Nick’s Gyros

Always have to stop here at least once when I visit Kearney. One of the best places I’ve ever eaten at. The Cordon Bleu and Philly are to die for. Best cheese balls in the state, too.

I have been ruined by Nick’s Gyros and ought to file a class action lawsuit. Naw, just kidding about being litigious, but I have been ruined, forever!
I’ve had the authentic gyros (crappy dry pita, feta, greek olives, sauce) and while they are good, there are better ways to make one. Enter Nick’s.
Founded by two Greek immigrants, Nick Papadapoulos and Tony in the old Famous Franks location on 12^th (for those that remember), they decided to improve upon their traditional old country methods by using American cheese on their meat and cheese pitas and shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream on their gyros. Because of this, their gyros would never be dry like all the authentic ones. Thankfully all the owners over the years were smart enough to not mess with the original concept. Prices have gone up quite a bit over the years, not consistent with inflation, but the place is still packed and the flavor is still awesome, so I guess if they can get it, they might as well. After all, there is nothing like Nick’s out there, sadly, since I have moved to Austin and can’t find anything close. In fact, when I come back to visit, I joke about how I stop in to Nick’s for a ‘meat and cheese’ BEFORE I see my family. When people talk about Runza and Amigo’s and Valentino’s being from Nebraska, I always chime in with «Don’t forget about Nick’s».
For all you whiners touting how this is not an authentic gyro: Authentic does NOT mean better. American pizza and hamburgers kill their ‘authenitc’ euro ones. Sometimes, countries can’t afford or haven’t the technology to make a dish/​cheese/​meat the way others can (think dog meat in authentic dishes), and while I love the feta cheese in my Tiropitakias, it just doesn’t belong on a gyro– once you try it, you’ll see. Most people prefer cow’s milk over the traditional sheep/​goat cheese used in Greece, anyway. Melted is better. Speaking of… their philly’s aren’t authentic either (I’ve had them both ways at the original and the oldest establishments in Philadelphia, with Cheeze Wiz and without) and these blow the ‘authentic’ east coast ones away by using swiss and sauteed chopped beef (don’t forget to add sour cream). Foodies will appreciate the fact that the originators of this restaurant knew what food combos work best. The whole point of the greek trading ships were to not only peddle wares but also seek out new stuff from other countries. Luckily, two greek travelers settled in Kearney and found our country’s cheeses to be far superior to their taste buds than the limited sheep cheese they had in their former country and the raised dough pitas to be better than the original. And say what you will about American cheese but all the fast food burger chains know exactly what people throw their money toward. The only thing that would make this better is to add ranch– gasp– oh no, but ranch is not authentic Greek food, it’s too American! Whatever. if the Chinese had access to ranch, they’d put in on their fried rice. Get with the times, wannabe foodies, the world is getting smaller. Wolfgang Puck knows this with his fusion cuisine. Some things just taste better another way.
Tip: Ask if they can blot the grease on your philly, they’ve always accommodated and it makes it way less messy.
So, thanks Nick’s. Now, all other greek food pales in comparison to me. In all fairness, it may not be authentic Greek food but it is better tasting than anything you will ever find in Greece, Cyprus or the U.S. coasts for that matter.

Definitely «Kearney’s Best Kept Secret»! Great service, amazing food, and fast service time. The original gyro is definitely one of their best (I like mine with feta cheese, though). And their Tzatziki sauce is out of this world good. Definitely a must-​eat joint in Kearney!

We always stop here to scratch that gyro itch every time we pass through Kearny. So good. They make their own pitas, which really makes a difference. Don’t like gyro meat? Try one of their chicken pitas. Fried is great. They updated their décor & looks really nice. No time to sit & eat? Get a meal to go or have them pack the basics (meat & pitas) separately for longer travel & put it together later. We do that, storing it in the freezer until the urge strikes again. Try it!

Absolutely love this place. It’s one of Kearney’ longest running restaurants and one of the most well known among the locals. Great food all around its a must stop!

Meh. Tastes alright but it is NOT authentic Greek food. But what do you expect to get in Nebraska? Lol. Best Greek good I’ve had was on the east coast. This is a joke compared to that.

