I’ve never actually been to Greece, but I love eating Greek food. There are lots of great options for Mediterranean cuisine in the Bay Area. I love La Med over in Berkeley. But when it’s chilly outside and I just want some food on the table, there’s a great place I turn to for delivery via DoorDash.
Nick the Greek is located in Walnut Creek, California, and also has a location at The Veranda in Concord. They serve up all kinds of Greek specialties at reasonable prices and very quickly.
I recently ordered takeout for an evening meal from Nick the Greek via DoorDash as part of our Cozy at Home series. For my meal, I wanted to create a dinner-style Greek feast. Nick the Greek sells gyro sandwiches and wraps made with pita, which are perfect for lunch.
The Food
In this case, though, I wanted something I could serve on the table as a Mediterranean smorgasbord. So instead of getting wraps, I ordered gyro plates. With this option, you get gyro meat, rice or fries, Greek salad, pita bread for dipping, a small container of tzatziki sauce, and some olives.
You can eat it straight out of the takeout box, or, if you want to be fancy, you can put it on a platter and pretend like you’re dining in Athens. Pair it with a nice glass of Pinot or another wine that can hold up to fairly full-flavored food, and you’ve got a cozy at-home meal on your hands.
Specifically, I ordered a gyro platter with traditional lamb gyro meat, as well as a second platter with falafel. These little fried balls of chickpea are delicious and a great option if you’d like a vegetarian-friendly meal.
Mediterranean food is all about using meat as essentially a side ingredient, with plant-based items being the main focus of the meal. Adding some falafel creates a tasty, hot, fried item while still keeping it mainly plant-based.
I also ordered some French fries for my kids, although they ended up eating a surprising amount of the gyro. Nick the Greek slices their gyro meat in a traditional way, with thin slices of lamb and beef, flavored with traditional Greek spices like fennel and oregano.
There’s also an option for a pork belly gyro. I haven’t tried that, but it does sound sufficiently innovative to be a Bay Area thing. I love Nick the Greek because the quality of the gyro is really good. Some places have very fatty gyro meat that doesn’t hold up well to DoorDash delivery.
The Verdict
I find that when the food from Nick the Greek arrives, the gyro and pita have usually gotten a bit cold. But a quick 30-second run in the microwave restores them to their original glory. Dousing them in a bit of tzatziki sauce finishes the job, and you have a meal that’s just as good as if you were sitting down at the restaurant.
Because Nick the Greek’s restaurant locations are counter-service and more geared towards lunch anyway, I actually prefer plating this meal and eating it at home. The Greek salad is a nice addition, with a bit of feta cheese crumbled on top and a tasty dressing. I sometimes add a bit of my own feta and ranch at home to bump it up even more.
My favorite thing is to take the little squares of pita, wrap up a bit of reheated gyro or falafel, dip it in the tzatziki sauce, and enjoy it with some wine.
It’s not quite the same as strolling through a street on the Greek isles—or at least I imagine so—but it’s still a great way to bring a little Mediterranean flavor into your life without leaving the house.
Most people in the 925 can get Nick the Greek delivered via DoorDash. You can also stop by their locations at The Veranda or in downtown Walnut Creek, but I feel like those are better for lunch than dinner.
Find all kinds of great takeout options for those chilly, rainy winter months in our Cozy at Home series. Also, make sure to join our free 925 News newsletter so we can keep you in the loop about everything happening in the 925, including tons of new restaurant openings.
