Having Uncle Nick's ranked the highest restaurant on Yelp for Rockford actually serves two dual purposes. Not only does it sum up Rockford's fine dining selection but it actually speaks volumes for culture that is Rockford as a whole. Nothing says fine dining like a greasy gyro pit that has to actually have security patrolling the parking lot after dark to keep the violence at a minimal. For the longest time I thought that Uncle Nick's wrapped their food in clear wax paper and used wax paper bags. Then I realized that the bags and wrapping weren't supposed to be see through, but instead the grease would simply eat through the wrapping paper and bag and leave the packaging translucent. Judging by the fact that Rockfordians have rated this place #1 in Rockford, I wouldn't be surprised to see me flamed for this review. However if you doubt that this place is a real hole in the wall, just read through some of the other reviews found here. The majority of the people that rant and rave about this place usually preface their review by informing you just how drunk they were before stopping at Uncle Nick's. The fact that this food only seems to be truly great after 2 in the morning and when intoxicated speaks volumes. read more

If you use a debit card, BEWARE...2 members of my family were overcharged 20$ and another 60$ but the receipt given said the amount that was supposed to be charged. Only found out when they looked at their bank app. Money was refunded but I have a hard time believing this was just a mistake. read more

No, sorry. Best gyros in Rockford? I think not. The gyros I've had here are without exception subpar. Meat is overdone, sauce is thin, and they never get an order right (I said NO tomatoes!) Go to Tom and Jerry's. You might have to pay a bit more, but you don't have to be drunk to enjoy their food. read more

Uncle Nick is definately not making the food anymore and whoever bought the place isn't following his recipes. This USED to be the best gyro in Rockford but the last time I was there it was terrible. Wont make the drive to that side of Rockford for the gyro anymore. :( read more

If you eat one meal in Rockford it should be a gyro from Uncle Nick's - the original location if possible! There's nowhere to sit and some people may think it's in a questionable part of town but none of this matters. This is place to go for the most amazing gyro of your life. Seriously. read more

They used to be the place to go to but now. High priced and not enough food. Italian Beef had a mouth full of meat. And about ten Carrots and celery for peppers. NEVER AGAIN! read more

Gyro with cheese, double time, hands down gyro winner. EVER I'm not gonna lie about there not being any inside seating. I also saw a used hypodermic needle in the parking lot while parking to enjoy some deliciousness. You may also find that if you leave the bag in your car overnight it will reek of awesome gyro for weeks to come... all said it is SO worth it! read more

I've been getting food from Uncle Nick's since 1987. Almost always gyros but sometimes with a burger, other menu items. This is the first time I've been disappointed in our gyros. So sparse I had to ask, "Where's the meat?!" So disappointed but I'll go back because I love them and hoping this was an awful fluke. read more

Gyros are good but I prefer getting fresh meat, gyro sauce, and pitas from valli and making my own. I know lamb meat is expensive but it was like $20 for meals for two of us. That is a lot more than I want to pay for fast food. read more

Uncle Nicks,........what can you say about a place where your food comes out of a hole in the wall? the complete mistery that surrounds how your food is made i think makes it taste so much better! Their burgers are nothing to brag about and thats why this place isnt "Uncle Nicks Burger" its "Uncle Nicks Gyros"! You go there for the gyros and gyros only......and well their delicious salty fries, all this food sits like a brick but its a delicious brick that will help you digest all the alcohol you have ingested in the hours previous to this. Thankfully this place is open late.....really late, one time we stopped there on a cab at almost 4AM and it was still open, this place is a must stop on the way back from the bars but make sure you hold the onions if youre bringing company back to your place! Equally good are their saganaki and sweet baklava! read more

The late night service was phenomenal !! I was in and out in a flash . The food arrived steaming hot and fresh within minutes which was very appreciated . read more

I'm a native of the Rock Vegas area, so I've been going to Uncle Nick's since I was old enough to have a fake I.D. Why is this important you ask? Well, the gyro's here are the bestest in the Midwest when it comes to 'drunk food.' If you're feeling frisky, order a pizza puff and make that hangover bloat extra special. If you go after the bars close, be prepared to stand in line (the original location downtown with the mysterious hand tossing out your order through the wall) or wait a while in your car (the newer location on N. State). But it's well worth it. Hands down one of the best gyro's I've ever had. read more

I absolutely love Uncle Nick's. I don't eat it very often because its not the best food for you but when I do indulge I love it. The gyros are great. I also like the fried mushrooms and love the jalepeno poppers. I always go to the older one downtown. If you go after the bars close be prepared to wait in line a lil bit with some interesting characters. It's in a lil bit of a shady area but across the street there is a building that cops are always sitting in so nothing is going to happen there. Once my friend got some food and was going to sit and eat in his car in the parking lot and a cop came over and told him he had to leave. Kinda weird. read more

Gyros - good. Italian beef - meh. Italian sausage - OK. Pizza puff - blech. Havent tried the other stuff recently For Rockford, this is an obligatory stop (once in a long while) but not really all that awesome. But hey, try it yourself, its an experience. The ambiance is sort of like going to a gyros crack house (I would be scared to go after 10). That said, we went the other day and got a few different sandwiches and gyros and made a little smorgasbord. It was kind of fun. read more

