Playboy
April 2005
"Best Ethnic Restaurant"

City's Best 2005
Best Cheap Eats
"Best All Around Restaurants"

2003
Best of Houston
"Best Chicken Soup
for the Soul"
Lemon Chicken Soup

2001
Readers Choice
"Best Greek"
"Best Pork Chops"

2001
Best of Houston
"Best Pork Chops"

1998
"Best french fries
in Houston"

Best Ethnic Restaurant
2004
Best Greek
1998

Inside Houston
Hottest Greek Food

and TXT
Best Greek Food
Round Up Awards
2004
Favorite Greek
Restaurant Statewide
1997-2003

"Greatest Greek"

2004 Winner
Cheap Eats
2003 Editorial Winner
Cheap Eats
2002 Editorial Winner
"Best Takeout"
Cheap Eats
2002 Nominated
"Best Lunch Spot"

Houston Voice
"Quaint Montrose cafe"
"Best felafel I've ever had"
1994

Public News
Tummies Awards Winner
"Best Middle Eastern
Restaurant"
"Hot Spot Worth Noting"
1996

Inside Houston
"It's all Greek at
Niko Niko's"
1997

"Galaktoboureko,
one of Houston's
best desserts"
2000

Reviews

Niko Niko's Greek on Urbanspoon

Bring a friend for lunch or dinner.
At Niko Niko's every day is a Greek Festival!

Our commitment is to bring you the very best value and freshest quality as we have done for over twenty years. Service is always friendly and prompt, and of course our kitchen is the cleanest one in town. Niko Niko's has appeared in P.M. Magazine and was featured in the Houston Business Journal. We've also been featured on Houston's Channel 11 news on numerous occasions. One recent Houston Voice review said Niko Niko's is exceptional.

Marvin Zindler's Action 13 Blue Ribbon Award for Kitchen Cleanliness has been awarded to us 15 times as a testament to our commitment to quality. Mr. Zindler called Niko Niko's one of his favorite restaurants in 1990 and 1999.

Best Ethnic Restaurant
Niko Niko's Greek serves the best lamb shank, lemon chicken soup and broiled trout in town. Or stick to the old standby, the gyro. All food is served on paper plates, ordering is done at the counter, and there is often a line. But don't be turned off by these minor inconveniences. They're the hidden cost of the great food.

"What began 20 years ago as a converted filling station with a walk-up window in the Montrose area has become a "favorite little Greek dive" for a diverse mix of urbanites who are drawn to "terrific, inexpensive fast food with no airs or graces"; a "dedicated friendly owner" and 'hardworking' staff inspire real affection as do the gyros, spanakopita, and hummus..."

“With all of the variety at Niko Niko's, even the Greek gods would agree with Inside Houston readers who voted it the "Hottest Greek Food" in town. Whether you're a vegetable person or you enjoy the taste of Keftedes (Greek meatballs), you are sure to enjoy the selection at Niko Niko's. For those with little "picky eaters," yes, Niko Niko's has grilled cheese. It's just on pita bread.”

"Spirited Greek fast food in a sidewalk stand that features a delightful jukebox full of hits from the mother country. The outstanding gyros sandwiches are full of the goods - sliced beef and lamb served in hot pita bread...Niko Niko's is crowded with Montrose regulars, but the service is brisk."
Houston Monthly

"Not fancy but food is yummy. Niko Niko's started a while back with just a little drive window, selling Greek food to go...The crowds come to eat the wonderful gyros sandwiches...souvlaki sandwiches...Their french fries are marvelous and fresh"
Houston City

"I adore Greek food, and although Niko Niko's has been on Montrose for almost 22 years, I have never eaten there before. What a mistake that was! If you are looking for authentic but affordable Greek food - souvlaki, moussaka, dolmathes (sic) and spinach pie - then look no further. For wonderful Greek food in a very causal atmosphere, with Greek music playing in the background, go to Niko Niko's."

"Legendary Montrose dive serves great Greek grub at fair prices."

Fast Greek food at its best is what has made Niko Niko's a mainstay of hungry Montrose residents for over twenty years. The tiny, hot open kitchen serves up a surprisingly large selection of sandwiches, salads and substantial entrées. We can always count on the gyros, souvlaki and falafel to be some of the best in town and Eleni's daily house specials cover traditional Greek fare quite satisfyingly by serving up hearty versions of keftedes, pastitsio, moussaka and cabbage rolls. Simply wonderful is the chicken pita with sautéed spinach, onions and tomatoes with a touch of dill and topped with feta and mozzarella. We love the lightly done fries; other fried items like the crisp shrimp fare just as well. The off-menu dishes usually featuring fresh fish and lamb are quality entrées that belie the humble surroundings of this glass-enclosed former gas station. Service is very friendly and fast. Orders to go are also a hot commodity, which Niko’s handles with care.

By Alison Cook | March 13, 2007

"Even a big expansion can't take the endearing funk out of this Montrose institution. Yummy, greasy fries make the totemic gyros - served in warm pita with creamy tzatziki sauce - even better. Other mainstays: keftedes, moussaka, falafel and stuffed grape leaves."

