St Nicholas Greek Festival

3.5?
I feel bad for giving a free festival a low rating but I’m thinking there’s room for growth here. I love food. The Greeks love food. Unfortunately, there was nothing else but «food going on» while we visited the festival which left our visit on the short side.
Take that back– there were church tours and a gift shop. It’d be cool to see some hands on elements that keep folks around longer. Maybe I should have tipped back on one of the affordable $ 20 bottles of wine? ;)
As for the food– I thought the pastry line was really neat (6 – 10 different Greek desserts that you could hand select for a take home option). The Greek salad dressing appeared to be quite popular. (The salad was delicious)

The Greek Festival definitely made some great changes this year. It has expanded the seating and also made it available for more areas to get those yummy gyros. Closing the street off completely allows for more comfortable and spread out seating and your not stuck in a hot tent with no breeze right next to where the food is being cooked.
Other than gyros and kabobs they have more options this year. They have chicken and rice and lamb shank with rice. They also seem to have many more pastries this. I remember in the past years.
So glad we started our afternoon there today!

A Labor Day celebration is not complete without at least one of the following; a parade of union workers, a BBQ Pork Steak and a visit to the St Nicholas Greek Festival. Being able to have all three is like winning the Triple Crown.
I work weekends, so Monday was my only chance to experience the festival. Determined to beat the crowds we arrived early and got Prince parking in the garage. Actually it was so damn good, I’d call it parking for a King. It wasn’t luck, we just got there REAL early. In fact, we had to wait for them to set up and get ready to open.
For those of you who have never attended this Greek Festival, visualize Six Flags or Disney World without the rides. To make it easier for all the attendees, maps are provided with menus from each booth. Arriving early paid off, we were able to read the menus and get in line early. Not being too smart, we got beers and sat at a hightop table and people watched. Before we knew it, some of the lines were already 20+ deep. We immediately got in line at the Athenian Garden Deli, because we knew we wanted chicken wings and a Shish-​Kebob.
For a church festival I am always amazed at how high of quality of food that is being served. These wings were huge, tender and seasoned oh, so well. Our Shish-​Kebob was marinated tenderloin, seasoned with lemon and herbs, grilled on skewers over hot coals. The tenderness of the tenderloin, again surprised me for a church parking lot festival.
To satisfy our sweet tooth’s we enjoyed a Loukoumades which is a Grecian beignet covered with honey and nuts. Having one of these, you will go nuts. It is sticky and sweet from the honey and the nuts give it a slight salty tang.
In addition to the Loukoumades, we had a Baklava Sundae. Don’t judge us, there were two so having two desserts is like having one each. The sundae they claim was, tasty low calorie vanilla ice cream topped with crumbled baklava pieces. The Tweens ordering ahead of us, added Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup on top. So when I ordered, she asked if I wanted it as well. I told her, «No, that would be blasphemous.» The little old man working the soft serve machine laughed and said that he totally agreed with me. I hope that ice cream was low calorie, because it needed to balance out the calorie intake of the best Baklava I have ever had at a Greek restaurant or festival.
We both were on sugar highs after chowing down two desserts. Remember, it balances out to one each.
This festival only happens once a year, make sure to mark your calendar and attend.

Awesome culture and awesome food, plus it’s for a good cause. Everyone was so friendly too!

I k ow looking at the description, this may seem like a festival you wouldn’t want to go to. But trust me, you really really are missing out on a fun weekend afternoon. I really enjoyed watching the dances performances — some of the dances were absolutely breathtaking. This year was the first time I visited, but I’ll make a point to go every year I am in town.
The best part of this place was the food — yes the lines are long. but it is definitely worth the wait. I remember standing in line waiting in anticipation to be able to order the gyros. My hungry stomach told me a full eternity had passed before we got to the front, but my watch said it was only a few short minutes. They serve the food very quickly, so do not be discouraged by a long line. Also, they have menus that tell you exactly what they serve at each of the stalls. So make sure you double check because you got end p in a line that only has a couple of options. My two favorite foods from this place were the gyros and the spankopitas. Another thing I would suggest is coming with a group that is willing to share — that way you get to try a little of everything. Definitely a great way to spend Labor Day weekend (and an activity that I think the little ones would enjoy).

