Niko's Greek Gyros and Subs--something a little different to enjoy

Niko's Greek Gyros and Subs has been around for quite a while in Abilene. I have eaten there several times. It is located in the shopping center that is on the corner of Ridgemont and Rebecca Ln. 

The place is family-owned so you are eating local when you go there and they deserve our support.

Chicken gyro and fries

I often suggest it to friends who need to avoid gluten because you can get salads, falafels, and fresh hummus there. I am also unaware of any place in town that currenty serves dolmas (stuffed grape leaves). 

Service was friendly and expedient. Order at the counter, and they will bring it out. The place was very clean.

In the past, I have had both the traditional meat combo of lamb and beef and the chicken for a gyro. The chicken is well-seasoned but a bit dry, probably because of the cooking method since it sears the skin on the meat. The lamb/beef is also tasty and is more tender. Either option will give you more than enough for a meal. I usually eat half and have the other half later. 

The tzatziki sauce is house-made with sour cream or very thick yogurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice with dill.  I think the herb I was tasting was dill. It is a great compliment to the meat.

Recently, I ordered the special which was a gyro, fries, and a drink for $12.00. I did get an extra side of tzatziki sauce for the fries and an additional drink for my mom but the total was still very reasonable. The vegetables on the sandwich were fresh. I am a very big fan of the seasoned fries and the falafels as well. The only time I have ever been disappoionted there was when my fries did not come out hot once. 

Do not miss the baklava for dessert but there are other options as well, such as cheesecake. 

While we were eating in, I noticed people who had called in an order for pick-up but several others were eating in the restaurant on a Saturday at lunch time. 

I highly recommend you give Niko's a try, especially when you want something a bit different than the usuals in Abilene.  

Hours:

Sun and Monday CLOSED

Tuesday-Saturday 11am-8pm

Check their Facebook page for potential hours changes.

Address:

3354 Rebecca Ln.

Abilene, TX 79606

325-701-9902

Online presence:

https://www.facebook.com/p/Nikos-100051088793547/

Website address listed on FB was a dead-end.

CLOSED Big Country Wraps--Middle Eastern food on a budget and vegans rejoice!

Big Country Wraps is the newest entry for Middle Eastern food in Abilene. The seating area is fairly small so you may want to get your's as take-out. I like that it is close to my house. When you live in the northwest part of town, dining choices in the area are primarily fast food chains. It is refreshing to have another choice.

Menu board

Falafel pita with desi fries.

I had heard about Big Country wraps from a friend so I talked the hubby into trying it for dinner. He ordered the beef shawarma pita and I had the falafel wrap. We both added fries and drink for $3.00 extra. The fries are seasoned with a "desi" spice that my husband loved. I wish the fries had been hot when they came out but we did get two extra falafels for free on the side because they forgot my husband's fries and put them on the plate instead. The fries were brought out after we pointed out the mistake. He enjoyed his wrap a lot and said the flavor was good. My falafel wrap was tasty but could have used one more falafel on the pita. It came with two of them, lettuce, onion and pickle.

There are several vegetarian/vegan options which can be difficult to find in restaurants in Abilene. The falafel, pakora, and somosas (I believe) are made without animal products. There is also hummus served with pita bread and the fries as well.

Service was attentive and friendly. They were very patient answering any questions we had about the food. The place was nice and clean. There were only two people working (the owners--brothers I believe) and several folks in the restaurant so it took a while for the food to come out but we were not in a hurry. Our neighbors had the chicken bowl dish and it looked very tempting. Prices were reasonable.

Pistacho baklava--yum!

Now my favorite part--pistachio baklava! I'm not a fan of walnuts but have made exception in the past for regular baklava but now that I can get it with pistachios, I won't go back to walnuts.

We will return to try some other items and we heard they deliver too!

3514 N 1st St, Abilene, TX 79603

(325) 701-9997

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/BIG-Country-Wraps/1472919679615591