Busy Triangle restaurateur opens new dining spot in Durham’s Brightleaf Square
A new Greek restaurant from the Triangle’s busiest restaurateur will open this month in Durham’s Brightleaf Square.
Nikos, a new Greek and Mediterranean restaurant from Giorgios Bakatsias, will open its doors July 19 at 915 W. Main Street in Durham.
The restaurant is the first to open in Brightleaf Square in years, as the historic Durham shopping center has seen an ownership change and numerous closings, as well as new project announcements.
Bakatsias has been one of the most influential forces in the Triangle dining scene for a couple decades and over the past few years has been on a furious pace of openings. In the last year he has opened Krill, Las Ramblas, Giorgio Pizza Bar and East End Bistrot, as well as a Wilmington outpost of his popular Greek taverna Kipos.
Years ago, while still in its original restaurant heyday, Brightleaf hosted an earlier Bakatsias restaurant called Taverna Niko. Bakatsias said the new Nikos will pay homage to that history, but build on the tastes of today.
“We’re excited to revive a restaurant in Brightleaf Square; we’re evolving our original concept in response to the neighborhood today, which has flourished and become very multicultural,” Bakatsias said in a news release. “We’ll be exploring the wonderful overlap of rich cuisines from Greece to surrounding eastern Mediterranean countries — and look forward to honoring them in this historic building.”
Nikos menu
For Nikos, the menu is designed by Douglas Rodriguez, the new culinary development officer for Giorgios Hospitality Group. Rodriguez has worked in top kitchens in New York and Miami and is the 1996 James Beard Rising Star Chef of the year, a national award.
The Nikos menu is built out of small meze dishes, many focused on seasonal vegetables and herbs. Look for roasted beets with dill and pistachios, Greek meatballs with tzatziki, thin octopus carpaccio and larger dishes like whole grilled branzino.
Nikos opens in the western end of Brightleaf Square, facing the shopping center’s inside mall. The kitchen walls and bar are made with gleaming tiles and the restaurant offers something new for the group, a 12-person Chef’s Table serving a special multi-course tasting menu.
This story was originally published July 12, 2023 at 6:55 AM with the headline "Busy Triangle restaurateur opens new dining spot in Durham’s Brightleaf Square."
