Athens Restaurant

Location

“Bob paced as he waited for Grace outside the Athens Restaurant in Weaverville. They never grew tired of the friendly atmosphere of the place, the welcome they received from the owners and the waitresses, and the good food.” From “At Home in Covington,” a novel by Joan Medlicott, who is a real-life fan of the Athens. Her readers sometimes show up at the Athens to see if it is just like the local restaurant she describes in her series of books about the Ladies of Covington. “We are on Main Street, but we are not in the middle of town, where the tourists gather. So we cater to locals, but we welcome travelers,” says one of Athens’ owners, Spiros Apostolopoulos. He brings three generations of restaurant traditions and 25 years of personal experience to Athens. His wife, Elizabeth, and mother, Linda, bake desserts. His partner and brother-in-law, Jimmy Katsigianis, also grew up in a restaurant family. The family has been serving “family food” to folks in Weaverville since 1997. Their real customers enjoy the food just as much as the fictional characters in Joan Medlicott’s books. (828) 645-8458 Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-9 p.m. www.theathensrestaurant.com