno aioli. Main dish was mediocre scallops. Very thick clam chowder with potatoes, almost stew-like if you like that. A great local Gale cream beer.

    (3)

  • Clover A.

    View: Check. Intimidatingly Huge Menu: Check. Bar full of Pike Crazies: Check. I like the vibe in this bar, although it's not for everyone, I find it just the perfect mix of tourist/career drunks/locals. Fries are hot and the drinks are strong, don't expect gourmet and don't ask for anything complicated and you won't be disappointed.

    (4)

  • Allyza L.

    I got the seafood lasagna here and it was pretty. It had plenty of salmon, shrimp and crab with it. It was served with steamed vegetables - carrots, zucchini. It's in a great location within Pike's place market. However, the seating is very tight. They wanted to seat a group of four in a booth that felt like it was a booth for 2 - since we came closer to closing time we were able to get a bigger table. If I wasn't visiting and wanted to see the restaurant featured in Sleepless in Seattle, I wouldn't recommend the place.

    (3)

  • Michelle W.

    I didn't come here for their regular lunch or dinner, and after seeing the prices, I probably wouldn't want to try it. The decor doesn't match the prices they're trying to charge. As for the happy hour, THIS IS A MUST!! They had this delicious spicy shrimp scampi that came with crostini.. it was to die for! I also tried the oyster shooter, which was gross because it was just vodka, a goop of cocktail sauce and an oyster. It wasn't shucked well so I got pieces of shell in my mouth. I think I'll stick to the japanese style oyster shooters with the masago, green onion and sake instead. I loved the hard apple cider, it tasted like apple juice but it was pretty strong. The hef and bloody mary was great too. Service was also awesome!

    (4)

  • Sam A.

    Very good seafood. I had some Clam Chowder, shrimp n chips and a bite of cod, and all of it was fantastic. They get marked down a star for the waitress bringing our soup the same time as our meals - incredibly annoying - plus the fact they used frozen french fries. How are frozen fries cheaper than fresh cut? never understood that! Oh, and the waitress was so smart she had to be explained to 3 times that she was getting a 20% tip.

    (4)

  • Dagmara M.

    Thoughtless, greasy, over-cooked food with little flavor and too much salt. A tourist trap with a fun location on the water at the Pike Place market. We had the halibut tacos & seafood lasagna, which were both awful. Dry fish paired with slimy slop. No amount of msg can save this place. Avoid at all costs.

    (1)

  • Ms G.

    Good, inexpensive Happy Hour drinks & food in the Bar at the back on the left. Friendly service, fantastic water views, mountain scenery from the TINY, squishy booths by the window - inspired by the people who arrange the seats for United Airlines. Definitely worth a visit to make your own opinion.

    (4)

  • John P.

    I recently went to the Athenian with a party of five and while reservations are not taken for parties of less than six, I am happy to say that the food and service were worth the wait. We were seated on the second floor at a table with a great view of the harbor. Our drink order was taken and served promptly. We ordered calamari for the table and the entrees were king crab and salmon. All cooked properly and all tasted delicious. The waiter was attentive even though the restaurant was packed. A good time was had by all.

    (4)

  • Bethany E.

    It's located inside of Pike Place Market with an excellent view of the waterfront! We dined with them for a few meals ~ once for breakfast and once for lunch. Both times we were greeted and seated immediately with window seats for the great view. As luck would have it, we had the same server for both meals. He was excellent. Always pleasant and kept our refreshments full. For breakfast I had to get the NW Crab and Shrimp Cake Benedict. When in Seattle right? It was seafood for every meal. The crab and shrimp cake was wonderful. There was a little too much hollandaise sauce for my taste but it was good. The hash browns were perfectly cooked and browned to my liking. For lunch I tried their fish tacos. It was filled with Alaskan Blackened Cod with cabbage salsa and jalapeño aioli. Yum. There were two tacos and so filling! They were great fish tacos and wouldn't hesitate to order them again. The hubs ordered the grilled halibut sandwich. I will say it put my tacos to shame. The bun was flaky - almost croissant like. It was topped with sprouts and aioli. I would order this again and again. So good! I did try their Clam Chowder and will say I was a little disappointed with that. But the rest of our meal made up for it. Upon leaving I noticed a picture of Tom Hanks and a scene from Sleepless in Seattle. I didn't know part of it was filmed there. Cool! I had such a good experience here and would tell anyone to stop in!

    (4)

  • Samuel O.

    Take the bus from where you are staying and walk to this place, don't bother paying several dollars and struggle to find a parking spot. I ordered the fishwich and the crab and shrimp cakes. I didn't need a table, so they let me go right into the restaurant without making a reservation, I sat at the bar. The crab and shrimp cakes came first, and then I was in the company of this one couple that was traveling while I was waiting for my fishwich to arrive. I asked the waitress later on if I could have coleslaw with my fishwich and everything went smoothly. I think the fishwich would have gone well with the clam chowder, I didn't think to order it. I had great service by the waitresses, and the environment was very positive; with the tables downstairs and upstairs you can get a view of the boats and ships, the island across the way.

    (5)

  • Jakkajan D.

    Great seafood, amazing selection of micro brews on tap, and excellent views of Puget Sound. What more could you want?

    (5)

  • Stephan L.

    Everything fresh, straight from the market. Nice shrimps in spicy sauce, crad cakes and lightly-battered Calamari. Something to enjoy forcthe whole family.

    (5)

  • Thomas S.

    What a disappointment! I can't review the food because after we waited one hour (half an hour more than promised) and still weren't seated. It was obviously a case of miscommunication between the hostess and the manager, but even after we said we had waited too long, still no apology or attempt to make it right. This is a place that my friends always bring visitors, but I think that tradition is now over.

    (1)

  • Elisa R.

    The ppl are still friendly. Still enjoy the view out the window. The clam chowder was watery, potatoes were not cooked, and overall flavor dropped! Couple of sandy clams.. On top of that my beer tasted flat today... The frosted glass was spot on but I'm a little underwhelmed today. I come here for the view, good beer, and okay chowder. I'll still come back ... Hope the tap and kitchen is just having an off day

    (3)

  • Kevin C.

    Yeah Tom Hanks was here. Don't come here expecting out of this world food. But the food is good enough. And the views are why you're here. It's a great atmosphere, service is great. But the food is pretty standard. Had the eggs benedict, eggs were done well, sauce was good. Their hash browns are done very well, however.

    (4)

  • Melonie R.

    I thought for the prices we would get better food AND service. Had to ask for refills and the food was ok,not hot and fresh more like sitting around for 5-10 mins waiting to get served to us ok. Had to ask for a refill while I sat watching 3 servers/ workers standing around. We got put in a corner by where they load dirty dishes. Won't be going back anytime soon.

    (3)

  • robin f.

    We had an unpleasant experience here. Ordered a seafood lasagna which turned out to be nearly unpalatable. The crust was hard and tasteless. The rest of the dish was of a kind. Although the view tables are quite nice there is an overall tackiness to the place which is off-putting. We won't be going back.

    (1)

  • Chris B.

    I always take out of town guests here. As a local, I sometimes take the views for granted but he oohs and aaahs from my visiting friends when we are seated at our table here always remind me of how pretty our city is. The food is pretty good traditional American food and the cost is pretty good too. The serve the coldest beer around so it is really nice after hoofing it around during the summer heat.

    (4)

  • Otis L.

    We really enjoyed Athenian Seafood. We picked it because it had no line for a table. Later, we learned it was where Tom Hanks and Rob Reiner filmed their scene from SIS. The wait staff were polite, and quick. The food was great! The clam chowder was thick and tasty. The Salmon Fish and Chips (Battered and Fried) were the best I've ever had. That was actually the first time I had fish and chips made with salmon. The decor is very typical of a seaport restaurant; lots of wooden tables and booths, and comforting background chatter from the patrons. A real good place for families with young children.

    (5)

  • Jake C.

    I was recommended this place by an Uber driver. He said it's over 100 years old so I had to try it. The wait was long for our large party but I have to say it was worth the wait. The view is amazing and the food was quite delicious. The fish and chips, chowder bread bowl, cod fish tacos, chicken tenders, and burgers were amazing. We all left extremely satisfied with the food and service. Sleepless in Seattle was also filmed there.

    (5)

  • Teressa L.

    When you are hungry in the market this is right there. Has a nice view over the water. It's a tourist spot for sure. Sleepless in Seattle filmed here so the seats are marked. They are at the bar on the right when you come in. Staff was friendly enough. We opted to sit at the counter bar instead of wait for a table. Not sure the salad guy liked us watching him. We had a variety of menu items and all were very good. We enjoyed watching items from the kitchen roll out...so we know what else we want to try on another visit. Fun place that if I were in the market again and hungry I would stop by for lunch. Pricey...but it's tourist mecca, what do you expect?

    (4)

  • Robert S.

    This restaurant has a nice view, staff are friendly and engaging, food is underwhelming. Ordered the WILD Coho Salmon sandwich to find that it was farm raised (faint pink, with thick muscle layers). Real wild salmon is dark pink and has thin muscle layers, and is far less fatty than what was served. Lying on the menu is a deal breaker for me, if I ever do come back, it will be for a beer in the bar.

    (1)

  • Kyoko W.

    Any place that I can get fried oysters, eggs, and a fluffy biscuit for breakfast is fine in my book. And, they were mighty tasty. Pretty nice view, too

    (3)

  • Joseph M.

    I would never go here for dinner, but it's one of the best breakfast places in the country. Huge variety of hearty, yummy omelets and such. Great views. The paella's good too.

    (5)

  • Alex A.

    Fun waiter but terrible food, a tourist trap

    (1)

  • Trisha M.

    We chose this place mainly for the view since getting into any of the restaurants on the waterfront is an absolute nightmare and we really wanted to sit and watch the sunset on Puget Sound. The food was decent. Some things better than others. My trout and steamed veggies were just okay but the clam chowder was really fantastic. Service...not bad. But what I really loved about this place is how it looks like it has hardly changed since it has been built. It just kind of looks like you have gone back in time a little and I love that. I recommend this place for decent food in a quirky, historical building with a gorgeous view.

    (3)

  • Tracie M.

    We stopped here on Sunday, Aug 3rd 2014. I had to eat at the "Sleepless in Seattle" restaurant. It was very warm inside. It seemed as if there was no A/C on this hot, sunny day. When we arrived, when the hostess decided to pay attention to us, she looked over her shoulder and told us to sit anywhere at the bar. It was not busy and there were many tables available with a view of the water. When we asked to be seated at one of those, she literally rolled her eyes and begrudgingly took us upstairs. We decided to observe her and found that she did this to many. Seemed too busy flirting with the staff to acknowledge customers. I found out (by asking) her name is Melissa. If the entire staff behaved this way I would have walked out. However, our busboy was funny, personable and very attentive. I spilled my water and in seconds he was there to clean it up. Great sense of humor. His name is Glen. Our waiter was Dan and he was prompt, very friendly, and humorous as well. It is staff such as Dan and Glen which salvaged me returning and recommending this restaurant. Food was great and arrived quickly. Upon leaving Melissa didn't even offer a "have a nice day" .....too busy chatting it up with the bartender giggling away. Will return, but if she is the hostess I'll eat elsewhere.

    (3)

  • Yelp R.

    For some reason we decided we didn't want a table and simply sat at the counter opposite the bar where one of the chefs makes the salads. The crab cakes were fantastic, as was my burger. The meat and blue cheese were superb. I forget what my wife ordered but she thoroughly enjoyed it (and we are very fussy about food). The coleslaw was excellent too. Every bite delicious!

    (4)

  • Michael K.

    Nice view of the ocean! Best calamari I've ever had. Chowder was great, sourdough bread bowl was fantastic and bread was not stale at all.

    (5)

  • Alena F.

    Came here with some friends for Happy Hour after work. We headed straight to the bar which was packed for a few drinks and some great appetizers. The view of the Sound was absolutely amazing, and the service was great. We were very satisfied with food and drink there. I would recommend this place, but wouldn't call it a slam dunk or anything. Just a decent place to go for happy hour and a few drinks.

    (4)

  • Amanda K.

