Bottom line: An amazing Sunday brunch visit to Nikos, I can see why they are included in this…read moreyear's Michelin Guide. From starters, beverages, and meal, it was very pleasing. My Knufe Pancake was just the right mix of sweet and savory, an unexpected hit. I give all five stars for this visit! The Deets: Some friends in Durham invited my for brunch and we decided to hit the Sunday brunch over at Nikos in Brightleaf Square this time. This Greek restaurant has recently been included as a "Selected Restaurant" within the 2025 Michelin Guide so with that and seeing their pretty interesting brunch menu, I was in (considering Greek cuisine is usually not one of my go-to foods, I was still intrigued). We had a reservation right as they opened and it did not take long at all for Nikos to have almost every table full quickly so the word is out. The atmosphere is very bistro like in feel and appearance. Our very helpful and positive server Maggie made sure we had our menus and took our drink/starter orders. I went with a hot latte that was perfect when delivered. I also enjoyed one of their mocktails in the Athena Blush (muddle cranberry, lemongrass, apple tea, and club soda) in that it was a great combination of flavors with successfully avoiding being too sweet as mocktails most often can be. We noshed on some great tzatziki (Greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon) for starters that came with pita but we also ordered their sourdough bread. It took a bit longer to get that sourdough loaf but it was so worth it...warm, fresh, and so delicious! For my main, I went with the Knufe Pancake (filled with mozzarella cheese and kataifi, topped with pistachio praline and served with a side of warm lemon maple sauce). I loved it. It was just enough sweet and savory both to satisfy me. I am glad that the warm lemon maple sauce was served on the side...I took a few bites with it and liked it but I found it much better for my tastes to be paired with the pistachio praline that topped the pancake. My friends thoroughly enjoyed their selections (see my pics for their meals) as well. I am so glad I ventured a bit out of my comfort zone and went with brunch here at Nikos...it was wonderful, I highly recommend!

We chose this restaurant to celebrate our daughter's graduation because we had such a wonderful…read moreexperience there previously. Unfortunately, this visit was extremely disappointing, especially given the importance of the occasion and the amount we spent. The service was very slow, and the overall experience simply did not match the standard that brought us back in the first place. While the manager did apologize and brought an extra dish to the table, the repeated apologies did not really make up for the poor pacing and frustration during brunch. The menu has a lot of variety but there are no substitutions or adding protein to a salad.... But the food was good! Since the food took a while -spirits were dampened. This is a great place for two to four people but since we were a party over six, our server was guaranteed a 20 percent tip -so maybe there was no incentive for great service.

Small and very clean, almost hole in the wall kind of place in an old shopping center in a…read moreresidential neighborhood. Arabic music playing. Service is very friendly, and as quick as possible, considering that stuff seems to be made to order. I ordered a chicken kebab platter which comes over a bed of basmati rice, possibly with saffron. Whatever the rice tasted great and it wasn't dry like at a lot of places. The chicken was marinated in a tangy yogurt-spice mix, grilled and topped with a tahini sauce. Delicious! As sides I got mujadara and roasted vegetables which were also tasty. I'll be back for takeout for sure in the future.

"Bodega-like Mediterranean Grill & Grocery in Parkwood area of Durham"…read more This place is WAY off the beaten path for most, but I'm so happy to have gotten to try it out. Nestled in a little strip between a Muslim school and a mosque is this grill and grocery. We came on a Wednesday evening, and almost every table was already taken by diners. You order your food at a counter, and it has the Middle Eastern foods you'd expect-- kofta, shawarma, gyros, falafel, baba ghanouj, hummus, baklava, etc. I opted for the lamb gyro sandwich with a side of baba ghanouj, and my dining partner had the falafel sandwich. They call your number when it's ready. Food took maybe 10 minutes to receive, so we browsed the market area. It's not a huge selection, but very traditional-- nice seeing so many labels in Arabic, and along with standards (e.g., canned fava beans for Ful Medames), they also had things like frozen chopped mulukhiyah leaves-- that's definitely a rarer sight. Lots of good spices too. The food was EXCELLENT. The lamb was juicy and perfect (unlike what another Yelp review said), the tzatziki sauce was delicious, and the baba ghanouj was perfectly cooked and textured. I had a small bite of the falafel, and it was indeed one of the best I've had in the US. Price was fair, too-- the sandwiches are all under $10 before tax and tip, and making it a combo with side and drink cost just something like $2.50. And service was friendly-- although they called out numbers, they did walk out with the food to try to find and bring you your dishes. And while it was an older space, it was overall still generally clean. Overall, I'd VERY happily come back.