I do not mean to insult anybody else for their opinions about this place, but those from Chicagoland are in for a TERRIBLE disappointment with Uncle Nicks. The one staff member was friendly and did give me no onions when I asked for it. However, just taking the bag already told me that I was in for a disappointment when it felt empty. Got it home and opened the bag and the sandwich resembled the size of a wrapped hot dog. When I opened the sandwich it had puddles of sauce with some meat. No tomatoes on it. I did not ask for no tomatoes. See pictures. If it taste good, all the above observations do not matter! It did not taste good. It was flavorless to be nice about it. The sauce had no dill and was bland, and the meat taste like it was frozen...now that I think about it, the place does not have an open kitchen and you cannot see a rotisserie spit, so for all i know, it is frozen. Overall, I asked around and everyone raved about this place. It is a gross disappointment to me, but I am learning that I took great food for granted closer to Chicago. I enjoyed Tom and Jerry's much better! I will not return soon. read more

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A Rockford staple. I grew up getting Gyros with my mom here. High quality food for a great price!

Stopped on a Friday evening after doing some local shopping. Had heard you had to be drunk to like this place. I think that's about right. Husband and I each had a gyro, fries, and then split an order of onion rings. Added a chili dog as a last thought. The gyro was low on meat, heavy on sauce. The sandwich had onions, but no sliced tomatoes (which any good gyro should have). The bread was decent, and really, the best part of the meal. The fries were hot, but not the best. Rather tasteless. The chili dogs are horrible. We each took a bite and that was the end of that. Onion rings were burnt. Anyone who has ever had a gyro in Chicago at a decent eatery will hate this place. The meat is skimpy and bad flavored. The supporting dishes leave much to be desired. Avoid! read more

OMG Droooooooool Uncle Nick's wow...... OK so I used to live in Loves Park and man the 5th str was the place to go for a good gyro.... Mmmmmm my favorite setup for this bad boy is the gyro combo, easy onion's, double meat, wash it down it with a Pepsi, has to be a large combo cause damn them fries are sooo salty good unlike the salt licks you get from MacDaddys uck!!!.... I left Rockford Metro area in 2003 and every time I do mean every time I get back to Rockford I hit Uncle Nicks its a first stop in town and its a last stop out.... read more

I come here every year from Colorado just to get these. I've been going there since I was a kid. Almost makes me regret moving from Rockford. read more

Uncle Nick's - the menu of the restaurant - Greek Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

THIS IS A REVIEW FOR THE UNCLE NICK'S ON THE EAST SIDE.....not down town. Hands down, the best gyro that I have ever had. Best sauce, great pita and the best meat. I can't say enough about how good it is. I will not eat a Gyro any where else any more. I never tried any of the other stuff on the menu, except a puff one day, and it was typical. The one down town.... not as good, in my opinion. The staff is not as friendly, and oh yeah, ware your vest and keep you hand on your 9mm, it is a bad part of town. But the east side location is awesome! read more

The BEST place for Gyros! My FAV! Cuz price is Low for this delicious mouth watering treat and gotta have em cheese fries! Since living in Rockford, this was my place 2go to for After hour meals! Yum! read more

The amazing gyros and large delicious philly cheesesteak sandwiches make my heart smile...and the baklava is a taste of Heaven. Great spot.

This place has the best chicken wings in Rockford in my opinion, I've been coming here since I was little, and I've always loved their cheese fries. The staff is always super nice and polite. It's pretty quick food too, if you don't catch them on a busy day. They get pretty busy at night but it's worth the wait, the food is so good. read more

Quality is not what it used to be. They evidently changed to cheaper ingredients. Chicken sandwich patty used to be a whole breast...now some type pressed together patty of who knows what...threw it away. Changed the philly beef bun...soggy mess of mostly onions and peppers. Threw it away...after 30 years...wont be back anytime soon. read more

Drove 20 minutes there then 20 min home to see that they didn't do my sandwich correctly, asked them to give new sandwich the way I asked for it and the guy working (said was manager) said he wasn't going to give me new sandwich and I told him it's cold it wasn't my fault they messed up my order. At the end he gave me back my money for the sandwich and said that my sandwich was still good and kept it. Pretty sure he was going to give to next customer and I opened if and touched it. Not very sanitary, not very professional, down right rude guy! I've been coming there for at least 30 yrs. and I will never go there again! Hope no one gets sick eating my opened cold sandwich read more

Terrible customer service!! Spent $40 for food and they gave us someone else's food .... told me they would only give refund if I drove back there from loves park to return it .... at midnight ....the order we got was awful and was much less than what we ordered!!! read more

I've been eating here for years, it's a staple in our town, but tonight I had a problem and called and talked to John and he said "Bring it back" I had a Philly Steak and cheese with mayo and Swiss cheese and grilled onions, anything I said before was not on the sandwich, they care more about getting people in and out than the quality of their food, and listening to the people that had them in business for so long ! read more