    Wasn't terribly impressed with this place. Took my friend (who is a Seattilite herself) down to Pike Place for fresh flowers and general birthday shopping mayhem, and we ducked in here for a happy hour bite and a cocktail. Had no idea there was history with this place, nor did we know anything about the Sleepless in Seattle trivia until I saw the "Rob Reiner sat here" sign at the first floor bar. Cool. Ok--this place wasn't terrible, there were just little things that needed to be paid attention to. The service was alright, if a little absent. The happy hour guidelines weren't explained very well (1 appetizer per drink and no more, so if you want 4 appetizers, there better be 4 drinks on the table). The dirty martinis we ordered were overpriced and served in warm, stemless glasses, and there was an ice cube floating in mine. Martinis need to be served in a chilled glass with the sheen of ice crystals covering the top. Buuuuuut, with as young as the servers are here, they probably don't know any better. Food was kind of bland, but I think they "get away" with that because their menu is so cheap and patrons are supposed to "expect"' that it's sub-par food based on the price cut. Maybe i'm spoiled because we have so many amazing happy hours in Portland with no "1 drink per appetizer" guidelines, and our happy hour food is a cut above the rest. Example: Athenian had a roasted chicken nacho on their HH menu. Served respectably on a tiny plate with tomatos, sour cream, and cheddar cheese @ $4. There's a place in Portland where $5 @ HH gets you roasted chicken nachos on a BREAKFAST-SIZED PLATTER, smothered with sour cream, homemade salsa, jalepenos, green onions, and nicely seasoned roasted chicken. That, to me, is worthy of a HH menu. People will continue to visit the Athenian though, based on it's location and convenience. We probably won't be back. The view from the third floor was amazing, though!

    (2)

  • M A.

    I always take guests/out-of-towners to Athenians for lunch, today we went just for ourselves. The clam chowder tasted like undercooked slurry of flour. My Salmon saute is bland and overcooked. Husband's fries are ok, and perhaps the only redeeming food was the crispy fish sandwich. Our waiters was friendly, service was prompt. Go here for the view, but definitely not the food. I wish it can be both, after all, this is Seattle.

    (2)

  • Rebecca F.

    I really think this place survives based on the location (and maybe the happy hour based on other comments I've seen here). My husband and I were craving a salmon burger from Pike Place Brewery and the wait there was just too long for us so we stumbled upon the Athenian Inn. We were pleasantly surprised to find that they had a salmon burger, but it just wasn't anywhere near as good as the one we both wanted. First, they arrived without the advertised sauce and we had to flag down our waitress to get that on the side... the salmon itself is small steaks that flop out of the burger and it was really just a mess. The service seemed lackadaisical (maybe thinking they rely mostly on tourists so they don't need to make a good impression?); the view was wonderful especially on a surprisingly sunny Seattle day, but the $13 or $14 burger should have been $8 at the most.

    (2)

  • Silvia H.

    I went here for happy hour with an old friend and had a very nice time. The view is great, food was reasonable and tasty. I ordered an oyster shooter for the first time and quite enjoyed it. I would go back

    (4)

  • David S.

    I used to live at Harbor Steps and this is where I ate breakfast for many years. I sat at where Tom Hanks did in the movie, "Sleepless in Seattle". If you watch the movie closely you will see in the background the cook, she was an older Chinese Chef that worked there for many years. She could cook 23 items all at one time, a real master of the kitchen. There was an older waitress there likely in the film also that served me breakfast, now retired for many years. Leanne is there now, from the old days, she is a very nice waitress that always has a smile on her face and nice things to say to her guests. Please tip her well, she is a very hard worker. New ownership, new cooks, and now they have music. Menu changed, no more # 6 special in the morning that included coffee for under $6.00. Still offers a pretty good selection of breakfast items, usually I have the Italian Omelet. I don't sit at the counter anymore, I like the views from the booths. Leanne is the only reason I go there now, because she is friendly and I remember the old timers that used to work there, and the place brings good memories for me. They do have the coldest beer in Seattle, frosted mugs. They serve breakfast all day, tell Leanne hello, from Dave. She will treat u right!

    (4)

  • Vicky A.

    Athenian Inn has never disappointed us. When ever we are in Seattle our little guy begs us to stop in to get his "Amazingly yummy clams" (his words). :) Our food is always yummy and the view is amazing. Can't go wrong!!

    (4)

  • Gena B.

    I really wish I could give this place a better review, but the service has consistently been horrible every time I've come here. Recently, I took my friend from Houston here as I thought it was the perfect Seattle spot for her to experience. Well, it took so long for our waitress to come to us. She didn't even know we were up there. Not to mention this was early, & there weren't too many patrons there yet. Several waiters & waitresses were walking past us chatting, running around, so we had to speak up. After we were actually served, she really didn't check in us that much, & she was too flighty that morning. The food is good but in my opinion a little overpriced. But hell, you're downtown, in a historic place, and you're eating seafood! At least we did. My friend had salmon & eggs, & I had salmon Benedict. I do have to say that the fish portion did not disappoint, and everything was pretty good. I've been here 4 times & still haven't been impressed. I think next time Lowell's it is!

    (2)

  • Naomi B.

    1 star for the view and 1 star because they used this restaurant in the movie 'Sleepless in Seattle'. I had the crab cake sandwich which was over-fried...everthing on the menu seemed fried. No one in my party was impressed. Tip: Look through the window to see where Tom Hanks sat and save your money for the other amazing restaurants in Seattle.

    (2)

  • Alden F.

    Cool spot to check out for the scene(Sleepless in Seattle, and great views), but the food is way over rated. Ordered the King Crabs thinking they would be as big as the ones we saw at the World Famous Fish Market. Boy was I wrong...

    (2)

  • Kaira K.

    Come here for the happy hour and the view!! Good beer selection and great tacos on the happy hour menu, the regularly priced seafood items on the menu are pricey but what do you expect given the tourist location. Service is fast and friendly, we will be back.

    (4)

  • Syd M.

    Not quite sure it's 3 star worthy...but it wasn't a 2...should be a 2.5. Visited Seattle for the first time this past week with my BFF. While taking in Public Market, we stumbled upon Athenian Inn, perused the menu and made our way inside. To me, the ambiance is very typical of a seaside business. Wood everything, a bit of wear and a nice ocean view. Upon entering we were greeted by a hostess and immediately seated in the bar area with an ocean view. We perused the menu for a short while and decided on our lunch. Going with our server's suggestion, we started with an appetizer of Crab Cakes and I chose the Blackened Halibut Tacos with rice (also suggested by our server) while my BFF opted for the stand by of Fish and Chips and a cup of Clam Chowder. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed with the crab cakes...they were just, eh...ok. When planning my trip to the Pacific NW, I was looking forward to loading up on fresh fish and crab. That said, I had much higher hopes for these cakes. They had quite a bit of breadcrumb filler and far less crab than I would expect for an area known for Dungeness Crab. I was a bit happier with my taco plate; it was much larger portion than I had anticipated, but about average for fish tacos. The serving offered up two medium/largish tacos filled with Blackened Halibut fillet pieces shredded Romaine (love that the did Romaine instead of the oft used cabbage which I dislike) and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese cradled in doubled up white corn tortilla shells. Couldn't sense much of the blackened flavor but the fish was tender and flaky and the lettuce fresh and crisp. Thankfully we still had a bit of the aioli from our Crab Cakes which I used in the tacos. A huge heaping of rice pilaf filled up half of the dish and was a nice light accompaniment to the dish though far too much for me to finish for a lunch dish. The service was prompt and friendly. Good experience overall, but nothing stood out as super memorable with the exception that Sleepless in Seattle was filmed there :)

    (3)

  • P G.

    Awesome view of the waterfront area by about 75%of the tables. Got a kick out of seeing the seats where Rob Reiner and Tom Hanks sat during the filming of Sleepless in Seattle. Started off with the calamari appetizer and boy was it good! Probably the best any of our party had ever had. Thick, meaty rings, no tendrils and only a tarter sauce, no cocktail. Clam chowder was thick with plenty of clams and tasty. Our meals were good, tuna tacos (but would have rather had slaw than fries but didn't realize it in time to ask), seared ahi tuna salad, blue bacon burger and fish and chips. I would go back.

    (3)

  • Benjamin P.

    So I'm doing a casual stroll through Pike and since I'm new to the area I didn't realize that everything shuts down at like...6?... Anywho, Athenian saved the day. I just finished job searching and I needed a quick bite before I caught the bus so I got a burger. The Blue Bacon burger was simply delicious. Nothing fancy, just classic. Good ole' pure tasting beef, bacon, and bleu cheese (gorgonzola crumbles), and lettuce and tomato if you'd like. I decided to stay for dessert since I started digging into my book, and I got the brownie sundae, as is necessary anytime I go to a restaurant with one on their menu. This was also too scrumptious to forget; perhaps, one of the most memorable, I might add. Service was quite right as well: I was greeted warmly and seated promptly in a spacious booth looking on to the BEAUTIFUL Puget Sound; forgive my emphasis, again I'm new to the area. My server was amicable and helpful about my many inquiries, yet she knew to leave me alone when desired (as in when I was reading). All in all, I can't find much of anything wrong with this restaurant, but I haven't had much to compare it to in the area, soo, 4.375 stars'll do.

    (4)

  • FJ H.

    I've been here several times. This is father's favorite restaurant. Did their halibut a few times (during season) which was nice and fresh-tasting. However, it's a bit too pricey. Portions were ok. It's seafood...don't expect to leave with a full stomach :). Overall, from what I recall, food is too bland and average. Doesn't have a unique twist to it. It's too plain for my taste. However, when there's lines everywhere and there's some space here...this place isn't so bad. The views of the Sound are nice and service is decent.

    (3)

  • Emily A.

    This place is a joke food wise. I went here for the first time and brought my grandpa who was visiting from Japan. I ordered this seafood sauté mix thing and there was NO TASTE OR FLAVOR at all!!! Did the chef forget to season my dish or what??? I swear there was not even salt or pepper (which I needed to add) I just had a smelly dish of seafood. To be honest if seafood is absolutely fresh, there should be no fishy smell at all. I've been to Tsukiji in Japan, biggest seafood market in the world and you don't smell a fishy smell at all, that's how fresh it is. This place is ridiculous. Gramps got fish and chips, wasn't anything special, ivars makes fish and chips too. Never ever going back again. I wouldn't eat here even if it was free.

    (1)

  • Sean G.

    Food was great! I was sad to see everyone saying bad things about it. I had Crab cake Benedict it was amazing. Service was good. Yea it was not like in the movie that's why it was a movie. Just like how transformers are not real, or how cheers is a real bar but dose not look the same. If you go thinking you will fall in love with someone and be just like the movie your an idiot! It had great food and views of the water.

    (4)

  • Amy V.

    I've been here for lunch twice when in Seattle visiting family. My first visit was good. Good food, good service, good beer. It brought me back for a second visit. Not so good. The service was very slow. They forgot my beer. The food was just okay. I was excited to try the seafood lasagne, but it was okay at best. (I may have to try one of the other yelpers food suggestions next time.) The waitress was very patient with my young nephew who just got a new magic trick and wanted to show her over and over. There is the Sleepless in Seattle connection. I took a picture of Tom Hanks seat...woo woo! The best part of this place is the view. We were on the top floor and it was awesome! I wouldn't say don't go, but choose your meal with caution and don't forget to order a beer!

    (3)

  • Amy F.

    Oyster shooters, oh my! This place knows how to make a nice stiff drink. They are also one of the few bars that still serves their tap beer in an ice cold, frosted beer mug. There is something about having your beer out of one of those that just makes you say YUM

    (3)

  • Jessica H.

    Our server was really awesome and he knew the menu well. However the cooking of my scallops was wayyyyyy over done. And the sauce had noooooo flavor. However awesomeeeeee clam chowder!

    (3)

  • Shane S.

    Famous for the classic movie "Sleepless in Seattle". I don't think they have ever had a crowd in the restaurant like that ever since!!! Wanted to like this place.... so I keep coming here, but it is usually fairly empty. I came here a few times for breakfast. Had the Joes Scramble with rosemary chicken spinach and mushrooms (ok) , and the smoked salmon benedict. Benedict was pretty good with lots of smoked salmon flavor. I had the fish and chips here and it may have been one of the worst I've had at a restaurant..... If the place did not exude cool history with a fantastic view I would rate the place 2 stars.

    (3)

  • Tracey S.

    This was a cute seafood restaurant in the market at Pike Place Market. Every seat has a window seat. I had the seafood and chips, very good. Hubby tried the seafood lasagna, only ok plate was pretty wattery from the veggies. Would probably go back again.

    (3)

  • Alexandra W.

    Stopped in for a quick lunch with my one-year-old in tow. We just had water and split the fish 'n chips, but I would go back in a heartbeat! They were excellent...brought an extra plate for my son, would have brought him his own water (I already had some for him in a straw cup), and were so speedy! I thought the fish 'n chips was the best I had in Seattle and I would definitely go back and bring friends! Thank you, Athenians!

    (4)

  • Euge R.

