Enjoyed an amazing meal at Nikos last night. Every dish we tried was delightful and the atmosphere was a beautiful mix of old and new, relaxed rustic with an industrial edge. Our waitress, Mirna was attentive and gave wonderful suggestions as we explored the menu for the first of what I plan to be many visits to this lovely restaurant. Highly recommend Nikos! read more

What a lovely evening! We were in a large group (8-people) headed to a Bulls game and came here for an early dinner. We were so grateful to get a quiet, private room! The vibe was very cultural, clean, open, and festive! The staff were responsive and friendly. We ordered a lot of plates to share as a big group, we recommend almost all of the appetizers! read more

We had a great experience at Nikos. Our waitress was very knowledgeable and friendly. The ambiance is really pleasant and has beautiful decor. They also have a great drink selection including specialty cocktails. We tried a ton of things on the menu. The food was really beautifully presented and tasted great. We really enjoyed all of the dips and vegetables that we started out with. The spanakopita was different from the traditional dish but still tasty. I really loved the sauce that came with the zucchini cakes and everything was very fresh. read more

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We had a great dinner at Nikos. The highlights were the feta and fig cheesecake and our lovely server Tyler. Tyler was amazing and definitely one of the best servers I've had in a long time. She was fun, friendly, and made great suggestions. They have an extensive Greek wine list and I was able to try one before deciding. We got the carrot dip to start which wasn't my favorite. I'd probably just stick to hummus next time. The grape leaves were tasty and very lemony. The salad was good and the lamb pastitsio was great. The start though was the dessert. Tyler suggested the cheesecake and we went for it. It was so fluffy, flavorful, and delicious. Highly recommend! Parking was easy in Bright Leaf Square and free when we were there. read more

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This place is so pretty and the vibe is amazing. The food was cooked to perfection, I would come back. read more

Nikos - Fish, steak - Greek Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Got a brunch reservation on resy or open table the morning of for a Sunday. Plentiful parking along the street and there's a small paid lot right by the restaurant. Was seated promptly and interior was super cute and bright. Food was excellent and fresh however service was a tad slow but nice for a slow paced brunch. Cute area and I'd return to try their dinner menu! read more

Nikos - Falafel bowl - Greek Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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We came to Nikos over the Thanksgiving holiday and it was the highlight of our trip outside of the holiday with family itself so that tells you how special it was. Atmosphere- the decor was thoughtful, cozy and nice. It's a great place for an intimate date night with fab food. Service- OUTSTANDING. From the minute that we walked in the door we had spectacular service. The wait staff that was on the floor was always nice and friendly, but our favorite person of the night was our bartender/waitress Anastasia. Cocktails- Anastasia is your cocktail master. We asked her to make several drinks, bartenders choice, and each one that she created was fantastic. There were also a few seasonal ones on the menu that were also great. Outside of her great cocktails she was very warm & personable. If I lived in Durham, I would definitely make her bar my CHEERS.. Food: Absolutely fantastic I cannot express how much I loved Chef Rodriguez's food to start. He's a James Beard recipient and your mouth will fully understand why. I had the octopus carpaccio. I actually had two servings of it because it was so good. It had a hint of sweetness along with garlic and the blistered tomatoes just set it all off. We also had the Spanakopita. The pastry was light and flaky. It just melted in your mouth. The Eggplant was a unique little dish. The pomegranate seeds gave it a unique touch. Outside of the food my favorite part was the chef greeting us. We happened to ask who the chef was because the food was so good and as we were googling Chef Rodriguez and reading his impressive background, wallah he appeared. He was so friendly and we were honored that he took the time out to come speak to us. Anytime we are in Durham we'll definitely make it a point to come visit Chef Rodriguez and family so that we know that we'll have a proper meal while there. Thank you for feeding us well!!! read more

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Not bad not amazing. I wish the menu was a bit bigger but definitely a good spot for a night out because of the good atmosphere.