I love the fact they look out for the night owls. I had a gyro & a beef sausage combo. Delishis, hot & fresh. A-1 on a late night creep

The Uncle Nick's on N. 5th Street has got to be a Rockford landmark. The place looks like it used to be a place where you parked your car and girls on roller skates would bring out your order, but now it looks like a tiny kitchen rose out of the asphalt with the sole purpose of slinging great hash. So after an evening of pub crawling you carefully park your car on the narrow corner strip, get in line with Rockford's denizens of the night, and marvel how twenty bucks could get you a delicious and artery-clogging feast. Definitely get the gyros, which is so rich and fat that the wrapper looks like it's dissolving from the grease. You can buy extra tzatziki sauce if you want your gyros sloppy. Add on some fried mushrooms, which should be eaten hot or they'll turn to petrified versions of themselves an hour later. The fries are big and hearty, and so are the onion rings. They've got spanakopita, too, but a better option would be the pizza puffs. Try the baklava, which is super-sweet and gooey. Hang on, you've still got enough money left for a nice refreshing drink. I'm not sure if the place takes credit cards, because I've always paid in cash. Also, don't worry about the location being in a "seedy" part of town, because people may come in all shapes and sizes, but hunger is universal. Plus, the admonition "don't be a jerk" applies everywhere, even here. read more

20 years ago this place would have gotten five stars from me. The place is disgusting dirty. I would not be surprised if I was told that they have been fined or temporarily closed over health code violations. I once saw a little cockroach fall from the ceiling and land on the counter directly in front of the counter clerk and a half dozen people waiting for their orders. I reached over and killed it, then walked out. Nobody else left, which speaks to the lack of quality options at 2:30am. If they ever remodel the place and clean it up, I would consider going back. Until then, there are other places where the food is as good or better, and do not give you the feeling that your food is being prepared and served in the rest room of a ghetto gas station. read more

Omg the pizza puffs are out of this world! Josh was 100% right. I'd orgasmed in my mouth. You should totally try these. I traveled from Phoenix AZ just to try them out. Oh and the gyros are legit! Stay hungry my friends! read more

When I visit Rockford I make sure I get drunk and make someone drive me to Uncle Nicks. This place rocks the town with the late night concept. How ever you say it, Yearo, Giro, Gyro what ever its good and available at almost any time. I'll wait in line no problem. read more

Been going to Uncle Nicks for 35 years now. Just as good now as it was then. Whenever I am in Rockford, this is where I will be eating. Awesome gyros! Well worth the money. read more

Everything is greasy and delicious when you are drunk. I recommend the gyros and the burgers and staying in your car, don't look anyone in the eye, pay with cash (don't flash a wad) try to visit when cops are nearby and if you have a gun make it visible. read more

Their slogan should be "shut up and be grateful we are here". Nick's sits ground zero in one of the most crime ridden areas in America. Yes. The place is kinda dirty. Yes. there is no seating inside or out. Yes.Your food comes out through some mystery hole behind the counter. No. Nobody I know has ever seen what is on the other side of the mystery hole. The food is ok - not great. I think it gets rave reviews because there is NO competition. Hats off to the brave men and women who serve behind the secret food hole at Nick's! You will understand when it is late and you are very hungry Just shut up and eat your gyro. read more

This is more of a "Dive-Through" Joint. Both locations look like they need some fixing up and the Walk-in location is very cramped and once in a while there are questionable people in the parking lot. However the food is very good. I go for the Italian beef w/mozzarella and mozzarella sticks on a normal basis. The Pizza puff's are OK, Fries are good, But the not the best. Service is very ok, But I've never had a problem. read more

This is another case of restaurant gone bad after time. They used to be a weekly staple for myself and friends, but in the last year (2009-2010) many things have gone wrong for them. First off the staff doesn't care to really help anyone as one night I drive through and the guy is on his cell phone the entire time and tries handing me the wrong food. The gyro's are getting dryer each time and the kitchen seems dirtier. The only time I still go is if I'd had a bit too much to drink... read more

Went to Uncle Nicks for the first time the other night and was pretty unimpressed. Got the gyro and while there was a lot of meat it tasted slightly undercook. Also it was drenched in the sauce which tasted very off. The fries were pretty good but got a side of cheese which was only decent. Probably not gonna go back anytime soon for the gyro but might try something else next time. read more

Love this place. Don't know if the original location is still open since we moved away but every time we come to visit we stop by. Italian beef is the best. read more

This was my usual dinner choice in Rockford when I didn't feel like cooking or warming up anything in the microwave or even drive a little further. This place had the most awesome gyros. Soft, tender and cooked to perfection. I have always found the fried mushrooms as the most interesting side dish they had to offer and never got disappointed. This is a take-out place only. There is no place to sit or even stand if there are more than 5 people there. But it has been serving the best gyros for years. Never tried the other location East State. The is the original Uncle Nicks and I stuck with this one during my entire stay in Rockford. And, yes, the do take credit cards. read more