If you’re looking for authentic gyros with tzatziki and lamb meat you’re in the wrong place! If your looking for delicious Americana gyros with shredded cheese and sour cream, then welcome to Nick’s Gyros! This place is the epitome of «greasy spoon,» but if that’s what your looking for you won’t be disappointed. Great drunk food, but honestly SOOO greasy, you’ve been warned!

I was pretty disappointed there was no tzaziki sauce on the gyros but they were still really good and not skimpy on ingredients. There is a huge variety of deep fried appetizers. The baklava was yummy but a very small portion for the price. There isn’t very much seating space but a lot of customers were getting their orders to go.

If you have friends in Kearney, then there is a chance that you have already been to Nick Gyros or at least heard your friends talk about it.
This building was recently remodeled and looks fantastic inside. The colors are nice and the food is something that really stands out.
Let’s get on to the nitty gritty though to make sure you know exactly what you’re up for. The gyros first of all are not your standard gyros that you’ll find on the coasts. If you’re looking for lamb meat, you’ll have to go somewhere else.
The gyros are made just in the back with usually 3 – 4 people working in the back area to make sure everything goes smoothly. A regular Gyro will consist of a freshly cooked pita, cooked season beef, mild cheddar cheese, lettuce, and onions.
These things are fat too, and if you get a chance to really indulge yourself, ask for extra meat.
Being one of the most popular places in town has a couple of downfalls that go hand in hand. First of all, the seating can be very cramped in certain parts of the store with not a lot of walking room. The second, being that the tables can be dirty sometimes if they’re super busy.
They have been keeping up on trying to have the place as clean as possible though, which is really good.
The staff are friendly, the food is fast, and with the recent addition of 10 PM — 2 AM deliveries on Thursday through Saturday, it’s always a good choice in Kearney, NE.

Good place to stop in Kearney on your way from Denver to Omaha. You need to know this is some sort of Midwestern gyro place though. An original gyro here is served with iceberg lettuce, grated cheddar cheese and sour cream. Sounds weird but it actually was pretty good. Friends recommended this place and had I not known prior that it isn’t what you traditional gyro I may have been not so happy. Its definetly a ‘know before you go’ kind of place. We will make this part of our roadtrip stops in the future. Fries and onion rings were good too.

If you are looking for authentic greek restaurants, this probably isn’t your place. If you want a great tasting gyro or other pita bread sandwich for a reasonable price, this place is great! I read the other reviews, and I am not even sure what those people were looking for. Oh, and since the ownership changed, I have found the restaurant to be much cleaner.

It was okay. The pita bread and meat was good. However, it isn’t even close to being authentic Greek. No tzatziki sauce and the gyro was loading with outrageous amounts of cheese and lettuce. Also a disappointment they didn’t have falafel. Regardless it wasn’t bad. Especially for the price.

This place is good but certainly not true greek, nor has the best gyros i’ve ever had. They don’t serve with tzatziki sauce otherwise this place would get a 5. They have a varied menu with other items besides gyros. Their pitas are homemade and cooked when ordered. Their fries are just average — i ask for mine extra crisp. But this is fast food — no feta in sight. So this place is pretty humble but well visited as i’d imagine people here in kearney have never came close to real creek food — i.e. this place has no greek potatoes etc. Sorry but central NE has no real greek food period. I think most people would enjoy this place. My rating are a lot lower then others would give but I’ve had the best of gyros and since they lack the feta and tzatziki sauce I have to take away serious points. The other review did mention cleanliness and yeah that can be an intermediate problem, but I’ve certainly seen worse.

These are good gyros! 5 star for taste!
Unhealthy but great nonetheless!
My concern is the cleanliness of Nick’s. Be prepared for just about anything since moving to the current location. The place generally looks dirty and unkept. Depending on the time of day this could vary. But I have never seen it «clean». Hopefully the kitchen is kept clean because the gyros rule! Meat and cheese are good too if you are not on the verge of a heart-​attack.
And the parking lot is nightmarish at lunch time-​fyi.