The restaurant is BEAUTIFUL! I was very excited to eat here as I love authentic greek food. Unfortunately the overall experience was subpar... Service: The service was awful. Our waiter seemed high...he was dropping dishes, seemed aloof, couldn't cohesively answer questions, we sat outside and I'm pretty sure he forgot we were there he came so infrequently. When we sat, he asked if we wanted "still or sparkling water", since those were the only 2 options we were given, we replied still. We had 2 bottles of water during the dinner and was charged $12 for water....while I understand paying for water is custom in Europe. It's not custom in America so I strongly believe the default water that you're offered should not be a $6 bottle. If you go, make sure you emphasize you want tap water. The food/what to order: - zucchini cakes: BEST ITEM WE HAD! ORDER THIS! - Dolmades: very very small for grape leaves but good - Brussels Sprouts Gratin: good - Flaming Saganaki: great presentation, not my favorite saganaki I've had but good - Lamb Youvetsi: nice & tasty, did have some bones in it unfortunately read more

Nikos - Outside seating - Greek Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Located at the very end of Brightleaf, Nikos had a lovely location with lots of space so it's great for taking big groups or friends from out of town. We went with a group of 5 and had no issue getting a reservation the week of for Saturday night. The service was excellent and they took great care of us. Their menu has lots of options for people with different dietary concerns. Outside of it being a little loud since there was a boisterous group next to us, it was a very nice experience and the food was fantastic. read more

Great food and service! Ambiance is so pretty too. We went for brunch and enjoyed everything read more

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Nikos is nestled into bright leaf plaza which makes it feel like a little oasis away from the bustle of the main Street it sits on. The decor is modern Greek and felt very inviting. I dined here alone and was stationed by the expo window. It was pretty awesome to see the interaction between expo and the chefs, almost like watching the bear in real life. To start they brought me over a little potato pave gift. I've never had this happen to me when I'm dining alone and thought it was a very nice start to my experience. I ordered the vegan monti and Byzantine chicken. The vegan monti was packed with flavor, as a concept it seemed heavy on the menu but on the table they did an impeccable job balancing out the flavors to create a top notch experience. Earthy, hearty, a nice crunch from the pine nuts, and a slightly tangy sauce to balance it out. The Byzantine chicken had a great charred flavor and was butchered and cooked perfectly. The rice had nicely prepared veggies and a hint of oiliness that paired well with the lean chicken and sweet/savory coffee carrot sauce. Overall would recommend and say this place is worth the money. The server was a little hands off and brought me my check early without asking if I was finished, but it didn't deter from the great food they're serving. read more

Nikos - Byzantine Chicken - Greek Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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If you are craving Greek food then Nikos located in BrightLeaf Square in Durham is a spot that you need to check out. I started off with a beer then a glass of rose and my husband tried both of the sangrias (red and white). For food we split the zucchini cakes, keftedes, lamb manti, flaming saganaki and brussels sprouts. All were really good but my favorite was the lamb manti. You can't pass on dessert so we ordered the galaktoboureko and cheesecake. The baklava ice cream that is served with the first dessert option that I mentioned was so tasty. I also had a pour of the port wine and highly recommend it. The service here was also really good. I'll have to return to try more soon. read more

Delicious modern Greek-influenced dining. Clearly very popular too. Nice wine list and knowledgeable bartender.

There were four of us in our party. I must start out by saying both the ambience and the service was top-notch. However, Only one of us liked the food even though we all really like many of the other local Greek restaurants, including Kipos and Parizade. One thing I'll have to say is that people seem to agree on in these reviews is that the much of the food here is not traditionally made. So I guess you either like it or dislike it. I love spanakopita ordinarily but none of us liked this one which had very little to do with traditional spanakopita, except it had spinach in it. My husband loves Bronzino, but this one wasn't very good tasting. Two of us had the.Horiatki salad and neither one of us liked it. In my case, I thought it didn't have enough dressing it and, although it's relatively large, it only had four olives on the whole salad. And we all really disliked the lemon potatoes, even though we all ordinarily love lemon potatoes. First of all, they didn't have hardly any lemon taste but had some other flavor in them, that I didn't like. One person had the cod plaki and said it was overcooked. The one person who liked his food, had the salmon. He liked the chocolate dessert okay although he said it was very sweet. I feel bad about having to leave a poor review because like I said everybody was friendly and the service was good and the ambulance was nice. However, I just want to say that if you'd like really traditional Greek food, don't count on getting it here. read more

Came to nikos last night for the first time. The ambiance was nice. The hostess seemed scrambled when I arrived and had to collect herself before seating me. The bartender was super friendly and helpful. The food however I was not impressed. I ordered a cocktail the soup and the shrimp dish. The soup was a chicken soup that barely had any chicken which was really disappointing. Otherwise the soup was okay and had a bit of flavor. Understanding that this is a tapas restaurant and that portions are smaller and meant for sharing. However the shrimp dish I ordered came with a whomping 3 shrimp for a grand total of $20. As a tapas restaurant that serving size is not enough to share with a table of 4. For that price point I expected more atleast 5. This was extremely disappointing. I wasn't impressed by the food Though my bartender was great and provided great service, I would not recommend this place. I won't be back. read more

Nikos - $20 for 3 shrimp - Greek Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