Covered walkway coming in full of flowers and plants. The restaurant interior still gives you an…read moreopen air feel with a wall of glass and the light scent of flowers. Staff came to us immediately for our drink and appetizer order then allowed us the requested time to view the menu. The ambiance and feel of the place is incredible! We ordered the Greek mimosa and the spartan Bloody Mary along with the avgolemeno soup to start. Then the Pasticho and mousaka .Being Greek we are very particular about our Greek food. The Greek mimosa was excellent, the flavors aren't anything like a regular mimosa it is a whole new experience, if you like a red or rose wine try it! The bloody mark has a bit of a bite but it too has a great flavor I would not order if you don't like spicy or can't have salt. The avgolemano was delicious just the right amount of lemon too simple and elegant just lemon egg chicken rice and broth with light seasoning. The Pasticho was excellent! They even bought the right noodles ! About as close to my yaiyas as a restaurant can get! The mousaka was also delicious. Many times you get it the eggplant is either greasy or hard. This was perfect and not highly seasoned. I recommend giving this restaurant try parking is definitely a lot easier than Tara and the food is excellent and the ambience is fabulous!

This restaurant itself is beautiful, especially when the weather is good. The covered outdoor area…read moreis very well decorated, and allows for a private little haven despite being so close to the street and parking lot one is not able to tell even in the slightest. Hidden away in the corner of the shopping center it is a little hidden gem. The interior is also quite nicely curated but if weather allows, I highly recommend opting for outdoor (coming for somebody who typically does the opposite. Went for a semi casual lunch and it was a great option. The menu reflected solid Greek options, with both meat and veggie focused dishes. While everything tasted quite good, the lamb was incredibly tough. Despite being described as slow roasted, both in gyros and sandwiches the lamb was near inedible. Knives and teeth could barely cut through, and despite chewing some swallowed had to just be of larger chunks. The meat itself was tough and there was just so much connective tissue. Now it did taste good but the eating experience was quite disappointing. Portion sizes were generous, and pricing was fair. Even desserts were large and easily shared with full plate sized baklava and slices. Service was friendly, though a bit slow for lunch and especially this cuisine. Not sure if it was just a bad day for the meat but otherwise ur honeslty would have been a much better experience, but lamb that tough, it was just quite shocking.

Stopped by to get gas from a long car trip. Family was feeling hungry so we noticed the Bleu Olive…read morerestaurant across the street. We decided to check it out. Ambiance: When we arrived, it was rather full but we were immediately seated. Our table was sitting right near the door. Since it was rather chilly that day, I felt the chill breeze everytime someone would go in or out. We couldn't move since the restaurant was rather packed. Food: I ordered the falafel wrap with a side salad, bistro burger with a side of fries, and calamari. The food tasted great. Service: The service was not as impressive. I believe that good customer service should make you feel welcomed. We had to flag our waiter for a few things such as straws and refill on waters. Either way, we had a good experience.

Great lunch. Excellent service. Nice atmosphere. Every meal I have had at Bleu Olive has been…read moredelicious. I often come when I am in town.

We were here on a Thursday evening for a seminar event. They have 2 rooms in the back that are…read morevery well suited for small gatherings. Service was as to be expected for this type of event. I got ONE glass of ice tea and no offer of a refill. We had a small menu to order from. The Caesar salad was divine !! Well dressed and shaved parmigiana. I had the spaghetti with shrimp and feta. Shrimp was well cooked but the feta did not taste like feta. It had NO taste at all. Not sure what would cause this. It had a red sauce that was OK. Hubby had a sirloin steak that was drowning with gravy and mushrooms. Did not look appetizing at all. For dessert we had chocolate cake, served with a dollop of whip cream and a strawberry. The outside seating looked lovely. We may be back to try that out.

