Niki's West
Niki's West (formerly Niki's No. 2) is a meat and three restaurant located at 233 Finley Avenue, across from the Alabama Farmers Market in the Acipco-Finley neighborhood of the North Birmingham community.
The restaurant was opened by John Hontzas in 1957 and operated, along with the earlier Niki's Restaurant downtown, by his nephew, Gus Hontzas and three cousins, including John Callas. The location allowed them to procure fresh produce without paying a delivery fee.
The present kitchen area was originally a lounge which featured go-go dancers. The space was remodeled in 1984 and a large new dining room was extended off the back of the restaurant in 1991.
The restaurant has grown into a Birmingham institution as evidenced by the long lines of customers in the cafeteria line on a daily basis. Niki's is said to have the freshest vegetables in Birmingham due to its location adjacent to the farmers market. Today, the restaurant is operated by Gus' two sons Pete Hontzas and Teddy Hontzas.
References
- Southern Foodways Alliance, (July 18, 2006) Greeks in Birmingham Oral history , archived from the original page.
- Hoekstra, Dave (September 10, 2015) "The Greek soul food story of Birmingham, Ala"
External links
- Niki's West (Pete Hontzas), archived from the original page at southernfoodways.com
- Niki's West (Betty Hontzas), archived from the original page at southernfoodways.com