Nikos Fairfield — Restaurant in Melbourne

Warning...This is going to be a long reading, I never thought I’d need to write my humble opinion about this “Greek institute” !! I’ve been a Nikos cakes customer (not a very regular one but a long time one) since back when it was Called Oakleigh Cakes! Every single time...it didn’t matter what I went in for..the experience has been of very high standard, I have also been to the Fairfield store lately since I’m based in a neighbouring suburb. *Nikos, the owner is a super professional!! (as is the rest of his family these days), NO, I’m not related or a friend, I might have said hi to him if he ever served me, can’t remember. THA’S IT! The older generation would remember him running the Lonsdale st business with his partners , then he moved to Oakleigh and singe handedly started what is known as the Oakleigh Greek precinct today, those days it was Oakleigh cakes and and a handful of other food business across the road in the area we refer to as “Oakleigh” today! No competitor business comes close to Nikos freshness and taste! I get that some of you may have not had the best experience but these things can and do happen in any business, A bit of understanding is needed, how many of us are perfect at what we do? Why we expect business to always perform 100% at all times? BUT 1 “reviews” to any business it doesn’t sound right?!! 🙁 There must be “something wrong” with the “reviewers” they must belong to one the below types I mention 🙁

The decision to write all these was made when I read all the 1* reviews about the Fairfield Nikos, Having personal experience in similar business and having seen first hand how people “review” businesses I can clearly see through FAKE reviews I can see the HATERS the JEALUS the IGNORANT people, The WANNABES, and the IRRESPONCIBLE ones, and more so the “reviews” written by COMPETITORS! Most of them hide behind FAKE accounts and IDs! To rate a business 1* it must be a complete disgrace and a disaster, I noticed most Nikos’s negative Reviews are 1*!!! Most of these “reviewers” should be ashamed of themselves, maybe we don’t know who they are... but they do🙁 I’m guessing all the opposition Businesses in a very big radius ( I mean a radius that goes well past NORTHCOTE and Thornbury) they would have been terrified when they heard that Nikos cakes was opening another store in the area, I don’t blame them! So they should, noticed even a Kebab shop owner 2.2 km down Station st thought that Nikos’s prices are “too high” 😂 Comparing his shop and prices with Nikos cakes 😂 😂 Going through some of these laughable 1* “reviews” made me laugh and angry at the same time, most of them are so obvious that there are not based on reality....IT’S REALY SAD to see how some people think and behave 🙁🙁 It’s also sad that the wrong people are given the chance to freely and publicly spread their hate and jealousy 🙁 If prices are so important to you...ask before you order.. is it so difficult? If something isn’t the way you expected... ask for it to be fixed there and then! What’s wrong with you people? Is it easier and more satisfying to not enjoy what you paid for and then get on the phone and write a 1 review? You deserve the 1 review for not speaking up not the shops, think about it people🙁 Some of these laughable “reviews” are based on the experience of the table next to them, he overheard that their neighbouring table paid too much for what they got😮 Another was using their “friend”s” bad experience to make the “review” more trustworthy😂 *All you mad throwers... you’re wasting you time! It’s too late to slam this “monster” 😂

Enough said I think🙁

PS: If any of you run a hospitality business you will understand what I’m trying to say here, All others should talk to a friend that does run a hospitality business (or any small business) and then write your reviews 😀 Wishing everyone all the best during these...

I’ve been going to Nikos since it opened mainly as I love desserts but management need to seriously think about the wait staff. I just left tonight really annoyed I waited 15mins for a table finally I asked someone who said I had to wait for someone to seat me… sorry seating me was too hard for you? So I waited more finally sat down. A group came in 5 mins later & waitress came up asked them if they wanted drinks, saw me noticed me but didn’t come back to serve me. Finally a guy came over with glass of water & I said finally someone noticed me, he just looked at me without even an apology. This isn’t the first time this has happened. On another occasion I went to order cake & coffee was asked for my table no I said I was going to sit on one of the couches & was told that I couldn’t because it was taken. I was horrified no one was sitting there except a little 4-5 year old playing with a car so I asked why I couldn’t sit there & so the counter staff called a waiter who was just as shocked that one of the staff members in the cake section wouldn’t let me sit there because of a child playing while his family was sitting at a table. Seriously get your act together. Final comment if you let people smoke right outside your doors don’t open it all up for it to come inside I’ve heard so many complaints from people sitting next to me…. No people don’t want to smell cigars or cigarettes while dining if they are non smokers. The service is rubbish & I have mentioned to a manager a couple of months ago who promised it won’t happen next time as if he was going to remember us & do something about it. Yet it’s like disorganised chaos, the blinkers are on & staff can pass you ten times & not take your order but the person next to you who walked in last is served. Really annoyed & disgruntled this happens repeatedly. The worst was being told I could sit down cos of a child playing on the couch. I was willing to forget that incident but now it’s a joke the service is worse each time but I guess management don’t care it’s always busy who cares if you lose customers right ? Customers...

I rarely give a full five-star rating across the board—not because places don’t deserve it, but because I believe in honest reviews. That said, this café came close.

I visited for a meeting and we sat in the far back right-hand corner. The service was prompt, and the air-conditioning was working well—always a plus when escaping the heat.

We ordered coffee, and two of the ladies I was meeting indulged in what looked like an absolutely delicious carrot cake. I was watching my calories, so I stuck with just the coffee, but based on their reactions, the cake was definitely a winner.

Now, the coffee—rich, strong, and with a perfect bite. It was darker than the usual flat white, likely because I ordered a large, which I assume meant a double shot. Personally, I loved it. Exactly what I needed to kick-start my morning.

One thing that stood out was that our server wasn’t particularly chatty, which made the interaction feel a little distant. It did cross my mind whether it was related to how I’m perceived, being intersex female and often assumed to be transgender. That moment of discomfort passed, and I’d like to think it wasn’t intentional—but if it was, I’d gently remind staff that professionalism means setting personal biases aside.

Aside from that, the atmosphere was relaxed yet lively, with just the right level of busyness for a late Tuesday morning. The layout is well thought out—tables are spaced generously, so even if the café were full, it wouldn’t feel overcrowded. There were about 20 other customers, and conversations flowed easily without feeling like we were competing with background noise.

I’ll definitely be back and will continue to use this spot for meetings. My only wish? That they’d bring back the outdoor tables across the street like they used to. It was a lovely touch that added...