#32: Athenian Bar & Grill

The Bar

Athenian Bar & Grill. 600 Congress Ave c150, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 2/10/17 @ 8pm.

UPDATE: Athenian has closed.

The Drink

Cosmo. Vodka, cranberry juice, lime, Sprite. $7.

I did not enjoy this drink. Partly that was because it took forever to arrive, but also because it just tasted off; I'm not sure if it was the vodka, the cranberry juice, or what. Cosmos are the stereotypical girly drink, but I can't imagine anyone of either gender coming back for multiple rounds of these. Some of us got ouzo-based Greek Summers, which were a bit better, but I'm not really sure this place has its heart set on being a bar.

The Crew

Travis, Cristy, Aaron, Louis, Geoff.

Notes

I've been pretty upbeat and positive about nearly all of these bars so far. Not only because I've genuinely had a good time, but because I recognize that no single visit can truly capture the spirit of a bar. Off nights, staff shortages, product shortages - I get that everyone has a bad day sometimes, and that it might not be their fault. Be fair but generous, and you will come close to capturing the true spirit of a bar, which after all is staffed by well-meaning human beings much like yourself, who are merely selling you alcohol, that companionable conduit to happiness.

Be that as it may, Athenian was hands down the worst experience so far. When we walked in at 8pm on a Friday night, we were the only people there. Almost literally the only people there - it wasn't until we actually sat down at a completely deserted bar that a staff member appeared. It's almost always a bad sign when you're the only people at a bar at a time like that, and that ill omen was definitely fulfilled, as despite us having the bartender to ourselves, it took nearly half an hour for 5 people to get simple drinks. The bartender himself was pleasant enough, but extremely slow, and he kept running off to do other things in the middle of serving us.

I would never suggest that a bar is a drug front, so this is me not doing that.

On the plus side, I've been fascinated with Greek meander patterns since I was a child, and this place uses them liberally in their interior decoration. So there's that.