Tower Bridge Lunch Reviews IV: The Athenian

There are a couple of Greek places within easy walking distance of the office that I’ve had my eye on trying, and after checking out the menu on Deliveroo, I decided that The Athenian ought to be first up.

Ordering experience

It turns out that, like Leon on Monday, The Athenian also sports a row of self-service ordering kiosks to circumvent me having to verbally relay what I want to another human being. Perhaps this is the new normal, and I for one am all for it. My food was out very promptly after I’d ordered, something else which seems to be very common, presumably these places are very busy at peak times and are optimised for high throughput.

Food

I opted for “The Beast” vegan gyros, because with a name like that, there weren’t any other choices on the menu. Meat is traditionally the keystone of any gyros, and the vegan alternative of choice at The Athenian was seitan, something I’ve not had a tonne of exposure to. It was a little rubbery, with a similar texture to halloumi, although I don’t think that was any fault of the establishment’s. The whole affair was salty and tasty, and just like everywhere else this week, the vegetables tasted like vegetables; apparently I’m going to have to raise my standards for fast food salad.

Value for money

I paid £8.90 for my lunch today, and combined with the name, I was very literally expecting big things. Unfortunately I was a little disappointed; the gyros was an OK size, but certainly not deserving of its moniker, at least in my view. I could’ve pretty comfortably munched my way through two of them. Similarly, the food was good, but for that quantity and at that price point, I would be expecting something great, which The Athenian sadly did not deliver.

Overall

Sadly I can’t see The Athenian having a regular slot in my lunch rotation. When compared to Sami’s, which offers comparable fare for less than two thirds of the price, unfortunately the former doesn’t stand a chance.