    Best restaurant to get the whole Sleepless in Seattle with great seafood experience. Icing on the cake is the ambiance as the service and all the seafood on the item was fresh and perfectly cooked. The best time to visit the Athenian is in the morning when it's not too busy yet packed with tourist. The best Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs in Washington should be enjoyed in the morning as you gaze from the second floor into puget sound watching Ferry's go from island to island. For Lunch go with the Clam and Mussels dish appetizer as the sauce is flavorful especially for dipping bread. The Clam Chowder is ok but the Fish N'Chips was good. Be warned as it gets extremely busy after 10am.

    (5)

  • Cory J.

    Visted the market to find some fresh lobster for a family event. After passing the fruit stands with Asian apples the size of grapefruit I found myself wondering if buying Japanese apples the size of grapefruit is wise. They are tasty like they're injected with corn syrup. You get the same thoughts going through your mind that you do when eating a chocolate covered apple. This is good for me right? It's an apple. Nevermind the chocolate...it's an apple. My kids love 'em and swing from the light fixtures after they've eatten them. They've also grown an eleventh finger. I decided to stop in the Athenian because I am such a fan of Sleepless in Seattle. I laugh and cry myself to sleep... so funny but at the same time so sad. Stopped by for the first time to get a quick app and a beer. Found out it was happy hour and ordered an IPA and calamari. Was SHOCKED to find that the calamari was frozen and smelled like hell. I mean it smelled like hell. I was so hungry that I shoved some in my beerhole. I am somewhat a connisseur of calamari and I can tell you whithout hesitation that this was the worst I've had anywhere. I've had better calimari in Oklahoma. The only thing that made me give this place two stars was the beer, which Seattle is known for, and the service. I'd go back for beer only. I will not have any other food here. Blah.

    (2)

  • Chris S.

    All seats have a view. We only waited 15 minutes for a seat monday lunch. Wanted fresh salmon.

    (4)

  • Lorayne E.

    Long wait for lunch, but worth it. Fish sandwich is the best I've ever had, hands down. Try the cherry slushie cocktail, won't disappoint!

    (4)

  • Carl B.

    Ate here for lunch....had the fish sandwich. Not the best sandwich.... It is big, but too much slaw, made the bread soggy. The taste of the slaw wasn't great either. The breading on the fish, although seasoned fell off the fish as you eat it. If you do order get the slaw on the side not on the sandwich and a side of fries. Service was respectable.

    (3)

  • Tony K.

    Decent food, had crab cakes which came out warm and tasty. Not exactly the friendliest reception but the server was nice. Didn't get a chance to experience the view close up but they do have seats that overlook the waterfront. Other dishes ordered were good, not great.

    (3)

  • Mya D.

    I just had to dine here for one reason.... Sleepless in Seattle Watching the movie back in the day... I finally made it to the filming location. We came here for breakfast. I had egg Benedict it was good.

    (4)

  • Christine P.

    The Athenian was one of the first restaurants I visited while in Seattle. I went here because it is where Sleepless in Seattle was filmed and I wanted to act like a tourist. Appetizers: -Clam and Mussels dish: Nothing amazing but was plentiful. -Clam Chowder: Pike's Place Chowder beats this by miles. Entrees: -Seared Scallops: Served with steamed veggies and potatoes. Nothing special. -Fish and Chips: Very crispy fish, but the fries were soggy because the plate was wet. Disappointing. Drink: -Alaskan White Overall, I got a great feel of Seattle here. I will not be coming back for lunch or dinner, but I may return for breakfast sometime. I was very disappointed by the seafood. I came here from Tucson, AZ so I was looking forward to some fresh seafood for once! The service was also very lackluster.

    (3)

  • Valerie V.

    As a tourist coming to pike place for the first time, and being hungry this place is great! Our friend from Seattle mentioned there was a scene in Sleepless Seattle filmed down at the bar. We got a table on the 2nd floor with a great view of the waterfront/ ferris wheel, ships and beautiful mountainsl! Food was good but not the best. My crab cake sandwich was tasty, but a little dry. Hubbie liked his clam chowder bowl. Everything is else is like normal diner/seafood places.

    (4)

  • Maralyn H.

    Had a wonderful breakfast with an amazing view. I can see the Olympics and a cruise ship from my table. This place is famous because of "Sleepless in Seattle". It is my choice because of great service, generous portions, and THE VIEW, THE AMAZING VIEW!

    (4)

  • Mark M.

    The Athenian has a PRIME location. When you sit up on the second level, the view of the sound is breathtaking. I had a Monte Cristo there today, and it was fine, if not spectacular. The service was good. The main thing is, it's a really cool looking place that would be great to take an out-of-town guest to. Everyone keeps saying that it's in Sleepless In Seattle, and a small part of me wants to watch the movie and look for the Athenian. But then I remember that it's very important for me to never, ever watch Sleepless In Seattle, because rom coms make me feel stabby.

    (3)

  • Scott K.

    Physicist: "Oh, I'm so glad you asked Scott... due to Occam's Razor, any "theory which would allow time travel would require that issues of causality be resolved. Also keep in mind that there is a notable absence of any experimental evidence that time travel exists, theoretically it's simpler to assume that it does not happen at all. Indeed, Stephen Hawking once suggested that the absence of any tourists from the future constitutes a strong argument against the existence of time travel - a variant of the Fermi paradox." Scott: "ahem.... The Athenian Theory sir? What of the Athenian Theory?" Physicist: " I concede fine sir... I throw my hat into the ring and concede." I win a lot of money this way. It has long been noted in the Scientific Community and elsewhere, that the Athenian does not move within space-time. It remains consistently and unshakably the same. In our modern world, with all of it's hoity-toity, self important, fubblewhat going on, (that's right, I said fubblewhat), the Athenian stands as a beacon of hot breakfasts, weird staff, weirder customers and a stunning view that cools the heated heart, of even the the most overworked and underpaid city dweller. A statement easily evidenced, by the wide array of chattering people that can be found here on any given day. On my last visit, I counted two power ties, three Dutch backpackers, a land baron, a fat man in a spandex leotard, a punk couple, and spoke with a man that had never seen a comic book! Needless to say, this is the kind of place I find very comfortable. For gods sake, stay away from the seafood. I know it seems like a "given" that the seafood served inside of farmers market would be terrific, but it's not, so just move on... there's nothing to see here folks. Nothing at all. In fact, there is a Scottish dried fish dish that will have you cramping and swearing at inanimate objects for the remainder of the day. Please for the love of god, don't order it. Cheap farmers Breakfasts and BLT's are what the Athenian does best, but it's not even about the food. It's about not changing for anyone and being yourself! So until Marty McFly runs up to me screaming something about a villain from a comic bookless future coming to kill me, make mine the Athenian!

    (3)

  • Gia G.

    I wish I could give this place only 2 and a half stars based on service alone. Their food is good more consistently than not but their service is often lacking and this...the place doesn't always feel clean enough to me. It's the little things, like, when we ask the server for mustard and the bottle is nearly empty and its just plain dirty on the outside. Gross.. The views are gorgeous and food priced right but some of the servers in this place act like they are doing you a favor even noticing that your coffee has grown cold if you are lucky enough to get one who pays attention to detail. Today our server was a 40 something year old woman, thin, with horrible looking hands and nails that screamed smoker. We apparently bothered her when we mentioned that the heat was a bit stuffy up there in the loft and could they turn it down. She remarked "you're hot?" and then without asking us started to move us to the next table over; where she began hurriedly grabbing things and wiping the table off muttering that this other table would be cooler because it wasn't directly in the sun but when we tried to say no that it was ok she just kept flying by us until I got her attention and said "no we don't want to move, its OK" to which she said "now you don't want to move, after all I just did"...seriously, this woman was in her own wasteland. If the heat couldn't be turned down no big deal. But that's only one thing. Many of the employees wear very dirty aprons and look like they slinked in off the street and just left addictions ...if not, anger's anonymous. Not one server we've ever encountered since coming to this place has ever acted like they like their jobs or the customers. On the plus side, this is one place that does hire people of all ages and in my book that's a good thing. I just think the owners or managers of this place need to require a higher standard of people with better displayed dispositions and appearances. And for God sakes, wipe the damn shared bottles of condiments off!

    (3)

  • Karen S.

    Yeah, pretty meh. It's OK, but with all the restaurant choices in the city, I don't know that I'd seek this place out for a meal. It met our needs...10:45am, hungry, some wanted lunch, some wanted breakfast, no wait. We sat upstairs where we had a nice view, but the booths are horribly sized...too big for 2 people, too small to comfortably fit 4 (we snuggled in). Food was typical Greek diner food. Not bad, nothing special. Our server wasn't too pleasant, and was borderline rude. If you find yourself really hungry, and there's no line, this place is fine. But if you're out seeking a good meal, I'd suggest looking elsewhere.

    (2)

  • Rashel P.

    I give this place a 3 because from the looks of the food, well it isn't very appealing. Actually...it doesn't look good at all. During our trip to Seattle, we spent two days at Pike's Market..we always ended up at Athenian because the Stoli Shots at the bar were only about 5 bucks plus a great view of the ocean. We couldn't beat that any where else, especially in that location. The customer service was not great though. They were pretty slow.

    (3)

  • Lona R.

    We were so excited to find out that Sleepless in Seattle was filmed here!! Great food but the clam chowder was a little sweet but yummy still! We will be back for sure!

    (4)

  • Janet O.

    We chose Athenian because the sign says it has reached its 100th years! Well if you;re that old then you're a part of Seattle's history and we wanted to experience that too! Very casual place as expected since it sits right smack in the busiest place in Seattle Pike Place Market. As you walk in there is a sign that says wait to be seated. Yes we waited...and waited...while the hostess was talking to the bartender..and we waited... She finally made use of her peripheral vision and noticed that there's three hungry people waiting and helped us. She was genuinely nice just slow. She led us to a sunny booth that overlooks the water. Great view! I noticed that as you walk in- the bar to my left reeked with timeless history. It's got that look. Really old but comfortable looking bar stools lined up the walk to the booths. It almost made me forgot the whole noisy ambience and I snapped out of it when we got to the booth. Wow! Lots of history there. There is another portion of the Inn where you can let your hair down and get funky drunk! That's the portion I was staring at sitting in my booth. Ahh...! If only I felt like getting silly drunk. But not this year. Although there was one guy who was soo drunk he made my day. He was so funny and couldn't tell the ceiling from the floor! Lol! He was ****faced! We ate of course. I can tell you the food is not what I'm reviewing the place for. Its the experience! Salud!

    (4)

  • Kaeti M.

    The Stranger recommended this place so my boyfriend and I went to try it out during happy hour and its a MUST GO! We sat in the bar section and the view was beautiful! I recommend going on a nice day when the sun it out and go during the happy hour. I was a little bummed though because we got there towards the end and they were closing the kitchen down and then service along with it. We didnt order any food but the food on the menu sounded awesome! We did however order a drink but ended up being handed the check shortly after receiving our drinks. We felt a little rushed and kind of bad that we came towards the end because it was obvious that they were trying to get people in and out. I will definitely go here again though and i will be going early so we have more time. the view was just so awesome and the drink deals were good!!

    (4)

  • Dhaval P.

    Hopped off the plane went to my buddies pad then cruised on over to Athenian. I love this place because it is so unassuming and quaint. There is an epic scene in "Sleepless in Seattle" where Tom Hanks' character eats at the Athenian with a friend and is schooled on dating. "Hello Diane take a look at these Swatches" hahah I ordered the special: a fishcake burger It was served on a brioche bun with just the right amount or tartar. I asked the server what fish comprised of the fishcake and she said it was a mix of cod and other fish, bomb. Climb up the narrow stairwell and sit atop the restaurant...great view of Puget Sound.

    (4)

  • Kate H.

    Best hidden Happy Hour in town. With a one beverage per appetizer minimum it's hard to pick the item that is the best. My favorite is the elk sliders - yes elk, in Pike Place - topped with sauce and carmelized onions. Add the bonus of amazing sunset views over Puget Sound and an occaisonal view of the mountains and its the best value in town. An added bonus for movie lovers are the seats from Sleepless in Seattle, including a labelled spot for Tom Hanks.

    (5)

  • Angie W.

    Was down at Pike Place Market early this morning. A family member flew in and had a half day layover before flying out. Did my best to provide the "meet me in Seattle" tour and hit some highlights. After stopping at the Space Needle for photo op, we went to the market to check it out. Since it was early, and she had been flying all night, we decided to grab some grub. Breakfast was needed and we happened upon the Athenian Inn which is right inside the market. Wasn't expecting anything fancy or spectacular (hey this is a farmer's market) so was happy with the bar atmosphere and great views out the window on our table. We got there at 730am, which means I was up and going at 4am due to love of family, so there was only one waitress on duty. There were probably 10-15 small tables of two that were already there, so she asked us to wait a few minutes which was no biggie. Expected slow service, but wasn't in a hurry and not holding a grudge. Breakfast menu seemed to be egg focused (scrambled, omelet, eggs benedict, egg sandwiches - get the picture?). Variety of breakfast meats to choose from and a few coffee drinks too. We both had the eggs benedict - one traditional and one with lamb sausage since this is a greek influenced restaurant. The hollandaise sauce was really smooth and creamy so the food was good. Hashbrowns were bland and the mocha I ordered was pretty rough. Wasn't sure if this deserved a 2-star or 3-star. I think overall it was a 2, but if you want something at the market it would be a good choice.

