niko’s

Neighbourhood: Corydon
Address: 740 Corydon Ave
Phone: 204-478-1144
Entrées: $10-$21

Though a wave of fast casual eateries with global flavours have given Little Italy a multi-culti edge, Niko’s has been holding its own for 23 years as an ambassador from the other side of the Mediterranean.

A calm and modern room awash in soothing music sports portraits of the beckoning ocean-blue and whitewashed world of Greece. Meanwhile, orders fly up to the ledge behind the serving station, coffee pots sizzle on the warmer, and food is delivered on the nostalgia-inducing oval rimmed plates somehow present at every diner.

After all, there’s nothing wrong with a little comfort. If there was, we wouldn’t be digging our forks into thick wedges of moussaka, topped off with nutmeg-laced béchamel so airy it could be mistaken for meringue. Similarly soul satisfying is the avgolemono soup, thick and brightly zinging of lemon.

This lemon affection extends across the menu, to tart roasted potatoes, flecked with oregano, and roasted chicken, which tempers sweet citrus notes with a blackened exterior.

Mains’ hearty portions are made even more generous by a selection of sides. Feta-happy salad mixes wide wedges of juicy tomato, full, large olives, and a housemade oregano-heavy vinaigrette. Even starters give appetites a run for their money, like the hefty slab of spanikopita.

Gyros stuffed with all the usual suspects – beef, lamb, tomatoes, and cool tzatzki – and wrapped in blanket-soft pita bread stand out for superb execution, showing the value of classics done right.

Niko’s is open Mon-Wed 11 am-8 pm, Thu-Sun 11 am-10 pm.