Pete Giannakaris, owner of Nikarry’s in Aurora, has a saying: “It’s never too early for dinner and never too late for breakfast.”
The family style restaurant serves breakfast and lunch dishes and has daily dinner specials. On Sundays, Nikarry’s is open until 5 p.m., an hour later than other days, to capture that late-afternoon crowd.
“When other places close at 3 or 4 o’clock they have nowhere to eat,” Giannakaris said. “We try to be on top as much as we can.”
For breakfast, diners can find French toast, waffles, crepes, specialties like Greek pork chops with eggs, seven kinds of skillets, and 11 kinds of pancakes. “We have the best pancakes around. You can’t beat them. We use real buttermilk and they melt in your mouth. We also use homemade hot syrup,” Giannakaris said.
Giannakaris said Nikarry’s No. 1 dish is the Western Omelet with a side of pancakes and hash browns. Or maybe bacon. “People love our bacon,” he said of the thick slices. “You shouldn’t be able to see through bacon.”
Giannakaris said Nikarry’s success is due to its longevity and giving the customers what they want to eat. He puts a lot of stock into word of mouth and the menu even includes the saying: “If you like our food tell others, if not tell us.”
“We have soup, two homemade soups a day. We have anything from hot dogs to clubs to tuna sandwiches and 1/3-pound ground beef burgers,” Giannakaris said. “The older customers love our liver, and we have great homemade meatloaf and fried fish.”
Nikarry’s menu remains similar to what was being served 17 years ago. “We haven’t made big changes to the menu. People know what they like. You’ve got the over-easy eggs and ham guy, the Eggs Benedict guy, the omelet guy. People know what two eggs over-easy are.”
About the owners: Giannakaris bought Nikarry’s with his father in 2001. They kept the name — a combination of former owners Nick and Harry — and added breakfast and lunch to the menu.
Philosophy: “Old-school American diner cooking up breakfast,” the web site reads. “To give good food at affordable prices,” Giannakaris said. “We hope they enjoy the food and come back.”
Decor: “Very old-school. It’s a former Big Boy and had car hops back in the ’60s. ‘Nikarry’s Big Boy’ is what everybody knows it as. It has a nostalgic look to it and it looks like I remember when it was a kid. Now the nostalgic look is coming back so we’re in style again,” Giannakaris said.
Price range: Breakfast: Pancakes, Waffles and French toast from $5.50-$9.75. Crepes from $2.95-$7.95. Egg specialties from $5.50-$10.25. Skillets from $8.95-$10.95. Sides are $4.10-$5.95.
Lunch: Appetizers from $6.50-$9.25. Burgers from $5.70-$10.95. Lighter fare from $6.50-$9.95. Sandwiches from $5.55-$10.20. Croissants from $8.20-$10.45. Sides from $2.50-$3.95. Kids’ meals from $5.15-$6.20. Desserts from $2.95-$4.95. Dinner specials from $8.20-$20.95.
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Logistics: Nikarry’s 1055 N. Lake St., Aurora. Hours are 6 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays, 6 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. Contact 630-264-1500 or go to www.facebook.com/Nikarrys-589419547740757/.
Shonda Talerico Dudlicek is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.