This is hands-down and without a doubt, the best restaurant in the triangle. Every bite of food is an explosion of amazing taste in your mouth. Warm, friendly, inviting chef Douglas is amazing. First time there and obviously overwhelmed. read more

Nikos - Great ambience - Greek Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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I could have sworn I wrote a review of Nikos but I can't find it, or maybe Yelp removed it. We've been here twice, once for brunch during Triangle Restaurant Week and once for dinner. Everything we ate was delicious. Special shout out to the nontraditional spanakopita. Both times we ate indoors, once at hightop seating and once at a dining table. Our first server was not great (we had to track her down) but our second server was very friendly and attentive. When the weather is nice, people like to sit outdoor as well, although we enjoy the interior Medierannean-inspired decor. Another fine restaurant from Giorgio's Hospitality Group. read more

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Atmosphere: Nikos is a warm and sophisticated restaurant in Downtown Durham. The decor and ambiance felt very authentic and welcoming! Service: Overall, our service was just lackluster. The food came out much slower than expected, and they forgot one of our dishes (the Keftedes) until we asked for the status of it midway through our meal. We also had to hunt down a server to refill our water. Food: We started off our meal with the Eggplant Baladi and Turkish Carrot spreads. Both of them were flavorful and great in their own ways! We enjoyed the spreads with their homemade flatbread. For our main dishes, we ordered the Braised Short Ribs Youvetsi, Keftedes, and Byzantine Chicken. The short ribs were tender and soft, going well with the tomato orzo, but we would've liked a larger serving! The Keftedes were juicy and went well with the accompanying scoop of tzatziki. The Byzantine Chicken was probably our favorite dish. The chicken was flavorful, and we especially loved their unique coffee-carrot sauce. The spanakorizo was light but packed with bright flavors! For dessert, we had the Fig Feta Cheesecake, which was delicious! The cake was light and had a great balance of flavors between the pistachio crumble, crust, and filling. Overall: We enjoyed all of the dishes we ordered. The only thing holding us back from a 5 was the service. Our general philosophy is to focus on the food for our ratings, but we felt that the lack of attention from the service side impacted our experience at Nikos. read more

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"Greek food in Brightleaf in Durham" I LOVE upscale Greek food, but there aren't a ton of options in Durham-- Bleu Olive is one of the best. I was excited to try Nikos on a Saturday evening. I called at 5:15pm and asked if I could just show up at ~5:45pm, and they held me a table for 2 to do so. The setting is lovely-- BIG outdoor patio in the central area of Brightleaf, and many tables had umbrellas. I split a Horiatiki salad with my wife, she ordered the Grilled King Mushroom, and I had a Moussaka. I will note that my server lightly suggested that I might be better off getting a different dish, noting some people like the Moussaka but that it wasn't among their favorites. Service was excellent-- attentive, thoughtful (I appreciated the comment above, even though I stuck to my guns on my order), etc. There was also another server in training who was very nice. The salad was excellent-- very fresh and flavorful. The moussaka was good. I liked the tomato sauce flavor, but I felt the dish needed more meat and eggplant, and it needed less bechamel and potato. The latter two are rather muted flavors, so the overall dish was milder than I would have preferred (I wanted it mostly for the eggplant and meat), but again, it was good, especially when I heaped on the tomato sauce. My wife liked the mushroom-- very fresh and tender, and the lemon flavor was quite strong. However, she felt the lemon flavor was almost too strong, somewhat overwhelming the other flavors. But she still enjoyed it. The price was a little steeper than Bleu Olive, but the setting and location may be the primary explanation and justify some extra cost. Overall, I enjoyed it. Definitely a place I'd consider coming back on a lovely day. For sure not a "weekly night out" spot, but good for a change of pace and to enjoy some good Greek food in a beautiful setting. read more

WOW!! I am a nut for Mediterranean food and this stacked up to what I ate when I visited Greece. Super fresh and flavorful! The grilled lemons with the falafel were paired excellently. The Turkish Carrots were amazing as well! Very cute place in a great location. read more

Nikos - Moussaka and salad at Niko's - Greek Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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We did not have reservations for a Saturday night. NO PROBLEM! We got seated at a corner of the bar with Chris as our bartender/server. I was with my wife and son. Karen ordered 4 appetizers and Brian and order entrees. Excellent staff & welcoming environment. Everything we shared was absolutely delicious; from the hummus & pita all the way through dessert! I think it was one of the best meals I have had in a long, long time! Don't think, just GO! If you are in Durham, have the time, you cannot miss this place! read more

