When a spot opened up on Pier 39 in February, Rose and Jonas Hoffmann were quick to jump on the opportunity to create their dream restaurant.

Months of hard work later, the couple opened Athena Mediterranean Kitchen.

Rather than continuing to expand their downtown food truck, Lily Rose Coffee and Crêpes, the Hoffmanns decided to focus on something they believe the area needed.

“We always had to travel to Portland to get, you know, our Mediterranean fix. Nicholas is our favorite restaurant there in Portland,” Rose Hoffmann said.

Appetizers at Athena include house-made pita bread, hummus, tzatziki, gyro fries and a Mediterranean salad. Main courses include shawarmas, gyros and humus platters. The restaurant also has gluten-free and vegan options.

The menu features spaghetti ice cream — a vanilla ice cream piped into tubes topped with berry jam, mint leaves and white chocolate — along with baklava and Persian love cake.

“I want people to step on the pier and smell food, smell good food … because the pier has a very rough, cold edge to it,” Rose said.

The Hoffmanns opened their food cart in 2023, a Paris-themed pink crepe truck across from City Hall. Rose said her passion for cafes came about from living with Jonas for two years in Germany.

The food truck has received positive feedback from customers with nostalgic memories of their times abroad.

The couple aims to create a similar atmosphere at Athena.

“It’s meant to be an immersive experience. It’s not like walking up to a counter grabbing what you want and then, you know, eating it in your car,” Jonas Hoffmann said.

Rose Hoffmann was born in Iran and lived there until she was 12 years old. While Persian food is not the same as Greek food, they are close. She said she grew up with her mother’s cooking and was eating gyros from a young age.

“When my mom cooked at home, you could smell it down the street … And then (you) automatically just forget about all your worries and stress and you’re just like, ‘Oh, good food,’” she said.

After a road trip to the Oregon Coast in 2018 from their home in Utah, the Hoffmanns fell in love with the region. They eventually bought a home in Astoria after living in Warrenton for a year and a half.

Pier 39, a collection of restaurants and shops at the former home of the Hanthorn Cannery, was one of the places the Hoffmanns were drawn to in Astoria.

“On a warm summer day, you can totally sit out there and look over the water,” Jonas said.

“Yeah, you know, it’s not Greece, but it’s close,” Rose said.