    (2)

  • Winnie T.

    I guess when you're a party of one, you get seated fast, you get food fast, and you leave fast. Pretty sweet deal. I got the chowder cuz I figured if I was going to have chowder that was NOT straight out of the can for once, it would be in the Pacific Northwest. I wasn't completely blown away- it was a lil' salty and watery but what do I know? Looks like I'll have to keep searching for the perfect chowder. Waiter was friendly and quick. Kudos to that.

    (4)

  • Karen S.

    Sleepy in Seattle so we started a bit late. We walked down to Pike Place and stumbled into Athenian. Uh, yes table for three and can we get a high chair... Receptionist says, "we only do high chairs upstairs, how about a booster...". If I wanted an $€6#( booster I would have asked for one.... We should have left - the food was less than desirable and most seemed a bit on the rough side. I would not go back. I wish I could name at least one thing positive about the experience... I can't!

    (1)

  • Orphanthal J.

    Great place to go. Perfect view of the sound. Good servicce. A little wait but they kept us informed. Good salad and good Montecristo. Good service.

    (5)

  • Kevin P.

    I'm a tourist in Seattle this weekend. I ate lunch today at Athenian Inn, at Pike Pace. It is a classic Seattle experience and was enjoyable. Great service. Seat with view of waterfront (many seats share that view). I had the seafood stew -a perfect selection for a damp, cold day. Delicious and plentiful. Salmon, white fish, shrimp, oysters, mussels, clams, squid, rice, and an amazing broth. Put this pace on your list.

    (4)

  • Ti B.

    So my hun bun is from Seattle and he has never really ventured out about Pikes Place. On our way here he pointed out several other places that he used to frequent. One of my clients suggested Pikes Place Market, I didn't realize it was so touristy. I just wanted some fresh shellfish. In the midst of my search, I was hungry. So we stopped here. The steamed mussels were PeRfEcT! :) I ordered the seafood sinigang and was sooooo disappointed. It was bland and it didn't have the different types of shellfish and such as stated on the menu. I ate it because I was hungry and had salt on the table. My hun bun had seafood chowder and oh my that was awesome! I should have just got a huge bowl of that. oh well...next time....if there is one. :(

    (3)

  • Anne K.

    Can't believe I've lived in the NW all my life and have never been to this Seattle gem! My husband and I found it through Groupon--but we'll be happy to come back and pay full price! We had a delicious breakfast including the most amazing Crab Cake Eggs Benedict. WOW! The staff was super friendly but it was the Seattle ambience--and view--that really sets this restaurant apart. Nothing fancy--just great, fresh food at reasonable prices--with a total Seattle vibe--situated in the heart of Pike Place Market. Cannot wait to come back and try the dinner menu!

    (5)

  • Peter A.

    Although I've eaten there many times, I've never made it to the bar at the Athenian Inn, probably because it just recently extended its closing time from 6pm to 7:30pm. The restaurant has now been there literally a hundred years ( seattledining.com/ARCHIV… ), and the bar since 1933. It has a surprisingly large beer selection for a place that seems to cater to blue collar regulars who prefer Miller or Bud Lite, and a nice happy hour menu (try the elk sliders). Along with the pleasantly inebriated regulars (Hi, Frank), it has a nice cross-section of old and young, tourists and locals, and of course it has that view (best witnessed in the colder months, when the sun sets before closing time). It was pretty foolish of me to live in Seattle for a quarter of its century-old life and not stop in for a drink before now.

    (3)

  • Jeremy A.

    The food is standard, pretty classic for an old school restaurant. Service is friendly and efficient. The atmosphere is great, super old school and seems like it has probably never changed. The beer is served in frosted mugs that are so cold the ice forms! This is why this place deserves 5 stars! I will never walk by this place without drinking or wanting to drink a beer.

    (5)

  • Sara L.

    The $3.99 salmon strips for the happy hour were delish, and the local apple cider they serve in big frosty glasses is some of the best I've had! I wish we could buy it in LA! Yum...especially for a Pike's Place tourist trap.

    (4)

  • JujUb Z.

    Ugh! Terrible host and seating arrangement for a party any larger than 8. I'm from CA and really, the only thing I can think of to complain about in Seattle is this restaurant. We had a destination wedding and family came from everywhere, therefore we wanted to to all sit together. We walk in, ask if we could get a table for 11, the host said he could make it happen with 2 tables right next to each other, we wait over half an hour. Another host walked us upstairs and ended up trying to sit us at about 4 different tables!! 3 of them were small booths that you could only fit 2 people in and they tried to make 4 people sit there! How ridiculous is that?!? So we then tried to separate ourselves in order to become comfortable, and one of the guys who worked there gave us a hard time about the seating arrangement we tried to make and mentioned how it's different sections and different tabs, with a freakin' attitude! First of all, we didn't get the seating we originally were promised, secondly, we were ALL separated at 4 different tables, and lastly, when we tried to make ourselves comfortable the guy gives us attitude about it. I really wish I could remember his name, but I told him "unless you have a better seating arrangement for us, this is how we're going to sit." He mentioned how another large party was going to take a while, because we seen how many it sat and wanted to take their place when they left and didn't mind waiting. We just wanted to sit together. A while?? I guess his definition of a while was 20 minutes, because they were done by that time. Luckily, we spoke to another staff member and asked him to help us get that bigger table, and again, it was like pulling teeth. "It's on another tab, not the same section, blah blah blah." I used to be a server and worked at a restaurant, and I know how it works. They made it a lot harder than it had to be. I would've walked right out of this restaurant if it wasn't for everyone starving! We eventually sat together while the kids were at another table, but it was such a struggle! The star is for our server who was nice, but other than that, it would've been 0 stars if that was an option, including the quality of the food!

    (1)

  • Kate S.

    Oh Athenian Inn...I hate doing this, I do... and this is more of a 1/2 star demotion than anything, but shoddy service the last couple times I have been here and the suddenly over greasy dishes just had to bump you down a notch. If your waiters became attentive again, refilled my coffee, and didn't take 20 minutes to take my order that come swimming in oil well..then maybe you can once again move back up to the 4 star place in my heart you used to have.

    (3)

  • Norm G.

    All right, all you smug people saying, "Norm, what the heck were you expecting? You were in a tourist trap!" I accept your criticism. But it was our first night in Seattle, and we were so tired and hungry. We walked in a little after 5 pm, and at that time it wasn't all that busy. So we got a fairly decent table upstairs. It had a view of Puget Sound, and that was nice. The service wasn't stellar, but it wasn't rude, either. But the food? I ordered salmon and it was dry. It came with some vegetables that were also dry, and I wouldn't be surprised if they came from a package of frozen vegetables. About the only thing crossing my palate that was fine was a glass of chardonnay wine. The food wasn't horrible, but it was just kind of blah. The view, however, was nice.

    (2)

  • Rachel M.

    Nice service staff but horrible food. Made me sick too. I don't recommend this place at all. Go across the street to Three Girls Bakery and thank me later.

    (1)

  • Shar C.

    Went for breakfast, loved smoked salmon eggs benedict, friend loved breakfast burrito, sat upstairs by window with view of water

    (5)

  • Jim L.

    Good view and value. Appreciated the size of portions for happy hour menu and great view. Most other places in market close at 6pm so happy they were open.

    (4)

  • Kris P.

    Coming to Pike Market, at any time, is a health risk because of all the traffic. Thankfully, The Athenian had some open tables for breakfast. My waitress brought me a glass of water before I even settled in. She didn't seem to be too happy. I've smiled at her each time she's passed my table, and you can tell she isn't having the best of mornings. Still, she is working very hard. I ordered the Veggie Frittata, minus the mushrooms. Nothing could make me eat nasty fungus. It only came with a choice of white or wheat toast though, and I was seriously craving some sourdough. I will survive. My breakfast didn't take too long, but I had plenty to do to keep myself preoccupied for that 15 minute wait. When it arrived, the waitress was a little more chipper, but still, her smile was absent. The breakfast looked wonderful, but I was given white toast instead of the wheat that I ordered. I didn't complain, because it looked good, and I was hungry. The frittata was delicious, with a nice variety of taste. The cheese and veggies blended well together. The hashbrowns were even better. They tasted like they were heavy in butter, and I'm sure that's why I liked them so much... even if they are bad for you. I was brought a refill, after asking for one. The waitress seemed like she was bothered I'd asked her for one. I think that she was stressed because there were several more tables she was handling... and I didn't realize that there was a room behind me, filled with customers. By the end of my meal, the waitress had somehow found a happy pill, because she was smiling to people, and speaking in a much happier manner. I even gave her a 20% tip, which wasn't much considering that my bill wasn't too expensive. The music was 70's rock-n-roll, through out the restaurant, and I really enjoyed listening to it while I ate my meal. Several of the staff could be heard singing along with the songs. This is my kind of atmosphere. I will come back here, in the future.... because the food was really good (and the portion was big enough to take half to my wife, on my way home, at work), the service was fast (even if it was missing a smile for the most part) and the view was spectacular (I sat upstairs, with a view of the Puget Sound).

    (4)

  • Channing C.

    Came here on my latest visiti to Seattle with my friends. I had watched Sleepless in Seattle the night before and was told that one of the scenes was filmed at this place. And it was so, as the movie is their biggest claim to fame. The restaurant was touristy but also had a blue collar feel to it. The prices were a little expensive but I was willing to try anyway. I ordered the fish and chips and they were ok, nothing to go crazy over. But what was better than the food was the view! Though our seats were small and crowded, I had the pleasure of looking out over a panaramic view of the sound and beyond. Absolutly beautiful. I'd go back, but besides the view, it wasn't all that amazing.

    (3)

  • Sage S.

    Do go to the Athenian for happy hour. They have $5 giant, frosty mugs of beer and typical happy hour snacks for $5 as well. The view can't be beat! The service is friendly, and there's always a line of regulars who are fun to watch standing at the bar. Other than happy hour, though, or going for drinks at the bar, I wouldn't recommend the Athenian for lunch or dinner. Breakfast is okay, if you must go! The coffee is pretty bad, but the breakfast food is just fine. Overall, the food is really pricey for what it is.

    (3)

  • Yolanda Y.

    The best part about this place is the view of the sound. We came by here for beers and were pleasantly surprised by the wall of windows overlooking Seattle's beauty. We didn't get food, so that could also be great, but I can't say. The hours aren't convenient because they close pretty early. They were actually closing up while we were here, but they were cool about not blatantly kicking us out.

    (3)

  • Melanie N.

    I know a lot of people want that tourist experience of eating somewhere in the touristy area of a city (and in Seattle that's Pike's Place) but let me tell you, this is not where you want to spend your dime. We wandered in here, starving after flying in mid-morning and thought the menu looked decent, plus they had water views. Three of us were squished into a booth that really should've been for 2. They have the typical fare you'd expect; seafood, burgers, sandwiches, salad, soup. We ordered the clam chowder to start with. It was luke warm and just okay. My scallops dish was pretty atrocious, though. Small, measly looking scallops with watery vegetables and bland red potatoes. From the looks on the faces of my two companions, they felt the same about their food. Service was marginal...but it really seemed like they could give a crap about working there. The view was okay but there has got to be better places to eat in this area where you can get the same view. Skip and pass on...you'll thank me for it!

    (2)

  • Susie S.

    While visiting Seattle, I was told to visit the Athenian Inn, that it was a "local treasure" not to be missed. Upon entering, it looked a bit like a dive, but that has never stopped me before. Some of my favorite meals are tucked in hidden gems like this so it's always worth a shot. The view was wonderful. The service was not. The food was mediocre. I hated that I didn't love this place. I wanted to, but there just wasn't enough to love.

    (2)

  • Justin S.

