Mix things up: Get Persian food along with your pizza at this Matthews-area restaurant
As you’re winding down Old Monroe Road between Matthews and Stallings, there’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it-sized strip mall where Athens Pizza & Kabobs is tucked away. You’re going to want to take note and make a stop.
Pizza and kabobs, you may wonder to yourself. How did that mash-up come to be?
Head on inside to the wide-open dining room, decorated with a photographic desert mural and a few hookah lamps along the wall, and you’ll start to understand.
Owner Ameneh Pirhayati, who will likely greet you at the counter, explains that the restaurant had already been named Athens Pizza for a year when she took it over in 2007.
She’s Iranian, and she added a Persian touch to the menu, with staple dishes such as kashke bademjan — similar to baba ganoush — and kabobs.
With a wide, welcoming smile, she’ll be happy to share recommendations and help you try something new and explain the ingredients — Pirhayati proudly puts her heart into her food.
Pasta, calzones and sandwiches are also on the menu. And don’t overlook the pizza — even loaded with toppings, the crispy crust holds up.
Pirhayti said the most popular choice is the House Special, with pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, ham, salami, mushrooms, onions, green peppers and a “touch of extra cheese.” She also encourages newcomers to try the Classic White, a no-sauced combination of spinach, eggplant, roasted tomatoes, garlic, spices, cheddar, mozzarella and feta.
Athens Pizza & Kabob
Location: 2920 Old Monroe Rd, Stallings, NC 28104
Cuisine: Italian, Persian
Instagram: @athenspizza_kabob