Absolute delicious. Such an interesting spin on Greek cuisine. We had several appetizers so we could try as much as possible. Everything was delicious and I can't wait to go back. The decor is my dream home. Just beautiful. The service was great and our waitress was subtly attentive and friendly. The food was so good we ate every bite so fast I didn't even think to take a photo. Highly recommend read more

Came here on a Thursday evening with a reservation for 2 in the "high table" section near the "chef's table". Parking was easy as there is complementary 2 hr parking on the street and also for brightleaf customers. Because we reserved a high table, we were able to get a free chef's sampler. We got 3 mezedes, 1 fish fish and 1 dessert. We got the crispy calamari, lamb manti and zucchini cakes along with the flounder and feta & fig cheesecake Ambiance: 5/5 Love the ambiance outside and also the Mediterranean aesthetics inside Service: 5/5 Lauren was amazing! She was incredibly helpful, attentive, and professional- one of the best waitress experience I've had. Food: 4.5/5 First the portions were actually bigger than we expected. We weren't starving coming in and looking back would have probably been fine with 2 instead of 3 mezedes, 1 fish fish and a dessert. The food was all delicious though our favorite mezedes was the lamb manti- have never had anything quite like it- was packed with fresh flavors! The calamari was also a hit and their "marinara" sauce unlike any other marinara sauce- with a hint of mint. I'm not the biggest marinara sauce guy but this sauce was perfect with the calamari. The flounder was also delicious with a generous portion of potatoes! Lastly, the feta & fig cheesecake was one of the best cheesecakes we've had! It's light, has some saltiness from the feta and pistachio m crust that complements the sweetness of the fig jam. It is not overly sweet and we would come back just for that. Price: 4/5 The price is pricier as in most nice Mediterranean spots. It's not a weekly restaurant spot but a great place for special occasions. We will definitely be back read more

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We had reservations here on a busy Thursday night. We were running a few minutes late due to terrible traffic so I called to let them know. Luckily they still had a table for us when we arrived . We were seated at a little two top near the bar. The place is fairly small.. We started with a half carafe of the red sangria and waitress filled our water glasses. Husband saw our sangria on the bar for a few minutes but no one brought it. Waitress came to take our order and then realized our sangria was on the bar so she went to grab it before taking our order. We were pleased with the sangria -- not too sweet, just like we like it. We ordered a platter of Muhammara, Matbucha Eggplant and Pantzarosalata, a bowl of the Avgolemono soup and the Brussels sprouts. Everything was just to die for! Flavors were perfection! Brussels were the biggest portion but I think I could have eaten double of everything. It was so good! read more

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Good place, good food, good decoration. The entrees are small as appetizers. I was suprised by the size of the Shakshuka... I thought it would be bigger. Better to choose small plates instead of 1 entree especially if you are here for a brunch with friends. I didn't appreciate to be taxed automaticaly without my authorization. They should mention at the reservation that if you are a group of people the tips will be included automaticaly. This is not required but always at the customer's discretion. It's not acceptable! read more

Nikos - Shakshuka - Greek Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

We went to Nikos for our anniversary dinner. The ambience is great and the restaurant is beautiful. We enjoyed all of the dishes we had. The lamb manti, Turkish carrots and hummus were our favorites. Calamari and the flaming saganaki were good too. The service was good and we felt like our server was helpful navigating the menu. Overall we enjoyed our dinner and will probably come back soon. read more

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Everything was amazing! The food, the atmosphere, and the customer service. I had the braised short rib grilled cheese with fries and it was better than words! read more

Nikos - Greek Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

If you've been to another one of this restauranteur's places, I'd say it's comparable (Osteria de Georgi, Kippos, etc). Its pleasant, trendy, maximalist interior is fun and fitting for the food. Brunch menu was amazing - had trouble narrowing down our choices. Service was solid. read more

Nikos - Saganaki! Fav dish at brunch - Greek Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Easiest 5 stars I've ever given. Above and beyond service, incredible food, and phenomenal ambiance. read more

Nikos - Greek Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Located in the Brightleaf square plaza, this lovely, upscale Greek restaurant is a great addition. It is a bit expensive but the service and quality of the food makes up for this. I think I have been there three times within the past 4 weeks, and now the server knows us. Last weekend our food came out late but they gave us a free dish, which more then made up for it! My favorite is the flank steak, which comes with fries and a salad. The food is unbelievably good and not overly unhealthy. The baklava, which was drenched in honey, had to be best baklava I have had in quite some time! I highly recommend this place! read more

