FAQs

Dinner is served Monday through Saturday from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Lunch is served Wednesdays only, 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Happy hour runs Monday through Saturday from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. We are closed on Sundays.

We are closed on Memorial Day, July 4th through 6th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and December 25th through 28th. For any other holiday, call us at (619) 234-1955 before you head over.

Since 1972. Mary Pappas opened the restaurant with recipes she brought from Greece, and it moved to its current home in the Senator Hotel building in 1986. Read Mary Pappas’ story or learn more about us.

No. Casual and dressy are both welcome, so come as you are, whether you are heading in from the office, a Padres game or the Convention Center.

Classic and unhurried. The dining rooms keep their Victorian character with crystal chandeliers, mahogany details and white tablecloth service, and meals are paced the Greek way, so you can stay and talk.

Call (619) 234-1955, email info@athensmarkettaverna.com, or send a message through our contact page.

Saganaki is imported Kefalograviera cheese that is flamed with brandy and served sizzling. It is one of the most popular Greek appetizers and a fun way to start a meal.

It is a combination plate of dolmathes, moussaka, pastitsio and a loin lamb chop, the easiest way to taste several Greek classics in one entree.

Moussaka is baked layers of grilled eggplant, zucchini and seasoned ground sirloin topped with bechamel. Pastitsio is Greek-style lasagna: pasta and seasoned ground sirloin under a light bechamel sauce. Both are on our dinner menu.

Yes. Choose from grilled salmon with balsamic vinaigrette, charbroiled baby octopus, Octopus a-la-Santorini with Greek-style pasta, and Prawns Metaxa, brandy-seared prawns with penne in a cream sauce.

Baklava, galaktoboureko (custard in filo with honey), kourambiethes (almond butter cookies), rice pudding, Greek-style yogurt with honey and chocolate lava cake.

Yes. View the dinner menu, lunch menu, happy hour menu and drinks menu.

Yes. The Vegan Gyros Special features sliced vegan gyro with warm pita and diced vegetables, and a vegan gyros sandwich is on the Wednesday lunch menu. Hummus is also a good choice. Satziki is yogurt-based, so ask your server to leave it off.

Tell your server about any gluten sensitivity when you order. Many Greek dishes are built on grilled meat, fish, rice and vegetables, such as souvlaki, lamb chops, grilled salmon and village salad, and your server can walk you through which dishes fit. Our kitchen uses wheat in filo, pita and pasta, so we cannot guarantee a gluten-free environment.

Please tell your server about any allergy before ordering, and mention it in your reservation. Common allergens in Greek cooking include tree nuts (baklava, kourambiethes), dairy (feta, bechamel, satziki), eggs (avgolemono) and wheat (filo, pita and pasta).

Greek cooking is the heart of the Mediterranean diet: olive oil, vegetables, legumes, grilled fish and lean meats. Read what the Mediterranean diet looks like on a plate at our table.

Pita sandwiches (gyros, vegan gyros and lemon chicken kota), a meatball and feta sandwich, albacore tuna, an Angus burger, soups and salads, plus full entree plates like moussaka, pastitsio, souvlaki and lamb chops. See the lunch menu.

It is a downtown tradition. The San Diego Union-Tribune has written about lawyers, judges and downtown power brokers meeting here for business over the past 50 years. Reserve a table for your meeting.

Yes. Use our reservations form or call (619) 234-1955. For 20 or more guests, ask about our private dining rooms.

Drink specials include $6 domestic beer, $6 ouzo or tequila shots, $9 well drinks and $9 red, white and rose wine. Happy hour bites include spanakopita, feta and olives, a gyros sampler, keftethes meatballs, hummus or satziki with pita, and vegetarian dolmathes. See the current happy hour menu.

Yes. We have a full bar with cocktails, white and sparkling wines, red wines, beer and non-alcoholic drinks. See the drinks menu.

Yes. Ouzo, the anise-flavored Greek aperitif, is on the bar and on the happy hour menu at $6 a shot.

Reservations are recommended, especially on Friday and Saturday nights and when there is a Padres game or a big Convention Center event downtown. You can also call (619) 234-1955 to check same-day availability.

Yes. We seat larger parties in the main dining room, and for groups of 20 to 80 guests we have private dining rooms upstairs. See private events for details.

Of course. Mention the occasion in the message field of the reservation form so our team knows ahead of time. For a larger celebration, consider one of our private rooms.

Please call us at (619) 234-1955 as soon as you can so we can hold your table or release it to another guest.

Our private dining rooms host groups from 20 to 80 guests, depending on the room. Tell us your guest count on the private events form and we will match you with the right space.

Rehearsal dinners, milestone birthdays and anniversaries, retirement parties, corporate dinners, holiday parties and group dinners for conventions. Rehearsal dinners are among our most booked events; see our rehearsal dinner venue guide.

Yes. Private events have full bar service.

Fill out the private events form with your date, time, guest count and occasion, or call (619) 234-1955. Book early for November and December holiday parties, when dates fill quickly.

Metered street parking is available on the surrounding downtown blocks, and several public parking garages are within a short walk. On Padres game nights and big convention days, street parking fills fast, so allow extra time or take the trolley.

Yes. The San Diego Trolley runs along C Street, a few blocks north of the restaurant, making it an easy walk from the station.

About a nine-minute walk, straight up F Street from the ballpark. Plan a pre-game dinner or skip the exit traffic with our game-day dinner guide.

About a fifteen-minute walk north from the Convention Center’s main entrance on Harbor Drive. See our Convention Center dining guide.