Niko Niko's
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Niko Niko's
OR:
Niko Niko's on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

Niko Niko's Greek & American Café (more commonly known as Niko Niko's) is a restaurant located in Montrose District,
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
known for serving
Greek cuisine Greek cuisine (Greek: Ελληνική Κουζίνα) is the cuisine of Greece and the Greek diaspora. In common with many other cuisines of the Mediterranean, it is founded on the triad of wheat, olive oil, and wine. It uses vegetables, oli ...
. Chrisanthios Fetokakis opened the restaurant in 1977, and ownership was eventually passed on to his son, Dimitri Fetokakis.


History

According to Niko Niko's official site, Chrisanthios Fetokakis opened a walk-up window restaurant on May 1, 1977, earning $15 the first day it operated. After an initial struggle to open, Fetokakis received assistance from Pete Pappas of the
Pappas Restaurants Pappas Restaurants, Inc. or simply Pappas Restaurants is a Privately held company, privately held restaurant chain, headquartered in Houston, Texas. Its brands include Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, Pappas Seafood, Pappas Bar-B-Q, Pappas Burger, Pap ...
franchise. Eventually, Fetokakis' son Dimitri became owner of the restaurant. Dimitri considered Pappas a lifelong mentor, and was saddened by his death in 2005. In 2005, owner Dimitri Fetokakis began landscaping the median across from the restaurant as part of a commitment to Montrose Boulevard Conservancy's "beautification" project. Before the Houston recycling program known as RecycleBank went into effect in 2009, Niko Niko's used
polystyrene Polystyrene (PS) is a synthetic polymer made from monomers of the aromatic hydrocarbon styrene. Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight. It is a ...
plates, bowls, and cups to serve food and drinks. Since the program's implementation, Fetokakis made the decision to switch to environmentally friendlier (though also more expensive) "enviroware" plates and degradable plastic bags. Houston residents participating in the incentive program can earn points for recycling and redeem them at the restaurant. After more than 30 years of doing business from its location in Neartown, Niko Niko's expanded in 2010 by adding a kiosk in Market Square Park in
Downtown Houston Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas, located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10 in Texas, Interstate 10, Interstate 45, ...
. The "sidewalk cafe-style operation" focuses on "to-go" foods such as
gyro Gyro may refer to: Science and technology * GYRO, a computer program for tokamak plasma simulation * Gyro Motor Company, an American aircraft engine manufacturer * ''Gyrodactylus salaris'', a parasite in salmon * Gyroscope, an orientation-stabi ...
sandwiches, shish kababs and
hummus Hummus (, ; ar, حُمُّص, 'chickpeas'; full Arabic name: ''ḥummuṣ bi-ṭ-ṭaḥīna'' ar, حمص بالطحينة, 'chickpeas with tahini'), also spelled hommus or houmous, is a Middle Eastern dip, spread, or savory dish made fr ...
. Niko Niko's has sponsored World Gyro Eating Championships at the annual Festival of Greece. In 2009, the restaurant hosted a viewing party after being featured on the
Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ...
's television program ''
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives ''Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'' (often nicknamed ''Triple D'' and stylized as ''Diners, Drive-Ins, Dives'') is an American food reality television series that premiered on April 23, 2007, on the Food Network. It is hosted by Guy Fieri. The show o ...
''. The restaurant appeared on the show again 11 years later in 2020. In May 2014 the restaurant announced it was opening a new restaurant in an
H-E-B H-E-B Grocery Company, LP, is an American privately held supermarket chain based in San Antonio, Texas, with more than 340 stores throughout the U.S. state of Texas, as well as in northeast Mexico. The company also operates Central Market, an u ...
at
Farm to Market Road 518 A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...
at
Texas State Highway 288 State Highway 288 (SH 288) is a north–south highway in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Texas, between I-45 in downtown Houston and Freeport, where it terminates on FM 1495. The route was originally designated by 1939, r ...
in
Pearland, Texas Pearland ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within Brazoria County, with portions extending into Fort Bend and Harris counties. The city of Pearland is a principal city within the metropolitan statistical area. At the 2020 U.S. census, t ...
.Dunn, Molly.
Openings & Closings: Niko Niko's Heads to Pearland While Dunkin' Donuts Continues Its Houston Takeover
(). ''
Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...
''. Friday May 16, 2014. Retrieved on May 18, 2014.


Reception

''
Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...
'' has awarded Niko Niko's with the following recognitions: Best Pork Chops (2001), Best Chicken Soup for the Soul (2003), Best Pork Chop (2005), and Best Family-Owned Restaurant (2008). In a 2010 review, Amber Ambrose of the ''Houston Press'' criticized the restaurant's Athenian Mushroom Burger, but conceded that "no rain nor sleet nor snow and now no dry burger could ever keep Niko Niko's off the Houston favorites list".


See also

*
Cuisine of Houston In 1998, ''USA Today'' referred to Houston, Texas as "the dining-out capital of he United States ">United_States.html" ;"title="he United States">he United States /nowiki>." Houstonians ate out at restaurants more often than residents of other Ame ...
*
Houston Greek Festival Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral is the spiritual home of the largest Eastern Orthodox parish in Houston, Texas. It is located in Montrose and Neartown.
*
List of Greek restaurants Following is a list of notable Greek restaurants, which typically specialize in Greek cuisine: * Alexis Restaurant – Portland, Oregon, U.S. * Berbati's Pan – Portland, Oregon * Daphne's Greek Cafe – United States * Greek Cusina – P ...


References


External links


Official site
{{coord, 29.7465, -95.3922, type:landmark_region:US-TX, display=title 1977 establishments in Texas European-American culture in Houston Greek restaurants in the United States Greek-American culture in Texas Restaurants established in 1977 Restaurants in Houston Neartown, Houston