    The customer service was terrible, and it started with the hostess. I came with my wife and 3 cousins to do the tourist thing (1 of my cousins is local) and we just wanted a place to sit down and eat. After walking through Pikes we decided on this place based in their menu and prices. 1) Not busy at all, walked in and the hostess asked how many and we had a party of 5. At which point the "Hostess" gave us 5 menus and pointed us to the top of the stairs and walked away. Even the busiest restaurant can do better than that, but esp. when they are slow. 2) Our waiter was the king of the cheesy bad lines. He spent more time trying to hit on my cousins than take our order. His hands SHOOK so bad when trying to put the drinks on the table he spilled almost everyones. (not elderly, almost looked like an alcoholic himself) 3) Too busy trying to hit on my fam we got cold clam chowder and luke warm food. 4) Food was eh, not bad not good, for me it just felt like everything was just lacking in flavor. Looking at all the great seafood in the Market we were just not impressed. 5) Found a HAIR on my fries, tried to show the waiter and he explained it away as thyme, ok but it looks like hair not thyme, no offer to take the food back. End of lunch. Food was not bad but forgettable, the service just blew, probably would have rated it higher had the hostess not started out our experience like that.

    (1)

  • Leonard P.

    In brief: good food, not good drinks. In length: I've written a lot here about 'institutions', because I recently moved to Seattle and people always want to take you to the famous places. There are generally two types of institutions: the ones that have gotten a reputation by delivering good quality year after year, and the kind that have just kind of stuck around long enough to be respectable, but are really more places you know about than places you actually visit. With the exception of their food, the Athenian is definitely the latter. The food is top-notch, but the service is shoddy as hell, the seating (even the kind that faces the water) is uncomfortable, it's always packed, the drinks are watery and overpriced, and you get a billion rubes yacking about the fact that Tom Hanks sat on a barstool there. Well, bully for him. There are better places to spend your time, Seattle; leave this one for the tourists.

    (2)

  • Jeannette A.

    Wasn't impressed with the food or service. The view is great... That's about it.

    (2)

  • Emmalee S.

    Honestly, this review is based on two things: their biscuts and gravy and their bloody mary's. The reason being is that is all I have had the 3 times I have been here. The service had never been awful, but it has also never been great. It's a fun place to take out-of-towners just to point out that it's the place where Tom Hanks eats in Sleepless in Seattle. I am going have to have to go out of my comfort zone one of these times and try something new.

    (3)

  • Violet D.

    Went for breakfast. Crab cake benedict with hashbrowns. Diet Coke was kept refilled. Good location in the Market.

    (4)

  • Bill R.

    the clam chowder was quite tasty and the crab cakes were great ... tables are a bit small but was an enjoyable meal

    (4)

  • Cherry M.

    Today's service was abysmal, but the food was actually not bad! There seems to be a lot of "young" help around. Not sure if it is just a summer job because they sure treated it like one. The gal we had was friendly at first then started running around like a chicken with her head cut off. We asked for more drinks and she put the check down on our table not saying if it was ours or not. Then said sorry we're busy and ran! lol Then came back later and I asked her if the check was ours or if she forgot it on our table because she did not mention anything. Then she asked if we wanted desert. This is after she already gave us the check!!! Is she completely bonkers? After she ran the card, she put it down again and ran. No thank you, no come back again, NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT! Wow!! damn shame! and why is she running inside the restaurant anyways? wow! We had the fish and chips and on their special was a Salmon enchilada on a bed of rice topped with mango salsa. The batter needs more seasoning on the fish and chips but not bad, fries was warm not piping hot, but their special is pretty darn good actually. Salmon taste fresh and though I thought it would be weird with mango, I quite liked the contrast. Need work on the enchilada part because it was dry, but all in all it was good. View? Very nice! Eat on the top part of the restaurant if you can.

    (2)

  • Leah Z.

    Yay, Sleepless in Seattle was filmed here! That's why we stopped in! We got seated in a wooden booth with a nice view. I ADORE booths, so I was super happy. Though the barstools looked so cute I would've been happy with those too! I got a mediocre glass of wine, but my friend got a cider ale that was so refreshing... I'm seriously craving apple cider ale right now (just thinking about it)... and MUST find some... My friend got the Gyro. Seriously people. It's pronounced Yee-ROW, right? No one needs to pronounce the G. It's silent! If you use the G it sounds like the word Gyrate and that's just disgusting.... (my friend insisted on making the G sound) He liked the Gyro but liked his ale more. I got a simple shrimp cocktail and it was great. Our waiter was so fabulous. He was friendly and attentive, I almost wish he was the bartender and I was sitting at the bar. Super nice guy.

    (4)

  • Doug M.

    I withdraw any endorsement of the Athenian Inn. In the interest of simplifying their menu, they threw out all of the old variety and replaced their servings with tourist-oriented seafood. All of the old ambiance has been gutted. This is no longer the place you saw in the movie. It's just another garden-variety, overpriced West Coast seafood place. Two stars only for the view.

    (2)

  • Tee G.

    Where was the CRAB MEAT in the Crab cakes?! It was basically a filler cake. The side salad was decent but the food was disappointing.

    (2)

  • Alli D.

    I fully expected this place to be an Official Tourist Trap, what with it being in the middle of Pike Place Market, plus the fact that Sleepless in Seattle was filmed inside. We tried to play the part--The Boy was wearing a Minnesota hockey t-shirt, and we both donned our best northern accents (ya knoww), but soon realized that we could be normal Seattleites and not stick out like sore thumbs. The first way you could tell there were locals there was the fact that people were drawing the blinds left and right. People who live here aren't used to the bright light, and just like vampires, they shrivel in the sun. Tourists were basking in the glow, while locals were huddling in the dark shadows, skin growing bluer by the minute. Exhibit B: The prices are reasonable. I got fish and chips for under $8--anywhere that caters to tourists would have charged twice that much. Shoot, any regular place charges twice that much. Visitor or not, all patrons can enjoy the stunning view of Puget Sound and the Olympic mountains. The space is really cool, too, with two levels and what I have to assume is the original furniture (although I'm pretty sure the flat screen TV on the wall wasn't there when they opened). The food was as good as the prices would suggest. Not the best fish and chips I've ever had, but still crispy and greasy, as they should be. And the two large Diet Pepsi's kicked my lack-of-caffeine-headache right in the buns. The Boy was super stoked about the amount of bacon that came with his breakfast, although he said it was a little too cooked for his taste. Anyway, all of the above is just to say that it's OK to go there, even if you do live in Seattle. And just in case you get bored, fake accents are welcome.

    (4)

  • Sarah J.

    The place was crowded when we arrived. This is to be expect, as it is located in the middle of Pike Place Market (and, the whole "Sleepless in Seattle" thing). We luckily snagged a couple of seats at the bar and were incredibly glad we did! Not only did we not have to wait, we also got a good view of the kitchen. After seeing several dishes prepared, we saw one that we knew we HAD to have: the famous fishwich. We hadn't even seen it on the menu, didn't even glance at the 'sandwich' section, but when we saw it being prepared we asked our waitress what it was and immediately ordered it. Best decision ever. This fish was fried to a nice golden crisp and topped with a tangy slaw. It was nice and flavorful and did not disappoint. We also got a bread bowl of clam chowder, which was ok, but nothing compared to the fishwich. Overall it was a great experience, the fish was incredibly fresh and the service was good. Had we have had to wait, I might have knocked off another star, but going at an off peak time will enhance the experience.

    (4)

  • Alan F.

    In Pike Place Public Market; said to be the oldest restaurant in the Market. Classic diner look; best tables are at the back, overlooking the sound. I tried the seafood frittata--a big piece of salmon, plus scallops and cod, in a sort of fried omelet. Okay, but a bit bland; I added salt, which I almost never resort to. Accompanied by a big helping of hash browns, rather greasy and matted together. There's a bar at the back, with 20 taps, all craft beers and mostly local. Happy hour 4:00 until closing. Bar clientele seemed to run to old guys, at least at the time of my lunchtime visit.

    (3)

  • Neerie Y.

    As tourists, we just had to go to pike Market; as clueless tourists, we got there just as it was closing. It was about 8:30 and most places were already closed but the staff at Athenian Inn were very accommodating. Our seat from the second floor had a truly amazing view. I would strongly recommend the Pan Seared Ahi Steak, it was perfectly cooked and very well seasoned,. We almost got creme brulee, but decided to let our servers finally close up and go home. Would definitely come back whenever we visit in the future, and probably not at closing time

    (4)

  • Smaly K.

    Cozy little restaurant with a nice view. We sat upstairs in the booth, but the booths are so tiny. I barely had room to move my arms to eat with two people sitting on one side of the booth. I ordered the Athenian Seafood Bowl. The broth was plain and bland, needed some flavor. The broth for the Penn Cove Mediterranean was also bland.

    (3)

  • Eleana H.

    $70.00 for two for lunch at this place so I wasn't too impressed especially since you are at Pike Place Market. We came here to eat as all the other foodie havens were packed or required an absurd wait time to get in the door to eat. Since we just drove up from Portland for the day we were tired and hungry and settled on this place since there was no wait time and the views were gorgeous! My boyfriend really really enjoyed his plate of food, it was the seafood saute I believe. It came with an abundance of seafood as well as mashed potatoes on the side. I ordered the oysters which were subpar but still good as well as the clams cooked in wine. The clam dish was what really brought down the stars on this place as the broth was literally INEDIBLE. It was the saltiest briniest thing I ever tried. Towards the end of the meal I told the waitress, she was of asian descent, hair tied up in a pony tail of what I thought and she did offer to fix the problem, but I said it was fine as we were pressed for time. I just hope that the chef doesn't cook that salty dish up again, as mopping up the wine broth with bread is usually the best part of the meal and this wasn't possible here with their broth.

    (3)

  • Alex M.

    A friend recommended this and, as a Seattle native, red flags went up. You want me to go to Pike Place for happy hour? What?? But, I was so pleasantly surprised! Their happy hour begins at 4 and they have a ton of local beers on tap - for $4! That is a dang great deal. Had two beers, a root beer, the the calamari, and seared ahi tuna (surprisingly very good!) and the total was only $20!! That's a steal. The calamari and ahi weren't extremely tiny servings, either. Add in an outstanding view over Elliot Bay, including a nice view of the Great Wheel (which, for the record, this Seattleite thinks is quite the eyesore), and you've got a pretty nice after work spot for the downtown crowd and tourists alike!

    (4)

  • Sarvnaz M.

    Jus stopped here because it was on the way from the fish throwing entertainment and found a gold mine. Every dish was delectable & we didn't realize there was such an amazing view of the Puget Sound from our window upstairs. Now we have to come back every time we visit Pike Place Market.

    (5)

  • Kim S.

    Not understanding review stars. Good excellent service excellent and drinks excellent. Views of the water too! Danny was awesome as our server!

    (5)

  • Amy V.

    I did not like this place. We went here at 10am for breakfast. I wanted some crabs and oysters but those places don't open until 11am and we had to catch our flight after. - clam chowder - this was the only good thing - omelette - i think we got it with meat and vegetables. the quality didn't seem fresh. I like my omelettes fluffy and light but this was heavy. Don't really know how to explain it. if you go here, eat something else

    (2)

  • Calvin S.

    I was attracted to this restaurant by the large signs directing to this place in the Pike Place Market. It was extremely busy inside and had a nice view of Puget Sound, so I figure I'd give this place a shot for lunch. We were served by a lady who had an energetic attitude, and she told us about the specials being offered that day. We ended up ordering the fresh penn cove steamed clams, dungeness crab and shrimp cakes, shrimp bisque cup, and the seafood lasagna. Both the steamed clams and the shrimp cakes were very delicious. In particular, the clam sizes were huge, which threw me off guard for a second, cause I'm used to smaller clams that I get in the east coast. However, the shrimp bisque cup wasn't anything special and felt like something you can get out of a can. The seafood lasagna wasn't presented very well, but it did taste okay. Service started out good, but as our food started to arrive our initial waitress was nowhere to be found. We were only able to find her once we were done with everything, and she never asked if we enjoyed our food. Fortunately there are lots of food options in the market. I would suggest looking at other places before considering dining here, as there were some other great places that I definitely missed out on.

    (3)

  • Roy B.

