A Greek restaurant chain opened its first location in Fresno. Its most popular dish?

Nick the Greek opened its first Fresno restaurant this week.

It’s a franchised chain of quick-service restaurants specializing in Greek food. The Fresno location is on North Blackstone Avenue, near Red Robin in the Universal Park shopping center.

It’s in the space once occupied by Doy Grill.

And another Nick the Greek location is headed for Clovis.

The search for an exact location hasn’t started there yet, said owner/franchisee Paul Singh.

The parent company is in the middle of a big expansion, with about two dozen new restaurants slated to open in Northern California. It also has locations in Texas, Kansas and Nevada.

The menu

The gyro (pronounced “yeer-oh”) is the most popular seller. Specifically, the gyro made with a mixture of beef and lamb is a top seller, along with the chicken gyro.

The meat is wrapped in pita bread along with tomatoes, onions and various sauces. Most of Nick the Greek’s gyros also have french fries tucked inside.

Pork, vegetables and falafel are available in gyros, too.

You can also get gyro bowls (without the bread), salads and sides like hummus. Fries are on the menu, too, including regular or Nick’s fries topped with feta, garlic, spicy yogurt, a choice of protein and green onions.

Most entrees range from $10 to $15.

The restaurant also takes orders through its website, and via delivery apps, including DoorDash, Grubhub, and Uber Eats.

Greek restaurants in Fresno?

Owner Singh has spent 32 years in the restaurant industry, including owning Wingstop locations in Sacramento.

Nick the Greek franchises were being snapped up quickly, he said.

“I did my research and there weren’t a lot of (Greek) options in Fresno and then this chain was up and coming and had good reviews,” he said. “If I didn’t jump on it when I did, it was going to be gone.”

Fresno has few restaurants that bill themselves solely as Greek, though it does have lots of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurants. The areas share many of the same flavors and ingredients, though there are nuances by country.

Who’s Nick anyway?

There’s actually three men named Nick who inspired the restaurant name. The three cousins — who go by Baby Nick, Big Nick and Little Nick — founded the business.

Details: Nick the Greek is at 7675 N. Blackstone Ave., Suite 115. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.