JOLIET, IL —To keep up with the growing demand for catering orders at his downtown Joliet takeout restaurant, Nikos Lippas of Niko’s Pizzeria is opening Niko’s Catering, a completely separate restaurant venture, on Joliet’s west side at 113 Republic Ave.
Click Here: Alphatauri Racing Suit
Niko’s Catering will operate the kitchen in the back of Republic Hall. Customers coming to the building to pick up catering orders will use the door on the north side of the property. Niko’s Catering will offer both carryout or delivery services.
“I think very quickly it will be a fast-paced growth,” Lippas told Joliet Patch during Thursday’s interview at Republic Avenue. “We’ve been doing the catering (from Niko’s Pizzeria) for 15 years but the last four or five years it has dramatically grown.”
Find out what's happening in Jolietwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Niko’s Catering will open on Republic Avenue on June 5, which is one week from Memorial Day. “No orders too small or two big,” Lippas remarked. “We only strictly do caterings. We’re going to do luncheons for funerals, offices, weddings, for any occasions.”
Lippas wanted people in the Joliet area to know that Niko’s Catering will deliver food to several area communities including Minooka, Plainfield, New Lenox, Romeoville, Shorewood, Channahon, Rockdale, Crest Hill and “the whole Joliet.”
Find out what's happening in Jolietwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Generally, Niko’s Catering will be open for people to place food orders from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. People will be asked to place their food order over the phone or online. Niko’s Catering can be reached at 815-630-2006 and the new website.
“We appreciate they give us 24-hour notice. We’re proud to serve you,” Lippas said, referring to carryout orders. “All catering is being moved to 113 Republic Avenue. All orders must go through the new catering kitchen.”
The new catering menu is at the bottom of this story, and it can also be viewed at his new business website of www.nikoscateringjoliet.com.
The new catering menu features Greek combos, pastas, meats, salads, wraps, subs, sides, appetizers and tacos. Niko’s Catering will continue offer taco boxes and birthday boxes.
One of Lippas’ favorite new items on the catering menu is the authentic Greek cheese pies, also known as tiropita. Lippas has connections back in Greece with a woman he calls “Mrs. Vaso.”
Last summer, for instance, Joliet Patch profiled Mrs. Vaso’s Greek lasagna — known in Greece as pastitsio. As for the new catering menu, “the cheese pies are her cheese pies,” Lippas explained. “The cheese pie is strictly a recipe from Mrs. Vaso from Greece.”
In the coming days, Lippas said there will be a large awning erected on the Republic Hall to guide people to Niko’s Catering, located in the back of the building.
Unique to the Niko’s Catering menu are “a few new pastas” and “we’re now offering mini-subs and croissant subs. We’re offering homemade Greek kebabs.
“We have a lot of customers coming from around the town, and now we meet them in the middle,” he said.
ONE MORE THING:
For the first time in more than a year, Lippas’ downtown restaurant, Niko’s Pizzeria, is going full blast this coming Tuesday, offering its delicious Greek chicken meal.
Lippas only makes the Greek chicken meals a few times a year.
“I’m doing 1,000 orders,” he said. “Greek chicken with Greek rice and Greek potatoes, $9.99. I’m not going to do it for another three months, so take advantage. Pre-order your dinner before we are sold out.”
Lippas said that people can start placing their Greek chicken dinner orders now and throughout the Memorial Day weekend. The Niko’s Pizzeria phone number for Tuesday’s one-day-only extravaganza at 20 Ohio Street is 815-722-8800.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.