    Wow thought this might be cooler. An old joint, in the movies (Sleepless in Seattle) HH beers.......Rip off don't waste your time here. Wanna bet Tom Hanks never came back? The place was almost empty when we were there, I mean DEAD a half a dozen diners and as many at the bar, yet they tuck us in a tiny booth that had no view, And when I asked to be moved to a nicer location I got a bit of grief before they moved us. Real way to make a first impression ASR&B! Second table's view was ok. yelp.com/biz_photos/athe… Ok so at least they got the beer down Frosty mugs beer HH special 5.50 Frosty mugs root beer HH special 4.50 yelp.com/biz_photos/athe… Food Ordered: Fried calamari 9.95 yelp.com/biz_photos/athe… Nice portion and fresh but served with a thimble full of tarter sauce. I asked for a marinara but it never came.-1star = 2**Star King crab legs 44.95 Rip Off yelp.com/biz_photos/athe… Skimpy on the crab and flavorless veggi's 1*Star Kids fish n chips 5.49 Maybe the only dish worth its price. yelp.com/biz_photos/athe… My 7yo daughter liked it. 3.5***Stars Wild salmon fillet 21.95 yelp.com/biz_photos/athe… This was an ok portion but really? Denny's does it better at 2/3 the price. Again pitiful sides. 2.5**Stars Seafood fettuccini 19.75 yelp.com/biz_photos/athe… Another MEH! plate. 2**Stars Service and accommodations: Poor service...a pretty lady alone with big boobs got 5x the service plus food recommendations a sample taste of the chowder and multiple re-visits from the wait staff. We got shit except the obligatory "are you ready to order yet" even had to flag them down for another beer. Guess they figured the dude with 3 kids would be a bad date prospect or would tip like a Compton hood rat. So if you want great service stuff your bra. If you want real service go somewhere else! This place is a joke. To the owner.... Your staff is killing your business! I'll not return!

    (1)

  • Jennifer L.

    I happened to come across this restaurant while at Pike Place Market. It's pretty cool that it was a shooting location from the movie Sleepless in Seattle. We were quoted a 10-minute wait for a party of 3 to dine in for lunch around 3:30PM, but our table was ready within 5 minutes. We got to sit by the window with a nice view of Puget Sound. It was quite sunny, so we ended up pulling the shades down, but the view is there for you to look at! We asked the server (Japanese female, sorry forgot her name) for recommendations and she was great at explaining the menu and differences between items. We ended up ordering a bowl of clam chowder, the Athenian Seafood Bowl, & Northwest Salmon Halibut to share. The seafood tasted very fresh, although my mom said she could feel/taste sand. The combination gave us a little but of everything to try. There were mashed potatoes, veggies, crabcake, and clams on the Salmon plate, everything delicious. For the Athenian Seafood Bowl, there was rice, mussels, and other seafood items. Although the prices are steep, the location and view are great and make up for it. It's the most memorable meal I've had in Seattle so far. I'd recommend it, or just stop by at the bar for a drink!

    (4)

  • Nique F.

    This is an old-fashioned seafood joint with cool views of the Puget Sound. It's not a hip, avant-garde Seattle eatery that you'll read about on the gastro-snob food blogs (which, don't get me wrong, I read and love). It's good hearty food that you'll dig into with delight, but you probably won't snap pics to make your follower jealous. It's just one of those places you enjoy more than you thought you would, because it's simple, and laid-back, and serious about seafood. We had a group of 10, and they seated us in the coolest booth in the corner of the restaurant with a clear view out to the water & ferris wheel. So perfect for a big group. Service was stellar, and most of the food was solid. The Mediterranean mussels were disappointing - the sauce tasted more like marinara. But my seafood sautee was dreamy - 4 types of seafood sautéed with veggies, and a side of fries. The wines were ordered were not the best (the sparkling wine tasted more like hard cider) but the jovial atmosphere, fresh seafood, and on-point service made it all good. Note, this place is "famous" for the Sleepless in Seattle scene filmed downstairs at the bar. They've got a placard and posters to prove it though, it's not a tourist mob scene, thankfully.

    (4)

  • Susan L.

    Go to the restaurant where they filmed sleepless in Seattle and sit in the same seats that Tom hanks and rob Reiner sat in (and many other people! Haha). We ordered the oysters (we had anchor bay), the Dungeness crab and shrimp cake, and the steamed clams with some beers.... Can't do any better than that! Those three items were delicious and I would order them all over again! Enjoy!

    (4)

  • J B.

    We had to have a seafood luncheon while visiting Seattle and weren't disappointed at this great spot overlooking the water in Pike Place Market. Our server was cheerful and the food was delicious!

    (5)

  • Bridget A.

    The ambiance and service is so fun, but the Fishwich sandwich was tasteless! Way too expensive as well!!!

    (3)

  • Paul M.

    Came in for lunch today and it was just ok. The staff for the most part were pretty friendly our waitress was great about explaining some of the beer choices for me. However my friend had a ginger ale and what our waitress neglected to mention is that is the one soda that does not have free refills. On the plus side after telling him that she did go get the rest of the can for him but he still had to buy another drink if he wanted a different soda or another refill. As for the food I had the salmon skewers which were pretty good maybe a tad less cooking time and a pinch of salt and pepper and this would have been great. For an entree I ordered Dungeness crab and shrimp cakes. What I expected considering the location was cakes filled with beautiful lumps of crab and chopped shrimp but what I got was two cakes that mostly looked fresh out the freezer. There was not a lump of crab in sight, it was more filler with onions and peppers than crab or shrimp. Again considering the location a few doors down from fresh Dungeness crab for sale this was a major let down. My friend had the seafood Alfredo and loved it though so that was one bright spot. Other people who orderered different items seemed much happier than I so I would give this place another chance but the first impression was just blah.

    (2)

  • Helen D.

    We wanted seafood but they were only serving breakfast when we sat down so we decided to wait twenty minutes to be able to order lunch. Our server was a very cool dude, other servers n staff were questionable. They got annoyed when we asked them about lunch time and then to take our picture. Bachelorette outing, hello, never before seen? Anyway, their clams were good. Mussels were okay but if only less seasoned... I didn't like the curry flare. We enjoyed most all the dishes we ordered, price was decent and view was of course very nice. They've coat stands for your heavy wears.

    (4)

  • Alexis G.

    I have been here a few times while vacationing in Seattle and this is the best place for Fish and Chips at Pike place! The perfect seasoned batter on fresh flaky fish is the best ever! Lots of great beers on tap as well. I have had a few other items on their menu, the clam chowder and fishwhich but the fish and chips are my favorite out of all. Service is great, and the view of the water makes one great spot to eat lunch after shopping around or for dinner.

    (5)

  • Yvonne B.

    We were able to snag a table after a 10 minute wait for lunch on a Friday. Athenian Seafood Restaurant and Bar is venerable homely. There is ample dark wood, large windows, creaky stairs, and uneven floors. Nearly all of the tables have a view of the water and Ferris Wheel. My friend got a cup of Shrimp Bique for $4.75 and I enjoyed the King Salmon Sandwich for $16.95. The bread was flaky like a croissant and the salmon was perfect. All of the components melded together into a delicious flavor and texture experience. And heck. It was messy. But love is messy sometimes, right? Our server Jill was very friendly, vibrant, and beautiful to look at. She answered my menu questions and reinforced my selection. She didn't pressure us to move along quickly after we paid our bill even though there were other guests waiting to be seated. The bathroom was in an awkward location and I had to maneuver around employees.

    (4)

  • Elina K.

    I did not have a nice experience here. Our server was rude and condescending, oysters were so dirty and I think made me sick later that night, and the happy hour requires you to buy a drink- so you basically spend as much as a normal meal here. Walked into the bar side of the restaurant and sat ourselves in the first open booth we could find by the wall. Our waitress walked passed us a few times and finally came by to take our order like 15 minutes later. This was our first time here and I didn't know you had to order a drink. We ordered the oysters and mozzarella sticks and when I looked back up at her all she said was "okay and what about your drinks?" uh okay. I ordered the cider and then all she said was "got any id?" (as if she knew I wasn't 21?! I guess I look a little young but still. RUDE!) Like I said before, the oysters were really dirty and I had to constantly pull pieces of shell or sand out of my mouth. The moz sticks were okay. Never coming back unless I feel like waking up at 3am to use the bathroom again! lol

    (1)

  • Ariel F.

    Athenian was our first breakfast/lunch spot when we came for our vaca in Seattle after passing on all of our first choices due to extreme wait time. Servers were friendly, waters kept filled, tables were a bit small, but the view was a nice touch that made us happier with our choice. Choices: Eggs Benedict Blackened Chicken Club Roast Beef Dip Adobo Chicken Pasta I personally had the eggs benedict and it was pretty solid. Sauce was flavorful, ham wasn't too thin and the hashbrowns that came with them were great and cooked perfectly as well. I didn't have a chance to try the others since we were all famished from the plane ride and searching for food the last hour that we all devoured our choices within the first fifteen minutes lol but they all said theirs were solid and filling as well. Overall, a nice experience, made my tummy happy and my eyes happy with the view. However, I wouldn't say it was exactly memorable and it was a little pricey for the quality of food they offered. Probably won't be coming back here on my next trips to Seattle.

    (3)

  • Alex C.

    Pricey and bland. If you're looking to empty your bank account for mediocre food and a nice view, then this is the place for you. The service is good and they make a pretty good Bloody Mary. However, it is way too obvious that this place is solely resting on its view. you would not be satisfied with any other restaurant.

    (2)

  • Chy H.

    Thought this place would be so much cooler than it actually was. Went to Pikes Place after we landed in Seattle. Ordered beer and breakfast, and my boyfriends breakfast was the completely wrong thing he ordered and the waiter was just kind of a jerk about it, couldn't remember what we'd ordered and had to reprint the check 2 times.

    (1)

  • Sam V.

    The host was awesome. Kept us entertained while we waited. Then again we may have entertained him as well. We got a perfect seat. Over looked the bay and the restaurant. Wife was able to get breakfast even after they shut breakfast items down (we showed up right at 11). They made her what she wanted even though it wasn't even on the menu. I got fish and chips. Cooked perfectly. Not too watery but not to soggy either. Flakey but firm.

    (5)

  • Janny S.

    We were starving when we got to Pike Place and just ducked in to the first restaurant that didn't have a long wait. We were seated within 10 minutes in a booth by the window with a great view of the water and Ferris Wheel. We started off with the Penn Cove Mussels and Clams appetizer. The broth was good! It had basil and coconut milk. Delicious. The portion was very little, but a good starter if you love mussels and clams in a coconut broth. I got the Athenian Seafood bowl with mussels, prawns, clams, oysters, squid, market fish, with herb rice and clear broth. Do not order this. It is completely bland, does not have any flavor at all. It tasted like it was just thrown in water, boiled and served over some rice. My boyfriend had the Crab and Shrimp sandwich that came with lettuce, onions, pickle and fries. I took it bite and it wasn't very flavorful, a forgettable experience. The food wasn't good and was expensive. I think it was more of a tourist trap, though the service was great and our waitress was friendly and attentive. Sometimes when you're hungry, you just settle for anything despite the yelp ratings which I religiously sift through before deciding on a place to eat!!

    (3)

  • Stephanie G.

    The hostess definitely set the tone by not even asking how many people were in our party. She was not the most helpful person. The menu also left me wary. A lot of fried options. Why, in a restaurant on the ocean in Pike's Market, would the kitchen prepare so many dishes that hide the star of the meal with batter and oil? With that said, hubs ordered a dish with fried salmon and thought it was amazing. I ended up getting the salmon burger and it was pretty good. The fish was abundant and whole, not ground, and perfectly cooked, but a bit on the bland side. I actually used some of the tartar sauce that accompanied my burger to add some zest. Instead of fries I got the salad. More like a bunch of mixed greens with a tomato wedge and two slices of cucumber. I'm really not exaggerating. The kids grilled cheese was made on sourdough, with was received with a lukewarm response. If your kids are accustomed to white/wheat, you may want to ask if that is available. Half of each of their sandwiches were left untouched. The view was beautiful and the server was quite pleasant. But overall, it wasn't enough.

    (3)

  • Aimeé R.

    Took some out of town guests to the restaurant and they love it! The view was very nice, especially since it was a clear and sunny day, and the service was excellent. Our waitress recommended a local brew and answered all our questions about the menu patiently. I had the Athenian bowl which was superb! The seafood was fresh and the fish broth was rich. My guests ordered the tuna melt and the chowder, both tasted great and were big enough for sharing. Highly recommend that you stop by if you are already in the area.

    (5)

  • Mark S.

    The Penn Cove oysters were the best I've ever tasted! Fresh and cold with just the right amount of briney flavor, and shucked perfectly. Oh boy! My wife and I both had salmon burgers which weren't "burgers" but were huge chunks of salmon served on fresh artisan bread. One of the local craftsmen said this is where the locals eat and he was right!

    (5)

  • Doug C.

    The crab and shrimp benedict is really good. Highly recommended it. The food tasted as good as it looked. Great service too.

    (4)

  • Gemini M.

    So far every time I visit my fish and chips is cooked the same which means this restaurant is consistent! I had a glass of white wine good! The wine Stella Pinot Grigio. My waitress was friendly, but not overly so much that she interrupted my visit with my girlfriend. I spent $20 not bad for lunch

    (5)

  • Aidan R.