Let me begin by saying, the appetizers here are amazing--well, at least, all of the vegan ones…read more(most of which I've gotten). There's a green hummus??? Wow. Perhaps my favorite out of everything we got all night. However, although they do have a nice variety of vegan appetizers, they only have one vegan entree, the Golden Quinoa. It isn't bad, but it pales in comparison to the appetizers we've had. Additionally, over the past two years (during which we've come to parizade about 3 times, because we had a massive giftcard to use up), the quality of the entree has gone down somewhat. When we went last night, I was disappointed to feel that it was altogether underseasoned. It's also disappointing to see that they have not attempted to introduce or switch our their vegan entree in 2 years. The service also varies. Last night, our server was fantastic, and obviously very experienced, but on past visits we have gotten less experienced servers who have made our dining experience more uncomfortable rather than less so. Perhaps most frustrating is that only one out of three of the servers appeared to understand what it meant that we were vegan. Both of the others, after being told that we were vegan, recommended dishes which were not vegan (which we had to awkwardly tell them), or suggested we add protein to the quinoa dish (which, again, I don't think they have a vegan tofu to add--or if they did, he didn't tell us). I'm willing to have some grace on a server that is learning, but I think it's frankly unacceptable for a fine dining establishment to have wait staff who don't know how to accommodate vegan customers (especially when they literally have their vegan options labeled on the menu!). Generally speaking, a hefty giftcard to a fine dining restaurant should feel like a gift, not a burden. Because of the limited vegan options, however, using up our giftcard felt like something of a chore (and we ended up resorting friends with us the last time so that we could blow most of it on a few bottles of wine). If you aren't vegan, I'm sure you would enjoy this place. If you are, I think that there are much better fine dining experiences in the area. Even so, I'm rating this 4 stars because the appetizers, the wine, and the cocktails were all truly 5 stars.

OMG, where do I start?! I called around 1:30 today to check on their food truck hours and the lady…read moreover the phone was sooooo sooo soooo nice! She told me the schedule and unfortunately the truck wasn't open today, however, that their storefront is open if I still wanted to stop in. They close at 2 and I told her I didn't want to place an order when they were about to close. She insisted it was ok and took my order. Got there in 10 min and it was ready. Got home and omgosh, so many flavors bursting in my mouth! The service alone had me but now they definitely got me with how good the food was as well! 10/10 recommend!

Amazing service, and even more amazing food. Would absolutely recommend this place. Zeus Platter is…read moremy favorite

A sleeper hit at the Can Opener food truck park for me! We got the Zeus Platter, which came with…read moregyro, chicken breast, falafel, Greek salad, Mediterranean pita, and your choice of fries or lemon rice and hummus or tzatziki. We enjoyed everything on the platter with my favorites being the strong grilled essence of the perfectly tender chicken, crispy outside & fluffy inside of the falafel (I just wished there could have been more than one haha), and refreshing flavor of the tzatziki. Overall, it was a very healthy & tasty meal. Service was fast; the ambiance of the Can Opener is great, with tons of covered outdoor & indoor seating. Free parking is available on the adjacent W Pettigrew St. 9/10 would recommend!

From the owner: Gussys Family Run Businesses has been bringing authentic Greek Street Food To The Triangle since…read more2008. Serving up traditional Greek recipes from our family and culture.

Staff greets you with a smile and kindly takes your order. The food was excellent and the portion…read morewas generous. You can see and hear the team cooking fresh Greek favorites. I loved every bite and will be back again.

We ordered the lunch special. Philly steak and cheese with French fries and a large drink. Philly…read moresteak with Greek salad and large drink. Both were excellent! Lots of tender beef wonderful bread and more than I could finish. Excellent salad. The French fries were freshly made and nicely seasoned. Even handled the no onions on one sub well. Service could not have been better. This was 2:30 on a week day afternoon and this was a great deal. We will be returning the next time we are in the area.

A great lunch spot with plenty of healthy options. My wife and I both enjoyed a "build a bowl"…read morewith the chicken shawarma and lamb/beef shawarma. Both entrees were fresh and tasty. I highly recommend the Toum, which was extra garlicky. The Baba Ghanouj and Tabouli also hit the spot. We also shared the spinach feta Man'ousheh, which would be a suitable entree, itself. Straight out of the over, it was so hot and fresh! As a bonus, a server was walking around an gave each customer a free sample of the baklava. Oh yeah!!!

This was my first time visiting Neomonde, and it definitely won't be my last. The food was…read moreabsolutely amazing. Fresh, flavorful, and clearly made with care. Everything tasted incredible. What truly made the experience stand out was Eugene, the general manager. He was outstanding. So welcoming, attentive, and genuinely kind. You can tell he truly cares about the restaurant, the food, and the people walking through the door. An amazing first experience all around. Neomonde set the bar high.

Amazing food and amazing, friendly service! The smoked eggplant appetizer, the lamb shank entree,…read moreand the desserts were all to die for!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

Very pretty restaurant, would definitely recommend sitting in one of those booths by the window if…read moreyou can. Bread is AMAZING, I got the yogurt kabab dish, very well spiced and flavorful. Would come again, baklava is solid as well!