Lounge and bar snacks in Pipa — Athena's

Av. Baía dos Golfinhos 737, on Pipa's main avenue. That is where Athena's sits, behind Greek-inspired architecture, working as a crêperie, a lounge and a restaurant at once: bar snacks to share, more than 30 crêpe fillings between sweet and savoury, risottos, and a cocktail list that runs from the classics to signature drinks. It opens seven days a week at 4pm, and happy hour starts at 5.

Book your happy-hour table on WhatsApp: the house takes bookings and the two-for-one starts at 17:00, so the table is settled before you leave.

Athena's at a glance

What to eat

Athena's calls itself a crêperie, a lounge and a restaurant, and the menu covers all three: crêpes run past 30 fillings between sweet and savoury, the prawn skewer and the mini crêpe are what you share, and the risottos carry dinner.

Savoury crêpes

The Strogonoff comes with beef fillet and mushrooms flambéed in cognac. The Caruman packs a north-eastern plate into a crêpe: prawns, cassava purée, coalho cheese, sun-dried tomato and basil. The Frango Curry pairs curried chicken with pineapple and peaches. The À Grega brings fresh mozzarella and mozzarella, sun-dried tomato, basil, olives, hearts of palm and oregano.

Prawns turn up twice more: the Camarão Catupiry in Catupiry cheese sauce, and the Camarão ao Curry with Indian curry, cream and peach or pineapple. Across the six savoury fillings there is beef, chicken, prawn and a meat-free option.

Sweet crêpes

Banana Crocante arrives with flambéed banana, chocolate and nuts. The Tropical mixes mango, banana, dried coconut, cashew nuts, pastry cream and passionfruit sauce. The Morango Primavera has pastry cream, house-made strawberry jam and chocolate. The Pistache combines pistachio cream, artisan coconut preserve and crème pâtissière.

The last two use conserves prepared in the kitchen, and they work as dessert or as a midnight plan on Fridays and Saturdays: the house lists late-night food among what it offers.

Risottos, starters and salads

The restaurant side is built from starters, risottos and salads. The beef fillet risotto comes with fresh shiitake, parmesan cream and Brazil nuts; the prawn one with sun-dried tomato, parmesan cream and walnuts; the vegetarian one with sautéed mushrooms, spinach cream and almonds. The prawn skewer heads the starters, and the prawn salad arrives with avocado, mango, pineapple, Brazil nuts and chia seeds.

What to drink

Cocktails are the other half of the evening, and they are not alone: among what the house lists are wine, beer, cocktails, spirits and coffee, with a bar on site. A bar that is set up, not a bottle kept behind the counter.

The list splits into classics and house creations, and both sides are published with their ingredients. Among the classics: a Bramble with Hendrick's gin, Sicilian lemon and blackberry cream; an Amaretto Sour with amaretto, Sicilian lemon, angostura and egg white; an Aperol Spritz with white wine, sparkling water and Sicilian lemon; and a Chocolate Martini with vodka, chocolate liqueur and crème de menthe.

The house creations play with the name over the door: Athena's is rum with blackberry, mint and Sprite; Apollo is gin with cashew purée and Tahiti lime; Hefesto is Tanqueray with fresh cucumber and tonic; Dionísio is whiskey with red wine and cassis liqueur; Deusa do Amor is gin with lychee, strawberry and house-made ginger foam.

That ginger foam comes back in the Jack Ginger — whiskey, hibiscus syrup and lemon — in the Apeach Mule and in the Firm's & Dant's. Rubi Cooler, Água Viva, Marciano and Roda Viva round out the list, the last with cachaça, sake, cashew and lime.

The room

The Greek-inspired architecture is what the place leads with, and it sets the rest: Athena's presents itself as a lounge, somewhere you can sit with a drink without the table being only a warm-up to dinner. There is a covered section and an open-air one, and both are available for private events as well.

The house describes its own feel in four words, and all four fit the lounge format: cosy, casual, quiet and romantic. Casual because you come in wearing what you had on all day; romantic and quiet because a table for two at the end of the afternoon is a natural use of the place. The toilet, the outdoor tables and table service are all declared too.

Happy hour runs every day from 5pm to 8pm and shapes the early part of the evening: the format is two for one of the same item, so every mini crêpe, drink or prawn skewer arrives with a second one just like it. That is the long-table, long-conversation stretch.

When to go

It opens all seven days at 4pm, which makes it an option on any day of the week, Monday included.

Sunday to Wednesday, service runs to 11:30pm. Thursday stretches to midnight. Friday closes at 1am and Saturday at 1:30am: those two nights are the ones for a later dinner and a sweet crêpe in the small hours.

If happy hour is the plan, go between 5pm and 8pm, any day. If a slower dinner is the plan, 8pm onwards works, once the dining room has moved past the afternoon crowd. And if the plan is to stay in the apartment, delivery starts at 5pm every day.

Where it is and how to get there

Av. Baía dos Golfinhos 737, the avenue that runs the length of the village centre. It sits on the main road, on the same side as the run of bars and shops, and it is walkable from almost any guesthouse in the village.

From the path down to Praia da Pipa it is a few minutes on foot along the same avenue, uphill.

If you are still sorting out how to reach the village, see the options for a transfer to Pipa from Natal airport.

With children

The house lists itself as good for children, and in a crêperie that has a practical consequence: the whole sweet crêpe range is meat-free and built on banana, mango, strawberry, coconut, chocolate and pastry cream. It is the part of the menu nobody has to explain twice at a table with children.

The hours help in the same direction: doors at 4pm all seven days, so the family table arrives early, and because bookings are accepted the covered or open-air section can be asked for in advance.

Who it suits

Anyone who wants to open the evening with a drink and something to share. Happy hour from 5 to 8, doubled up, is built for exactly that.

A long weekend dinner. Friday to 1am and Saturday to 1:30am, with a risotto as the main event and a sweet crêpe to close.

A celebration with a date on it. A birthday, a team dinner or a mini wedding, with a tailored menu and the covered or open-air space.

Frequently asked questions

Is Athena's open every day?

Yes, all seven days, always from 4pm. Sunday to Wednesday it closes at 11:30pm, Thursday at midnight, Friday at 1am and Saturday at 1:30am.

What time is happy hour?

From 5pm to 8pm, every day. It works two for one on the same item: every mini crêpe, drink or prawn skewer you order comes with a second one just like it.

Do they deliver in Pipa?

They do. Delivery runs daily from 5pm, with an estimated 30 to 60 minutes.

Are there vegetarian options?

Yes: the vegetarian risotto, the À Grega crêpe and the whole sweet crêpe range.

Do they take bookings?

Yes. The house declares that it accepts bookings: message +55 84 99169-2253 and the table is held before you leave, in the covered section or outdoors.

Can I bring children?

Yes. It is listed as good for children, with table service and a toilet on site, and the whole sweet crêpe range is meat-free.

Can you hold a birthday or a private event there?

Yes: birthdays, get-togethers, corporate dinners and mini weddings, with personalised menus, dedicated service, covered and open-air space, and live music options. The live music gets settled when you fix the date.

Where exactly is it?

At Av. Baía dos Golfinhos 737, Praia da Pipa, Tibau do Sul (RN), postcode 59178-000, on the village's main avenue.

Message them on WhatsApp and book the weekend table, with the crêpe and the drink picked out before you go.