The Athenian Grill is small but flavor packed. We were greeted at the counter as soon as we walked…read morein by a super helpful young man. He was courteous, knowledgeable and welcoming! While we were waiting there was a steady stream of customers picking up their online orders. The staff was fast and efficient. There are no tables downstairs, but there are a few tables in a dining area upstairs. Everything was clean and bright! My husband ordered the Greek beef stew (Kokinisto) the beef was so tender you could break it apart with a plastic fork and swimming in a delicious red sauce. He chose lemon garlic potatoes and pita bread as his sides both were excellent! My son had the Avgolemono soup (a traditional Greek soup with chicken broth Arborio rice, egg, lemon and chicken) which he loved and an order of freshly made pita. I had the children's portion of Chicken Santorini in a sundried tomato mushroom sauce which was outstanding. The chicken was so tender that again it could be cut with a plastic fork and the sauce was heavenly. I had the roasted vegetables as my side to balance the calories from the rich sauce. Everything was wonderful and I highly recommend as a stop when you are in Lexington!

Full disclosure, as always: this was delivery/doordash. And that jacked the price up, which is…read morenot Athenian's fault. It also almost always affects the food, but overall I would call this 5/5 Greek. And it did arrive fast even after we ordered past 9 PM! I got the chicken gyro, extra meat. Chicken was juicy and moist. They did indeed give me a LOT of it. It was bursting out of the pita. Tons of fresh veggies included. The fries were crispy, could maybe have used a little more seasoning. Non-doordash without extra meat, is 11 dollars. You can get a combo with a side and a drink for 15 dollars (again, non DoorDash). My colleague got a gyro bowl, which he enjoyed. They allow you to build your own bowl, choosing grain or green, up to two dips, a protein, toppings, and dressing. Athena is the typical Greek restaurant (no insult meant by that). Usual suspects of spanakopitakia, falafel, Greek sausage, Greek salads, moussaka, chicken Santorini. They also have entrees like pastitsio, meatballs, grilled branzino, chicken Santorini, grilled lamb chops. They offer pasta and several other types of sandwiches. I enjoyed this spot, though would prefer it without the DoorDash next time. They have three locations in Lexington.

The food was absolutely delish and the service was excellent!…read more The owner is compassionate and engaged, we chattEd about the many countries he's had the privilege to feed The ambiance is quirky and cool, I loved the collection of world currencies framed on the walls. I added a few more counties to the collection

This place has been on my list to try for a while and I'm so happy my friend and I could stop in…read more The food was great and reasonably priced. I got they lamb gyro and my friend got the chicken shawarma. Both were delicious. I was also impressed by the service. I don't know if it was Zaki himself working but hats off to the nice gentleman. Super kind and fast. We were the only ones there but the whole experience would be worth the wait. I'll definitely be back!

After several years of meaning to go, a recent doctor appointment finally had me in the area during…read morelunch time. Let me tell you, it's a recurrent (every 2 weeks) appointment, and I'm about to make my 3rd trip to Sahara this week. Wonderful price for the amount of food you get. The first time I went I was only able to eat about half of my portion. So much chicken! I got the chicken shawarma, and my hubby got the chicken leg lunch special. Wonderful seasoning, well cooked, great hummus, great Greek salad... the pita bread was meh, but I'll forgive it because everything else was great. The inside isn't a 5 star restaurant, but it's serviceable! Good amount of seating. The staff are friendly, open to questions, and very nice overall. They like to keep the line moving, so don't dilly dally. Ha! Overall, I can see why this was one of my friends favorite restaurants, and it's definitely added into my Lexington rotation.

Had a day to kill in Lexington on a Saturday before my flight out and I stopped by for a quick…read morelunch. Got the lunch special with Sahara chicken ($12) with rice, bread, salad, hummus, leg of chicken. Loved the food. Chicken so flavorful, juicy and tender. Hummus was great. The line was pretty long for lunch around noon but moved quickly. Seems like locals love this spot!

Nefertiti is a hidden gem. Tucked into a shopping plaza it is easy to miss. Yet, well worth…read morefinding. We had our first experience and the food is clearly not fast food. It is authentic Mediterranean. The lamb was tender and moist and the hummus is tasty. Note that the serving sizes are quite generous. There is dine in-seating, but most orders were take out. Service was polite and quick.

