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Late night gyros are coming to downtown Palo Alto.
Nick the Greek, a fast-casual Greek restaurant with more than 80 locations nationwide, is opening its twelfth Peninsula location Thursday, May 15, on University Avenue in the former spot of Maum. Founded in San Jose in 2014 by three cousins all named Nick Tsigaris, Nick the Greek Palo Alto will offer a similar experience to its nearby counterparts, including those in Mountain View and Redwood City, according to George Petroutsas, franchise owner-operator of Nick the Greek Palo Alto.
“Three families got together to come up with these homemade recipes that we grew up with,” he said. “It’s Greeks running a Greek restaurant.”
Expect pitas, plates, salads and fries loaded with gyro or souvlaki ($11.95-$16.75), as well as vegetarian options such as falafel and pitas stuffed with zucchini and mushrooms. Open until 1:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, Nick the Greek also offers sweet treats ($4-$6.95) including baklava and loukoumades, which are Greek beignets coated with honey, walnuts and cinnamon.
“The gyro is the star of the show,” Petroutsas said. “When I want to cheat a little bit, I have a gyro, but my go-to is the prasini salad and chicken skewers. That’s my salad and protein, and it fills me up.”
Petroutsas and business partner Chris Parisis, a San Carlos resident, own a combined seven locations of Nick the Greek, and Petroutsas said they’re the first Greek franchisees of the brand. Petroutsas grew up with the founders of Nick the Greek, with the Petroutsas and Tsigaris families owning restaurants in Los Gatos and San Jose, respectively.
“We just think it’s an amazing concept and brand, and it really focuses on our culture and our cuisine, the way we grew up, having this authentic menu,” Petroutsas said.
Born in Watsonville, Petroutsas moved to Greece in the eighth grade, returning to the Bay Area for college before moving back to Greece for about five years. It was there that he developed his culinary skills before moving once again back to the Bay Area and opening a cooking school in San Carlos. When the cooking school closed during the pandemic, Petroutsas pivoted and reached out to the Tsigaris cousins to get involved with Nick the Greek.
Petroutsas is interested in expanding Nick the Greek to Los Gatos, but he says the company is slowing down on opening additional locations in the Bay Area.
“We don’t want to start cannibalizing,” he said.
To celebrate Nick the Greek Palo Alto’s grand opening, all patrons from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday will receive one complimentary entree.
Nick the Greek, 322 University Ave., Palo Alto; 650-304-3898, Instagram: @nickthegreek. Open Sunday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
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