Best of Houston 2008 | Best Family-Owned Restaurant

For more than 30 years, Niko Niko's has been offering up authentic Greek food, many of the recipes coming from founder Eleni Fetokakis's father's restaurant in Athens. A converted gas station, Niko Niko's is always bustling with diners eager to get their Greek on. Customers form a line at the counter and fire their orders off into one of the most prolific kitchens in town. Gyros served in warm puffy pita with sweet onions, juicy kabobs and Greek salads served with a large slab of feta are just some of the reasons why Houston has embraced Niko Niko's as one of its favorite family-owned joints.

Ancient Cuisine
by Paul Galvani | September 25, 2003

“Greece is considered the cradle of civilization. This is especially true when it comes to gastronomy, since the first cookbook can be traced to 330 BC, when Archestratos of Gela wrote down his thoughts on cooking. Most Greek cuisine is simple, straightforward and unpretentious, and it makes use of abundant local products such as olives, lemons and herbs. The lemon-pepper pork chops ($11.95) at Niko Niko's use these simple ingredients. An olive oil, garlic, oregano and lemon juice marinade makes the charbroiled chops particularly juicy and flavorful. They're served with rough-cut, skin-on french fries, a substantial Greek salad, pita bread and a tart yogurt-cucumber tzatziki sauce, which keeps everything nice and moist. It may not be possible to be a god, but it's certainly possible to eat like one.”

“So your sinuses are stuffed and you can't breathe. You feel like hell, and don't want to cook. Call Niko Niko's and order some lemon chicken soup to go. The steam will clear up your sinuses. The strips of chicken will make you feel like you're getting some protein. The rice in the soup will fill you up. And the lemon — well, the lemon just adds that magical, antibacterial zest that will wake up your sick, sleepy taste buds.”

Best of Houston 2003 | Best Chicken Soup for the Soul

Niko Niko's lemon chicken soup

So your sinuses are stuffed and you can't breathe. You feel like hell, and don't want to cook. Call Niko Niko's and order some lemon chicken soup to go. The steam will clear up your sinuses. The strips of chicken will make you feel like you're getting some protein. The rice in the soup will fill you up. And the lemon -- well, the lemon just adds that magical, antibacterial zest that will wake up your sick, sleepy taste buds.

Best of Houston 2001 | Best Pork Chops

The first time we had the char-grilled lemon pepper pork chops, we wanted to vault the counter and make out with Dimitri. The chops are thick and juicy, and the meat is so full of flavor you won't want to wait the five seconds it takes you to cut your next bite. We had to pick them up and devour them with our bare hands. "We're going to have to hose you off!" friends said. The chops come in a set of two, and when you first look at your plate you think, "There is no way I can eat that much." You tell yourself that you're going to save it and have some the next day. Good luck. It's very hard to save these pork chops because they are so amazingly delicious. We also (of course) highly recommend the gyros, the fish and chips, the stuffed bell pepper, the dolmades, the spanakopita, the pita bread covered in melted cheese -- basically everything we've ever tried at Niko Niko's is delicious. The only problem is that we fall in love with every item and never want to eat anything else again. Especially the pork chops -- according to one guy, "They would be my last meal."

“Perfectly Simple”
Dish by Joanne Harrison | November 21, 1996

“…Since the days when it was little more than a takeout window, Niko Niko's has served what is arguably the city's best gyros sandwich ($4.75). As the amphora-size cylinder of chopped and blended spiced lamb and beef, bigger around than a stack of five hefty pot roasts, twirls slowly, perpendicular to the heat, the proprietors shave off dollar-bill-length bits from the browned exterior and slap them on a gorgeously fresh pita. Then they add fresh tomato, slices of mild onion and the best tzatziki (yogurt, cucumber shreds and garlic) sauce to be found anywhere in Houston. Finish with your choice of nicely crisped French fries, some spicy oven-roasted potatoes or some rice, and you have simple perfection.”
Full Article

Editorial Review
By Robin Barr Sussman | Editorial Rating: Recommended

Bring a big appetite and a little money to this hole-in-the-wall landmark for great Greek grub.

The Scene
No matter the time of day or night, diverse followers inch into this zany-looking, converted service station and wait at the bustling counter to order. Slanted floors, mismatched rooftops, plastic blue paneling and tables crammed together are a misleading introduction to this friendly, quick and clean eatery producing an astonishing amount of food.

The Food
Gyros don't get much better than this. Moist, aromatic lamb slices are blanketed by a warm, plushy pita with sweet onions and creamy cucumber-garlic tzatziki sauce. Chickpea croquettes (felafel) sauced with sesame-scented tahini are savory and non-greasy. Stuffed grape leaves can be oily; conversely, the vinegary Greek salad is splendid, crowned with kalamata olives and thick slices of tomato and feta. Juicy lemon-oregano marinated pork chops are char-grilled to perfection and best paired with the award-winning, skin-on fries.