Taziki’s Mediterranean Café is a fast-growing franchise concept, and thankfully the company’s first North Carolina store has landed in Cary’s renewed Waverly Place shopping center. When it comes to upscale fast-casual chains, Taziki’s is a breath of fresh air. Think Panera Bread meets Chipotle with a Greek-inspired twist.
The Cary restaurant features a polished cement floor containing mostly four-top dark wooden tables. Walls are adorned with bead board and old window panes containing various pictures. An outdoor patio makes for a nice al fresco option when the weather is nice.
As for the food, the Green lemon chicken soup is delicious, as are grilled gyros like the chicken basil-pesto, beef tenderloin and lamb and skordalia (garlic dip).
The full dinners, or
“feasts,” are served with Greek salad and basmati rice or the even-better
roasted new potatoes. Among the nine available feasts, standouts include the
wild-caught Atlantic grilled salmon and the herb-roasted grilled pork loin, a
tender dish served with a too-good-to-be-legal tomato chutney aioli and a side
of grilled asparagus.
Daily fresh features range from portobello mushroom sandwich
on Monday to the tilapia-infused Taziki’s taco on Thursday. A good selection of
Mediterranean and domestic wines and beers are also available. Save room for
dessert, as a generously sized scratch-made dark chocolate cake is attractively
priced at just $2.50.