    The food here is average and somewhat overpriced, but that's only to be expected in a tourist-heavy location like Pike Place. It's got it's own atmosphere inside, with wooden tables and booths that give a spectacular view of the sound, and of course a scene from Sleepless in Seattle was filmed here. We had mussels, oyster linguine, halibut tacos and a blue cheese burger. None of them were great, but they weren't awful either. Service was slow and needed reminders for things like our side dishes (and no drink refills until the end of the meal). Overall, no desire to come back, but it's not awful if you're in a hurry, want a great view or a big fan of the movie.

    (3)

  • Todd P.

    Order fish and chips and calamari with a frosty cold one. Don't bother with anything else.

    (5)

  • Bret B.

    A couple of years ago, Sunset recommended the Athenian as a "great seafood dive." Sounded like my kind of place. Sunset's recommendations are getting BAD! My breakfast at this place was BAD. I arrived and was seated promptly and in a friendly manner. I got a window seat with a decent view. My server was quite nice. But the food is HORRIBLE. Ordered coffee; it's weak. Ordered the shrimp/crabcake benedict. BLECH. Poached eggs were overcooked. The hollandaise was insipid with very little lemon. The shrimp/crabcake was mostly filler; if I didn't "know" it was seafood, I would have had difficulty identifying what I was eating. Hashbrowns? WTF! Crispy potato exterior with what seemed like a mash potato interior. Just AWFUL! I will allow a great view to enhance a review. The Athenian has a great view, but the food is so DISGUSTING that it only came up to one star. NEVER AGAIN.

    (1)

  • Enrique B.

    The coldest beers in all Seattle. The crab legs are awesome. It has that cheers feel where everybody knows your name. The bartenders and servers will remember you.

    (5)

  • Victor T.

    The smoked salmon eggs Benedict is incredible! And the view is beautiful. Make sure you eat breakfast here.

    (5)

  • Anneke D.

    A great place for a salad (try the Caesar or Athenian), cup of clam chowder (warning--it's quite filling, especially in the sourdough bread bowl!) and a beer to escape the busyness of Pike Place. Cozy wooden booths overlooking the Sound add to the friendly atmosphere of this place. Would go again just for the experience.

    (4)

  • Kayla P.

    We just ordered a couple beers but the staff were super nice! I had to post a review because I have a 1 year old who needed to just get out of the stroller and roam for a little so the staff was nice enough to let us have a corner and block off an area so my little one could walk around!

    (5)

  • Jamie O.

    If you are looking for somewhere to eat around Pike Place, THIS is the spot! I eat at the Athenian as a Seattle-area resident, and not a tourist, and I think that says something about the caliber of the restaurant. Many other Pike Place locations are tourist traps with crappy food, and they are able to survive because it doesn't matter as long as they continue to get new tourists who won't end up returning anyway. The Athenian is not one of these places - both the food and the service are great. The restaurant is a great option for not only lunch or dinner, but also for breakfast! There are also amazing views that have improved even more now that there is the Great Wheel, and every seat is a window seat!

    (5)

  • Karlo G.

    The taste of the northwest served with a view. We came upon this place by chance and noticed the diverse menu posted by the door. The restaurant/bar has two levels and the booths are cozy. We climbed up to the 2nd level and was seated in a booth. The views of Puget Sound and ferries leaving and docking immediately added to the ambience. This restaurant felt uniquely Northwest. Our server immediately took our orders and was very knowledgeable on seafood. I opted for the ever popular fish and chips. Our server also provided good recommendations on menu specials as well as other local spots to visit while in Pike Place. We were offered bread and butter and our server consistently checked in on our table. Our orders arrived within a reasonable amount of time. The fish was crispy with the right amount of batter and the fries were freshly made. Overall great experience and the huge menu made it hard for me to decide on my order. I would gladly return and try the mussels and salmon. Perhaps the clam chowder.

    (4)

  • Brian A.

    Had happy hour. I recommend any of the tuna dishes and the cod tacos are great. View is great. I have to come back for regular service but I am a fan.

    (4)

  • Gee L.

    If I could rate this place for the view, I would. The breakfast was overpriced and rather average, the service kinda blew because you had to order and pay before you sat, so when my guest decided that a cold drink would be nice, another wait in line was required. It was great, though, looking out the windows.

    (3)

  • Caroline K.

    This was one of the only restaurants open when pike place closed. We stumbled upon here and we were pleasantly surprised. Nice view of the water and seafood pasta was good! Wish they gave a little more seafood with it but the noodles were cooked well. Clam chowder was normal nothing special.

    (3)

  • Leslie K.

    We stopped in during happy hour and got a table with a view. Within moments the place filled up. Thankfully no one hassled us about not ordering food because it was just a respite for us...better food choices awaited. I was lured in because of the historical nature of the restaurant/saloon. I didn't read any history about the place but it seems to have maintained a lot of the historical integrity.

    (3)

  • Brian L.

    Right in the bowels of PPM, this place is bound to attract tourists that simply want a convenient place to eat or drink. The prices on things are a litttttle bit expensive, so I am guessing this will appeal more to the slightly older crowd or with families than the young teen or twenty-something crowd that can easily get something from kiosks or booths anywhere in the market. It's a nice place to come and sit and have a beer. Nice view of the sound. Breakfast until 2.. can't really go wrong with breakfast. I had the fish n chips, and while I have never really LOVED fish n chips anywhere, I think that this place does it better than most places I've had it. My friend had the lox sandwich which witch overloaded with lox. Would I come here again? Sure, if I was showing a friend around and it appealed to them, but I don't think I would make a special trip here just for the food or experience. If nothing else because of the prices and the hordes of people you have to circumnavigate.

    (3)

  • Helen L.

    Tourist trap with average food, low when compared to others in area . because "Sleepless Seattle" had a scene at the bar and the one rare sit down restaurant in the Pike Public Market Place this place can get by with OK food. We were so hungry that we lacked judgment. Someone pointed out and we went. Then I went on yelp and quickly regretted saying " sure" . We were smart and ordered only appetizer. CLAM CHOWDER - not impressive, been sitting the warmer for hours cause its lumpy and dried up. Not very flavorful other than just cream and salt. Not impressive. Would recommend walking a little to PIKE PLACE CHOWDER. not to mention it was served Luke warm MUSSEL AND CLAM - special steamer with herbs and tomatoe broth. Its good not bad. But too much seasoning for something so delicate and fresh. I don't think I'll order anything else here.

    (3)

  • John E.

    Fantastic crab cakes ! Anytime we visit Seattle we absolutely have to come here. Their views of the harbor are fantastic and they have a great selection of local beers and ciders. Doesn't hurt that it was a filming location for Sleepless in Seattle so you can actually sit at the same stool ( which is well marked if that's your plan) but we tend to migrate to the back windows for the view, a pint, and of course their amazing crab cakes.

    (4)

  • Jim K.

    Lived here for decades and never ventured in, glad I finally did. Went for breakfast and we were seated upstairs near the bar. The view was fantastic, facing west with the snow capped Olympics in the distance. Fast service, and friendly too. Big menu with lots of choices. The eggs and sausage and tomatoes, all local and from the market. The toast/bread were fresh and not mushy. Nice coffee constantly being refilled. Highly recommended for breakfast.

    (4)

  • Ryan B.

    Disclaimer: only sat in the bar. only ever sat in the bar. honestly if you and everyone in your party are over 21, just sit in the bar. This is one of those places that's a little more out of the way in the market. Walk in, breeze past the hostess and the families waiting for a table and just go straight ahead, then left and sit in the bar or stand there and chill. Have a beer, or more. Happy hour is fantastic: I've been told the calamari and 1.50 oyster sliders are amazing, but I'd still go with the elk chipotle sliders: the best 3 bite-sized burgers for $4 in Seattle. Great place to chill, go with small groups (e.g. very small, like you +1), and just relax and look at the sound.

    (4)

  • J N.

    Fun enough service and damned good drinks! Damned good. However, I wouldn't eat here. We sat at the bar for 15 minutes and watched the prep guy - he kept on the same pair of gloves as he shucked oysters, prepped salads, dug through the garbage for receipts, wiped his apron...never washed his hands/gloves or got on a new pair. You could see the oyster residue on his gloves as he mixed salads (we were that close). It was pretty gross. So, go for drinks and not the food.

    (2)

  • Tracy P.

    The location is great because it's convenient for shoppers at Pike Place and the view of the water is the best! The food however was ok. Nothing to rave about. My husband had the Northwest Seafood Platter but it looked and tasted average. I had the clam chowder, and again, it's average. The oysters were fresh and decent. The only dish that was unique and yummy was the spicy prawns. The sauce is a bit on the salty side but when dipped with their bread, it as perfect. The flavor is unique and addicting.

    (3)

  • Natalie B.

    Went in after work one day (around 5-ish) to the back bar, sat by the window and got an insanely beautiful view of the sunset. Then ordered 2 beers, each brought to me in ice cold frosty mugs and ordered some calamari and popcorn shrimp to share with my date. Why does this place get 5 stars? It's cheap (less than $30 on HH for 4 beers and 2 plates of food), has a beautiful view, and most importantly...helped me totally swoon my date. 5 STARS FOR ME!

    (5)

  • Jillian Y.

    First time at Pike place and since i'd figure i had to eat something seafood since i am in seattle and this place was such a good choice! I had shrimp bisque and seafood bowl recommended by the server and it was far the best seafood dish i had. Shrimp bisque was perfect! Not too creamy and just the right flavor. And seafood bowl looked pretty small at first but boy that was filling me up! I couldnt even finish 2/3 of it and had to leave all the good seafoods because i was full. I would definitely come back to this place with friends and family. I was happy at seattle thanks to you! Fyi, for tourists, there is a power jack underneath my table which was purrrrfect!!

    (4)

  • Daniel C.

    Wow this place was amazing Food wise we started out with fresh clams and muscles also got a Half dozen of pen cove oysters. All of the shell fish was fresh and delicious, to me this is very important as I don't eat shellfish often but when I do I like to get the best and freshest. Entrees we got fish and chips and the crab and shrimp cake Benedict. Fish and chips was better than any you would get anywhere else but the Benedict was the winner, you could see plenty of crab meat in the patty and they weren't skimpy on the shrimp either. The hollandaise was also plentiful and full of great flavor. Service was also spot on. Drinks stayed full and refills were plentiful. Will definitely be back

    (5)

  • Glenn M.

    Whenever I'm in Seattle and the moment I walk out the plane I crave what I think is the best Seafood Fettuccini ever... Clams, mussels, prawns and seafood selections in a garlic white wine cream sauce and it's heaven in Seattle. Going up in a couple of weeks to get my fill. I can't wait. If ever in Seattle, visit Pike's Place and hidden inside is this gem. Also featured in the movie, Sleepless in Seattle. :) Oh - have a beer with that Seafood Fetuccini and have the best meal while there!

    (5)

  • Riss R.

    Food was average. Ordered the ahi salad. Ahi was terrible. Not fileted properly and cooked terribly. Clams and mussels app was eh. Clam chowder was good though. The entire lunch was Expensive. But i am not giving 2 stars for the food but for the service. The waitress was sassy and slow. Nothing worse than a sassy server!

    (2)

  • Francesca D.

    Great food! Amazing views! You have to try the fish and chips. Delicious, flaky, and the tarter sauce was devine. Clam chowder was so creamy and yummy. Order the bread bowl!

    (5)

  • Jennifer J.

    I LOVED this place. Traveling for work solo, I sat at the bar. Everyone was so friendly and helpful! Plus, it helps that I love Sleepless in Seattle and Tom Hanks ate here. I had the salmon sandwich with fries... Delish!

    (5)

  • Neal N.

    So apparently I'm the only one who didn't know a scene from Sleepless in Seattle took place here (despite watching the movie in the theater, albeit when I was 12). The important facts: Belgian Tripel in a frosty pint mug buttery shrimp bisque and clam chowder served each with two packages of oyster crackers a view of the waterfront A great way to start the day without breaking the bank at Pike Place.

    (4)

  • Eric B.

    The service was excellent and the food was great, and seating has great views of the sound and the docks. Though it is in Pike Place, and the seafood is fresh so the prices are a little more expensive, the quality of the food and service and the nice atmosphere make it worth the cost. On a Friday the place wasn't too busy; it was relatively easy to get a table.

    (5)

  • Lab L.

    Needing to grab an early lunch, our first place would not seat us 10 minutes before their lunch service even though they were opened...so we headed down the line. Got an awesome seat by the window to watch the world go by. We took the server's recommendation for an appetizer...calimari! Amazing. Perfect portion of crunchy goodness. We split the traditional chowder in a bread bowl (huge serving) and the fresh ahi salad with citrus dressing. We would have snarfed down a second serving if we hadn't dinner reservations. Highly recommend for great food, great service, and great views.

