The pikilia plate comes with dolmathes, cheeses, olives, fresh tomatoes and cucumber.

James S. Wood / arizona daily star

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Word travels fast at the Athens on 4th Ave.

On our first visit, we asked the host, co-owner and general manager Georgios Varnasidis for vegetarian recommendations and he pointed out a few of the options: pikilia, spanakopita, grilled eggplant, salads.

A few minutes later, when the waiter, Gabriella, arrived, she told us about only the veg-friendly nightly specials and added that the lentil soup offered that night was tomato-based — a detail that matters to a vegetarian diner.

We were happy to be there before even taking a bite.

After that first bite, we were ecstatic.

The restaurant has been serving Greek specialties at the corner of North Fourth Avenue and East Sixth Street for 14 years — and the good news is they just renewed the lease. The two dining rooms offer a homey atmosphere where you don't have to shout over loud music and other people's conversations. It feels like dining at a friend's house — a friend who makes wonderful food and enjoys sharing it.

The menu description of the pikilia ($8.85) — a combination plate with dolmathes, kefalotiri cheese, kalamata olives, feta cheese, fresh tomatoes and cucumber — makes it sound like simply a sampler platter. But it is a complete dish. The briny, tart flavors of the olives work with the cucumber's freshness. The hint of mint in the dolmathes' soft rice filling tucked inside rolled grape leaves plays off the sharpness of the kefalotiri cheese.

The tzatziki ($5.95), a thick yogurt salad spiked with cucumber and subtle garlic notes, was the perfect passenger on the accompanying soft, warm pita bread triangles. And the homemade, not-too-sweet lemonade was just the thing to wash it all down.

Under the guiding hand of longtime owner and chef Andreas Delfakis, who operates the restaurant with daughter Cyriana and her husband, Georgios, the kitchen has a way of letting the fresh flavors of everyday vegetables sing. Georgios said they get as many vegetables as possible from local farmers in season, which helps explain why the tomatoes are more tomatoey, the red peppers are sweeter and crisper. This is vegetarian eating at its best.

An appetizer of roasted peppers ($7.95) could be a dinner on its own — luscious and velvety whole red peppers are served stuffed with a mix of feta and kefalotiri cheeses, lightly floured and bathed in extra virgin olive oil with a note of balsamic vinegar. The cheese oozes together with the soft pepper and strikes the perfect sweet and salty harmony.

On a hot summer night, that vegetarian lentil soup our waiter suggested was hearty without being heavy, and was filled with bits of garlic, bay leaf and lentils.

The horiatiki salata, or village salad ($5.75 small, $8.75 large — but the small is plenty big) is a fresh jumble of tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, red peppers, kalamata olives and feta cheese dressed with an extra virgin olive oil dressing and Greek herbs. All veggies should be so lucky.

Athens on 4th Ave. offers three vegetarian entrees on the regular menu and none feels like an afterthought. The spanakopita ($12.95) layers a generous mix of fresh spinach, extra virgin olive oil, feta and flaky filo dough into a substantial, yet surprisingly light, Greek classic.

With eggplant, the line between perfect and mushy is thin and easy to cross, making it an iffy choice on many restaurant menus. But the grilled eggplant ($10.95) at Athens on 4th Ave. is a miracle of culinary technique — thick slices of firm eggplant are painted with an herb-filled marinara sauce and stacked under a melt of kefalotiri cheese.

The dish comes with rice pilaf, but Gabriella helpfully suggested we have the Greek potatoes instead because the pilaf is made with chicken stock. Those potatoes — oven roasted with lemon — are worth the trip on their own. They come with many entrees and can be ordered as an extra side dish for $3.50.

Dining out can be difficult for vegetarians — meat and stock is a frequent ingredient in sauces and dishes that, on their face, seem veg-only. We appreciated that Gabriella paid attention to our needs and didn't make us play menu detective.

She did it again with the macaronatha ($9.95), a plate of Greek pasta dressed with a choice of garlic butter, red sauce or marinara. She warned that the red sauce is simmered with lamb and recommended the marinara, the same delicious sauce used in the grilled eggplant.

The marinara has a wonderfully complex, round depth of flavor created from high-quality tomatoes and Greek oregano. This marinara sauce bears no resemblance to tomato concoctions of the same name on supermarket shelves.

The bliss continued into dessert. The rice pudding ($3.75) was thick, creamy and dusted with cinnamon sugar. The Greek apple pie ($5.50) bakes firm apple chunks in their own juices with cinnamon and tucks them under a filo dough crust.

But the honey-yogurt cake ($5.50), made with semolina flour and served with a choice of a bright honey-lemon or plum sauce, was the best ending possible. Another great tip from Gabriella — save part of the giant piece of cake and have it for breakfast. Our happy tummies owe Gabriella a debt.

Athens on 4th Ave. is a wonderful combination of fine but unpretentious dining, welcoming service and a menu that includes Greek meat and seafood specialties while offering vegetarians delicious options.

Everyone can be happy here.