Nikos - Salad - Greek Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Great food and ambiance! I would recommend the skirt steak but the portions were large so it's definitely great for sharing. We had the mezze platter too, which my favorite was the hummus and tzatziki. We loved the cocktails- I had the spicy high ball which was perfect with the entire meal. The service was also great! read more

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3.5 stars, really lovely space, appealing menu, good wine selection. Service was a little slow and some dishes arrived at the table less than hot. Enjoyed the mezedes best--the walnut jam was a nice addition to the saganaki, and the fatoosh salad was delicious. Many of the chef's choices buck tradition, and some are less than successful. The whole grilled Bronzino was fileted and served without its head; to me, that's not really a whole grilled fish. The galaktaboureko is served as a rolled pastry, which was an unhappy surprise. It was tasty, but it was not what I was expecting. Deduct one star if you're looking for a traditional Greek presentation and preparation. This place puts an upscale spin on some dishes that maybe don't need it. also, it is fairly pricey for what you get. read more

Came back a few times since, now everything is carefully labeled, now that I have actually been able to eat and enjoy food is delicious

Swung by with family one mid-week evening. We got a bunch of appetizers: Flaming Saganaki (a fairly small amount: good, not great, it came with a large helping of walnut shallot jam and lots of sourdough crisps), a Meze Grand Platter (hummus, roasted cauliflower and carrot salad; all OK, with pita pieces which stayed HOT in their towel in a bowl) and falafel (hard discs.) Entree was Chicken Shawarma (in a wrap with veggies and sauce, meh) and the Za'atar Spiced Fries, which were excellent: flavorful, crunchy on the outside, soft inside. Our server said he didn't care for the Sholezard Brulee (imagine a rice pudding with brulee topping), but I liked it (unlike the rest of my party, who agreed with the server.) Service was both flamboyant and very competent. read more

My wife and I came here for our anniversary and NYE dinner celebration. We got the last reservation at 9pm. They called us a day prior asking if we could come at 8:30 since they closed at 9pm. I asked if we could actually come earlier, they said come at 8. We arrived at 7:30 and they sat us earlier than expected. The ambience was excellent. The service was above and beyond. Cocktails and beer were great and the food was even better! We ordered the flaming saganaki and the roasted cauliflower was the bestI've ever tasted in my life. We will absolutely be back with many more people to show them what Nikos is all about. read more

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Delightful from beginning to end! Everything we had was well executed and well served. The staff was professional, fun, and very attentive. Enjoying a small plate meal, we started with tzatziki and moved to zucchini cakes and ravioli. The lemon potatoes were to die for, and the hourta was delish. The lamb ravioli was delightful, and the chili drizzle added heat and complexity to the dish. The zucchini cakes were delicious, crispy, and served w chive oil and yogurt. My husband loved the meatballs. Don't miss the galaktoboureko for dessert! It is served with baklava ice cream, which is a perfect complement. Good luck getting a table; this establishment will soon be a Durham fav. read more

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I had dinner yesterday at Nikos to celebrate my gf birthday and had a very bad experience. Not the food or the local, but the present manager and how this establishment is run. We basically were kicked out of the restaurant because we stay too long and they needed our table. We were a party of 6 ladies and ordered cocktails, appetizers, main dish and desserts. The service was long. It took a long time for somebody to clear up the table after the main dish. The helper had to ask for our waiter to get a dessert menu. After we received our orders, the bill came without us asking for it, even before we had finished. When I asked if we could have separate bills, the manager refused and stated that this was not done at this place and the maximum she could do was 4 bills. Not to create any problem, my gf gave her credit card to pay for the bills with 20% tip was automatcally included. As we were calculating to re-imburse her for our share on our cell phone, the manager asked us to hurry up and leave, because the next party for our table was already here. I confronted the manager to tell her that what she was doing was not correct and she will be getting a bad review. She told me she was sorry I took it this way but did not mind. I answer that this was her business, not mine and we left. This is terrible management skills, and I don't understand why we had to be treated like that and be responsible for the lack of staff this evening (apparently it was also a new menu?), the lack of planning overbooking or being enable to move tables around. We made reservations a month before and ordered fully. The management definitely needs to be revised. read more

AMAZING service, super good vibe, very chill and quiet while still being upscale and very clean. the vibe is great in here. the food was AMAZING! i went for my birthday dinner with 4 girls and everyone's food was amazing. as someone with food allergies, our server reggie was very knowledgeable and attentive to ensure i got exactly what i needed. thank you:) read more

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Came here with the family during the holidays before going to DPAC for a show. Definitely not recommended for kids but an ok date spot. Greek salad had good flavor. Loved the small venue. Staff was attentive. read more