Nick the Greek opens second KC metro location in Ward Parkway Restaurant Pavilion

Lamb Pita from Nick the Greek. // Photo by Lauren Textor

After months of setbacks, Nick the Greek opened its 61st location across the U.S. in the Ward Parkway Restaurant Pavilion.

In February 2022, owner Arthur Gilbreath opened his first franchised store in Olathe, Kansas. He’s been a fan of the Greek street food establishment since 2015 and frequented the very first Nick the Greek in downtown San Jose, California, while he worked at the Zoom headquarters a few blocks away. 

On July 20, Gilbreath and his father proudly welcomed families to the grand opening of the Ward Parkway location. 

“I lost my mom in April, so we’ve been going through so much grief,” Gilbreath says. “Plus, we had the [store] build delayed for months. You can only control so much.” 

Prasini Salad with lamb from Nick the Greek. // Photo by Lauren Textor

Despite these challenges, the line on the day of the opening stretched across the pavilion. 

Co-founder and President “Baby” Nick Tsigaris grew up with parents in the restaurant business. He remembers going to Greece every summer and soon realized that there was no culinary equivalent where he lived. Along with his cousins (“Big” Nick and “Little” Nick), Tsigaris developed the concept and recipes to resounding success. 

“During the pandemic, we tripled in size,” says Chief Operating Officer Komiel Mohsenzadegan. “We had this moment where we sat down on a call with all our partners, and the options were to minimize the menu or to double down on third-party marketing. So we said, ‘Let’s double down.’ We tripled our marketing budget on third parties like DoorDash. We waited, scared, for about 30 days—and then one day, the store went crazy with pickup and online orders.”

Fresh, healthy, affordably-priced food is in high demand, especially during the lunch rush. Nick the Greek serves up heaping portions of gyros, souvlaki skewers, falafel, burgers, salads, gyro bowls, and fries, as well as Greek-style frozen yogurt. 

Grecian Beefteki Burger + Greek Fries from Nick the Greek. // Photo by Lauren Textor

The lamb pita is tender. Super soft bread is stuffed with fries, slices of tomatoes, and red onions with a generous dollop of tzatziki. The chicken gyro is similar, except for the meat and tangy mustard sauce (Gilbreath’s personal favorite). 

The Prasini Salad is an enormous bowl of romaine lettuce with scallions, dill, feta cheese, and lemon zest dressing. Add meat to make this a hearty meal. 

When you think of Greek food, you probably don’t make the mental leap to burgers, but Nick the Greek’s juicy Grecian Beekteki might change your mind. Salty feta, crisp onions, ripe tomatoes, and spicy yogurt on a thick patty make for a mouthwatering nosh. 

Chicken Gyro Bowl from Nick the Greek. // Photo by Lauren Textor

My mom’s personal favorite? The chicken gyro bowl. It’s basically a more ingredient-heavy, filling salad that you can still feel good about. Basmati rice is mixed with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, and a combo of red wine vinaigrette, tzatziki, and spicy yogurt. 

The Ward Parkway Restaurant Pavilion is the perfect location for a mini Greek vacation. The faux grass courtyard is spacious, complete with lawn chairs, yard games, and a full schedule of family-friendly events. The pavilion hosts free concerts on Friday and Saturday nights from June through September, as well as yoga from 7-8 p.m. on Thursdays and MixxedFit dance class from 7-8 p.m. on Tuesdays through Labor Day. 

Nick the Greek is located at 14321 W 135th St., Olathe, KS 66062, and 8807 State Line Rd., Kansas City, MO 64114.