What a fortunate blunder! I stopped by Nefertiti, and I'm so glad I did. The place is quite…read moreunderstated, simple, but I figured I'd give it a shot since it was past lunch. The food was made to order and arrived in under 10 minutes. I opted for the #1 platter with beef and lamb skewers. The entrée was exactly what I expected: skewers served over a bed of rice. I was absolutely thrilled with the meal. First off, the meat was incredibly tender, juicy, and flavorful. I devoured it so quickly that I truly believe how good the food is--simply amazing. The lentil soup and hummus were equally delightful. The lentil soup was definitely one of the best I've ever tasted. Well, this was my lucky day discovering such a wonderful restaurant. The staff was friendly, and the service was both fast and courteous.

my favorite restaurant in Lexington!! the food and service are great !!…read moreWe live Mediterranean food !! Thank you !

Food was great, hot and fresh. Nice quiet place to have a…read morequick meal after a long day at work.

Place bangs. Food is awesome. Baklava so fresh it hasn't even gone in the fridge yet and the top…read morecrumbles in your mouth. 10/10 would smash this again.

The food looked and smelled really good, and the cashier was friendly. I really wanted to like this…read moreplace! Unfortunately, the beef bowl I ordered had all this weird, clear stuff mixed deep within it. My guess is that it was coagulated oil from an olive jar? I'm not sure, it looked like someone had mixed a ton of Vaseline or ointment into the middle of my dish. I tasted it and I think it was flavorless fat, which is why I'm thinking it was coagulated oil. In hindsight, I should've shown it to an employee and asked for a new dish. Instead, I ate 1/4th of the beef that didn't have any of the stuff on it and threw the rest of the meal away. I don't like complaining to management. I'm willing to assume this was a weird one-time thing (my date's meal was fine) and try the place again though. I'll update my review if I have a better experience in the future. The interior was very clean. It has a standard fast casual type of look and setup.

Food - 10/10 Portions - 10/10…read moreValue - 10/10 CUSTOMER SERVICE - 10/10 These are the sweetest people, and the food is incredible. I've been eating for 15 minutes like a half-starved pig, and it looks like I haven't even touched my plate. So much flavor in everything. The garlic sauce is next level. They also gave us an extra plate of pickles for my 4 year old because he loves them, and they've just been so friendly. It's unassuming from the outside, but the flavors speak for themselves.

Awesome Greek food! We ordered chicken shawarma plates from door dash. TONS of food, very large…read moreportion size. Chicken was juicy, rice was fluffy and flavorful. Great seasoning. Ton of fresh vegetables and herbs. Great cucumber salad for a side. Reasonable prices as well, a large plate was 14.99. The gyros and wraps are 9.99. Fries were crispy and hot too. They also have falafel plates, gyros, kababs, hummus. Definitely on my go to list from now on.

Authentic and delicious. I would would highly recommend…read morethis to anyone looking for the "real deal"

Not the same restaurant now that it is under new management…read more When you order food you no longer get bread with the meal or at least the three Entrees we ordered did not. Two of our party ordered the soup that used to be a favorite thick and delicious. Not anymore. My out of town guest had to sip from the cup it was mostly broth no lentil. Disappointing since I have been doing to this restaurant for years and ate their lunch Buffet and sometimes dinner. The Buffet was great because you got to taste a lot of different things. The Buffet has been removed.

You get your money's worth!!! I love this place! The food is excellent, service is great, and it's…read morea welcoming atmosphere!

I told them to give me whatever they recommend with a side of hummus and it did not disappoint. The…read moreportions are HUGE. Enough for at least 2 or 3 meals! The hummus was the best I've ever had it was delicious! The service was great! They gave plenty of seating inside. I will be back for sure!

Fresh and delicious. Thrilled to have them in our town. Kind family owners. Fell in love with the…read morebabaghanoush - something I never thought I would say.

The weather was beautiful today so we decided to take a drive out to Nicholasville. I love…read moremediterranean/middle eastern food so I was happy to see Mr. Shawarma while driving through downtown Nicholasville. Mr. Shawarma is located on Main Street of Nicholasville, nestled across the street from the Nicholasville Christian church and the fire station. When we entered the restaurant, we were greeted with kind smiles and warm service. The service was great! The staff were very friendly explaining the options. I ordered the beef shawarma with rice, hummus and pickled vegetables, for my son chicken Tenders (2 piece) and fries and for my Mom, lamb kabob with rice and pickled vegetables. The food was delicious, hot and brought out very quickly. Try this restaurant if you would like flavorful food and awesome service.