Restaurant news: Nick the Greek opens in Berkeley with gyros, fries, falafel

The Greek street-food chain opens a location in Berkeley with garlic-feta fries and frozen yogurt with honey and baklava.

Nick the Greek, a chain restaurant serving Greek street food, such as gyro wraps and feta-garlic fries,fresh salads and souvlaki, is opening a new location this month near the UC Berkeley campus.

The restaurant will open on Jan. 23 at 2109 University Ave., across the street from the Ippudo ramen shop and Blue Bottle Coffee. The first customers coming in on that day from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. will receive a free lunch.

Nick the Greek was founded in 2014 by three cousins from San Jose who all happen to be named Nick – Big Nick, Little Nick and Baby Nick. The chain has since expanded to include locations in SoCal, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas and beyond.

The menu is the standard chain formula of proteins served many ways — in wraps, with rice or fries, in bowls with tzatziki and veggies, and on top of salads with Greek ingredients like feta and olives. The proteins include pork and chicken souvlaki, beef/lamb or chicken gyro, pork belly and falafel. There’s a veggie wrap, too, with zucchini and portobello mushrooms.

The regular fries are seasoned with oregano, with the special Nick’s Fries are topped with feta, garlic, spicy yogurt and a choice of protein. For dessert, there’s frozen yogurt with a honey drizzle, topped with crispy baklava.

This is the latest in about two dozen Nick the Greek’s in the Bay Area, including outposts in Walnut Creek and San Leandro. A Petaluma location is set to open in February.