The Woodlands’ Own Niko Niko’s Is Finally Opening With a Drive-Thru, Coffee Shop and More Firsts — It’s a Big Fat Greek Win

When you walk into the new Niko Niko’s in The Woodlands, the first thing you see are family photos – Dimitri Fetokasis’ mom, dad, wife, cousins, uncles and kids. But the most important photo is the lowest one on the wall — of Dimitri and a dog.  A lovable-looking street mutt. It’s that dog that led to opening of the first Niko Niko’s restaurant in Montrose 47 years ago.

“I found a dog, Nikki,” co-owner Dimitri Fetokakis tells PaperCity The Woodlands. “And our landlady said, ‘You can keep him.’ And then, two weeks later it’s ‘You can’t have him’.  So my mom’s like ‘Let’s go.’ My dad said ‘Hold on, hold on, we’ll just sit down and we’ll figure something out.’

“And when he was leaving, he saw the lady across the street put a For Sale sign on the property in Montrose. And that’s why that everybody on this wall owes it all to that dog.” 

Diners in The Woodlands area should be grateful for Nikki the dog too. For Niko Niko’s is one of the most anticipated (and long awaited) restaurants to open in The Woodlands in a good while. This new Niko Niko’s is taking over the former Luby’s restaurant location off Lake Front Circle. It is slated to finally open this Monday, July 1.

The porte-cochere remains from Luby’s but has been reimagined in red and white.

“We added all the arches, and this red and white represents villages in my (Greek) island (Chios),” Fetokakis says.

On either side of the red and white arches are pergolas covering the outdoor patio and play area. The patio will seat 100, with fans and heaters to regulate the temperatures. TVs are mounted outdoors and inside, typically tuned to sports games.

The Woodlands’ new Niko Niko’s brings some unique features not found in Montrose or Memorial, including a curbside pickup/drive-thru area.

“Because everything is made to order, it’s gonna take a little bit of time so it’s not gonna be a typical drive-thru,” Fetokakis notes. “Need to add something to the order that you’ve already placed online? Just come on over and do curbside parking and we’ll bring it out.”

The indoor space is much larger than Niko Niko’s other restaurant locations and it seats 330 inside. It has a private dining space that can be subdivided into two smaller rooms, complete with hanging screens. That is something else that other Niko Niko’s restaurants do not have.

Niko Niko’s The Woodlands Surprises

The Niko Niko’s menu in The Woodlands is the same as the Montrose and Memorial locations and brings everything you’d expect from a Greek restaurant — including gyros and kebobs — and some things that you might not, including burgers and po-boys.

There’s a standalone station for Niko Niko’s signature loukoumades or Greek honey balls, complete with several toppings. These honey balls even caught Guy Fieri’s attention in an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and are not to be missed.

Love the olive oil and spices on the food? Those are on sale to bring home too.

And don’t sleep on Niko Niko’s desserts. All are scratch made in-house including the gelato. In addition to baklava, Greek cookies, cakes and other pastries await. Coffee lovers will find several options, including Greek coffee, which according to the menu description is “black as hell, strong as death and sweet as love.” Coffees, along with orders to-go, are available at a separate counter inside.

This restaurant has been a long time coming — and it’s been well researched. Niko Niko’s did popups in The Woodlands that proved to very successful, putting the area on the restaurant family’s radar, according to Fetokakis.

The Woodlands’ new Niko Nikos’s is located at 922 Lake Front Circle, and is accessible from both Lake Front Circle and the southbound I-45 feeder. After opening this Monday, July 1, the new Niko Niko’s hours will be Sundays through Thursdays from 10 am to 9 pm, and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 am to 10 pm.