    (5)

  • Helen S.

    This place is average for me. The only good thing about it was our view. We went at the right time to see the sunset set and for the seattle big wheel to turn on their lights. Other than that, the service wasnt that great because we kept on asking for service. We had to grab a waiter to take our order, grab another waiter to find out where our food was and later had to grab a different waiter to get our bill. I recommend coming here for drinks only. Its happy hour til 9pm.

    (3)

  • Winnie C.

    Great view and service, unobjectionable food: isn't that about as much as you can ask of a restaurant in Pike's Place Market? Our party of 8 included a toddler, whom our server accommodated immediately with crayons and something other than the table on which to exercise those crayons. The other grownups had oysters, clam chowder, mussels, fish-&-chips, and lobster benedict; none complained. My "Athenian Salad" contained hazelnuts, blue cheese, apples, onions, and greens that included arugula, and thus was satisfying, as well as worth however many calories were in it. I couldn't detect alcohol in my gin-and-tonic, and no one else wanted to be drinking during a late lunch (2 p.m.), so I couldn't compare notes. Our server gamely took pictures for us. In all, a decent choice as far as tourist traps go, even if you never plan to see Sleepless in Seattle.

    (4)

  • Mark W.

    Fantastic Seafood Fettuccini. All the meats were perfectly done. My server John O. was on his game. This is not a simple tourist restaurant. It's a good place to eat. I've been coming here off and on for years. And the view is heart breakingly gorgeous. The Olympics are amazing to see across Elliot Bay and the Puget Sound.

    (4)

  • Christopher Y.

    Awesome restaurant with amazing views. The food was delicious and better than 5 star restaurants I've been to. The seafood broth soup w/ rice on the bottom was perfect

    (5)

  • Tien D.

    The food was pretty good and from where I was seated, I was offered a pretty nice view of the water. Nothing that blew me out of the water, but I thought it was a decent place to grab a bite.

    (3)

  • Corey B.

    I ordered the wild gulf shrimp and chip. Really really great, great staff, I was with a group of 4 and the wait was only 10 minutes was isn't bad by far. I can't remember our waiter's name but he was awesome! Plus, it's a great view! If you like seafood, check them out!

    (5)

  • Jeff K.

    I've had both breakfast and lunch here. I found breakfast to be the best. Plus it is a quieter time to come to the Market. I've found the food to be very consistent and service to be good. Had the Ulis sausage pita for lunch which was terrific and 10 feet from the source.

    (4)

  • Liz F.

    The location is great (well... once you fight your way through the crowds in Pikes Place...). We were seated by the windows in the back, so our party of 2 had an excellent view of the waterfront. On a busy memorial day, we were able to get seated for lunch in about 10 minutes. Most of the staff was pretty friendly. My husband had the Teriyaki burger, which came with large pieces of grilled pineapple. It was delicious. I had one of their toasted sandwiches, which was good but really messy. The reason I only give it three stars - the restaurant felt a little dirty, but I suppose that's what you get for the location. Food was pretty greasy as well.

    (3)

  • David M.

    Great hidden place that is half local half tourist. $4:00 for some great beers on happy hour 3:00 - 7:00 and great deals on appetizers. Great view from the market. I've been many times and will be back.

    (4)

  • Manisa K.

    This restaurant is just in the middle of tourist spot Pike Place Market. Me and my friend we were so hungry and needed something to eat. This place was only restaurant that we could sit down and relax. We were seated by window so it was nice view that we could see the Giant Wheel of Seattle. Why not give it a try right? So we had to wait like 30 minutes for a table. Since we got a table, the waitress was GONE! Don't get me wrong, it was like 30 minutes of waiting she for back and took our orders. Waited for 30 minutes our food came out. I had crab cake and shrimp cake for my appetizer. They were alright. I think I can make them better! A little pricey too. My friend had Atlantic grilled salmon with broccoli, typical menu for $30. No more this place. Service was unimpressive. Food was argh. I was so disappointed.

    (1)

  • Martha D.

    Were looking for a nice place to sit down and have a leisurely bite after walking all around Pike Place. Not being super hungry, hubby and I decided to start with appetizers and then see from there. Hubby ordered the Penn Cove mussels and I asked for the crab cake appetizer. Our server, Sanae, said that I could get the crab cakes with French fries and veggies. I said, the appetizer comes with that? She said yes. So ... the Supergoose IPA she recommended was great, hubby loved his mussels and my crab cakes were fine. Have to say the service was mediocre - no coming back to see if things are fine, etc. Later when I looked at the check after hubby had paid, I saw that the server had upped my appetizer to an entrée. This, of course, was more expensive, but she didn't mention that. Seeing that there are lots of restaurants in the area, we won't be back again, but will find some place with better service and more honest servers.

    (1)

  • Adam J.

    Milking the whole 'Sleepless in Seattle' thing. Aside from the forced movie references, this place had alright food. I did, however, enjoy the view of the Puget Sound while I ate. I had a salmon fillet with mashed potatoes, which though pretty enjoyable, was not up to the standards of the other seafood in the city. The restaurants location is also helpful. Walking through Pikes place market this is one of a few restaurants with a façade right against the main walk-way. It wasn't great, but I wouldn't say awful.

    (3)

  • Brianna J.

    Avoid at all cost. Definitely a tourist trap. Over priced and low quality food. The place is cramped and service is slow. We order some seafood with rice and it tasted very bland. The shellfish was frozen and looks like those prepackaged stuff that you find in a super market. The mussels and clams were tiny unlike those that were they were selling next door.

    (1)

  • Krista R.

    3 star food, 5 star view We got to the Pike Place Market super early since we carpooled with my husband's father...and nothing in the market was open yet. Luckily the Athenian was! We were told to eat there for the best view in Seattle. Our waitress was a nervous and chatty little thing. Entertaining at first, but she didn't really pick up on the "we just woke up, leave us alone" looks we were giving her. Maybe she had too much coffee?? Anyway the food was rich and satisfying. You are certainly paying for the view. I had the crab cakes benedict, my husband had the salmon benedict. I enjoyed my dish, but his was quite fishy for my taste.

    (4)

  • Virginia V.

    Not bad! Pretty good. Great location. Crab benedict was really good. View was amazing. I thought it was overpriced for what you get but not bad.

    (3)

  • Jeannine B.

    This was the first place we came for happy hour in Seattle and we loved the view. It was recommended as a "dive bar" and given the low prices on the happy hour menu I was not expecting a lot from the food. Much to my surprise the ahi tuna was delicious and the hummus was some of the best I've ever had....chunky and garlicky and wonderful. I would not order a cocktail here (my "Perfect Stormy" was sweet and weak), but the beer selection was good. The service was also efficient and friendly.

    (4)

  • Ashton A.

    Sometimes I really don't understand why restaurant with great locations... And a large influx of tourists choose to be mediocre and deliver poor quality food and service. Pike market is famous in Seattle... And knees restaurants should serve the freshest ingredients and tasty food. With superior service. My experience last week was less then acceptable. First of all we went about 4 PM... To meet for dinner crowds. The restaurant was almost empty... And the servers were kind of just sitting around. I'm first when you look in the window you think it's a bit rustic and old seafood chowder House style... But once you get in there and you realize it just kind of worn down and dirty. Not really kept up or in good condition. My wanted to have a taste of fresh seafood in the Seattle area and also some Alaskan King crab. I ordered the Alaskan King crab... At $44,50 a plate. Also ordered the seafood platter... With Simon, clams, crab cake and french fries. I asked the waiter before I ordered if the crab legs were fresh... He said yes. Of course I don't think anybody would say no. After we got the crab legs I noticed that they were not very big at all for Alaskan King crab legs. Also the taste was that of previously frozen seafood. I asked the waiter again if these were Fresh... And he said yes they get them from next door. However they did not taste fresh at all. They tasted frozen. The salmon was overcooked... and the crabcake was pretty much in edible. I asked the server a third time and wanted to return the food. He was too busy talking with a girl at the bar arm parking meter time ran out and so I was in a hurry to leave... I was told there was no manager on duty. The next day we drove from Seattle on the way down to Crescent city California. Along the way and that night I had a case of diarrhea. 100% the seafood was not fresh as I suspected... And mentioned to the waiter more than two times. I expected them to take the food off the bill... But they did not. And there seem to be no leadership or management around. There are much better restaurants in Seattle... Avoid this one at all costs.

    (1)

  • Jenny D.

    I was super disappointed with my dry fish sandwich. The bread was hard and partly burnt, there was a lot of dry coleslaw that was dressed with a little vinegar, the fish was ok, but not great, and there was no mayo or dressing of any kind. On the up side the view was amazing, and the waitress was nice and kept my water filled.

    (2)

  • Robert H.

    I knew I was going to like this place when I walked in and saw the fabulous view of the harbor. The place is down home, old, cozy, and friendly. I ordered eggs benedict, hash browns, and sourdough toast. Food was excellent with the exception of the hash browns. It was nice and crispy on the outside, but the inside was like potato puree. I couldn't tell if it was overcooked or by design, but I was not a fan of it either way. The service was very friendly and efficient. Came back in the evening for a drink and we had excellent (and cheap) gin and tonics with fiery gulf shrimp. Seattle's idea of "fiery" aint exactly three alarm. It was more of a garlicky cream sauce. Delicious if misnamed.

    (4)

  • Richard B.

    This used to be our special place to bring out of town friends and family and it was wonderful - but not now. A year ago we brought family from Alaska here and our meals were terrible. I wrote to them rather then Yelp them and they apologized and sent us a gift certificate. We used it yesterday to take a friend out. Our meals were, once again, terrible. At least we did not have to pay for them as we were using the gift certificate. For example - hubby's hangtown omelet had about 1 1/2 oysters in it....and my fish and chips were dried out and the coating was a strange orange stuff. Our friend's prime dip had a huge amount of fat on it. Things clearly have gone downhill and the prices have gone uphill. None of the items I had picked out from their menu online were on the "real" menu by the way. You are paying for the tourist attraction factor and the view - take your feet to the waterfront and eat at Anthony's Homeport or, for nostalgia, Ivar's....better food, better prices. Do need to say one positive thing - our server was a nifty fellow! We will NOT be returning...ever!

    (2)

  • Steve C.

    I have lived here all my life, and love this place. I will stroll down here on the weekends, order a drink, and take in the view. Personally, I think this may be, hands down, the best view in the city. Prices are on the higher side, as they are in the most visited tourist spot in Seattle. I am not sure why people are surprised by the price tag and what the expectation is? I look forward on the next day, where I can sit in those wooden booths, and watch the ferry boats travel on the Sound.

    (5)

  • Mike D.

    The location is awesome. The food and service have much to be desired. The fish and chips did not have the best batter, and the chips were not seasoned well. Clam chowder tasted like it was from a can.

    (2)

  • Heather T.

    This was great! It was a little slow wait, but worth it. The ambiance is great. Most of their regular seating is water front. Everything we had was delicious, but the fish and chips and tarter sauce was awesome.

    (4)

  • Steve M.

    I don't think three stars do it justice. Only hoisted oysters here previously. Today I went with the oyster and bacon frittata, my honey had the fried cod sandwich. Both quite tasty. Okay, they could have buttered the English muffin, but must be looking out for my health. It was fine with the blackberry jelly. Friendly, timely service. Can't complain.

    (4)

  • Caleb R.

    Dropped by Athenian for a burger during the Torchlight Parade. Short on time, so I ordered it in a box. The staff was friendly and professional and the food came relatively quickly. After about 5-10 minutes, I opened the box and started eating. I thought the patty was a bit too chewy at first and lacked a real meat flavor--the only thing I could taste was really the onion! I ended up hating the burger with a passion by the time I was through with the last bite, though I completely blame the taste by the time spent in the box. The fries were very well done (and were delicious cold--that's a first!) Would love to come back and try this burger again for a real sit-down dinner so I can change my first impression, which was admittedly mediocre.

    (3)

  • Darcy E.

    Good food, great atmosphere! Claim to fame a scene from sleepless in Seattle was filmed here. Every seat has a view!!

    (5)

  • Kumiko M.

    My boyfriend took me out on a few dates here because he really enjoys the Athenian. However, I am not too in love with the seafood flavors, I feel like they could be better. It is tasty though. I wish they would have more gluten-free options. I do love their view though! On a sunny day in Seattle, eating here with a view of the mountains and ocean is perfect to gaze at.

    (3)

  • Heather B.

    Had a fantastic lunch with a great view! I got the ahi tuna steak sandwich which was fresh and delicious! Can't wait to come back again.

    (5)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :6:30 am - 9:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : No
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Lunch
    Parking : Street
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : Yes

Athenian Seafood Restaurant and Bar

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