Yes. The lines are long. Yes. Its packed. Yes. Its hot.
YES. IT IS SO WORTH IT.
A St. Louis Native, and a Greek, if I’m in town, I won’t miss the Greek Festival!
The tavrena is my site of choice. They have a band that plays Greek music all day which really adds a nice touch and makes it fun. Also, the Church itself and tour are worth doing. The Church is beautiful.
Now, what you all care about: The food. They gyros are a must. The line is long, but they have a small Greek army cranking out production of gyros so you know its going to be fresh and ready when you get there. However, you pretty much have to go multiple days multiple time because its hard to not try everything.
Some other favorites include:
Spanakopita– Way better than that frozen crap you buy at Trader Joe’s or Sam’s. Spinach and Feta sandwiched between flaky filo. If you want to reheat, do it in the toaster oven, NEVER microwave.
All pastries. Especially Baklava. But if you wonder about the others, they are basically some sort of take on baklava with a different type of pastry that changes up the flavor just enough to make them all worth trying.
Pasticcio — The best way to describe this is sort of Greek ‘lasagna’ but delicious. The meat is seasoned with an excellent combination of spices including cinnamon that is a treat to the palate. Layers of creamy bechamel and tubular noodles make this fun to look at and eat.
Mousaka — Similar to pasticcio, but replace the noodles with eggplant. Hard for me to say which I like more.
Kebabs — Also being churned out by an army of Greeks, these are equally delicious.
Dolmades — stuffed grape leaves. They have rice and seasoned ground beef. Perfection. May be slightly healthier. Not as healthy as the Greek Salad, which is good, but lets be real, save room for the other deliciousness. We’ve all had a Greek salad before.
Baklava Sundae — so good. Don’t know why they serve it with chocolate sauce though. There is not chocolate in baklava. But definitely share. It’s a lot of food.
Loukoumades — donuts, drenched in a delicious syrup with spices and nuts. And, they are very easy to just pop right into your mouth. Yum yum.
As you can see, you basically need to go multiple days so your stomach doesn’t explode.
Also, all the proceeds go to the church, and it is their main fundraiser for the year, so it goes to a very good cause!

A great celebration of Greek heritage. That being said I’m not Greek, so I can’t say for sure if it’s the same as the old country. I can say for sure that it’s delicious. I’ve gone three separate times. It’s great for family, friends, or just a couple. Besides the food they’ve got traditional dances, and souvenirs. A lot of fun!

The St. Nicholas Greek Fest is a tradition for my daughter and I. If you love the tradition as well as the home cooked food of Greece this is the place to be on Labor Day Weekend in St. Louis. Let me re-​state that this is food that is cooked by the wonderful women and men of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. My favorite part is in the gym with all the older ladies serving the pastries they have made. Delish! The reason for four stars is that more than one time there have been issues with being checked out, computer problems. Instead of having an alternate plan we were left standing in line as our food got cold. Need better organization.

I enjoy Greek Festivals. I think the main reason is because the food is always amazing! What is the point of going to a Greek Fest and not eating? The lines were long, but they moved fast. It was a great way to go out and spend the afternoon/​evening. There was live music and dancing throughout the evening which was nice to watch.

I enjoy coming here every year. It’s got a great community feel and I, of course, am always up for tasty food!
Because of poor weather on Saturday and Sunday, and amazing weather on Labor Day/​Monday, this year’s festival was really slammed when I went. I usually opt for the «dinner plates» inside but decided to try a «shish-​kebab gyro» outside in the deli. Instead of the usual shaved meat this sandwich had big cubes of lamb in it along with the traditional raw onion, tomato and tzatziki sauce. The meat was a bit dry and not as flavorful as the big spinning log of meat filling most people think of when you order a gyro. It was all right, but not what I was expecting. The baklava was tasty (although Tracey W is right, it was a bit mushy) and the loukamedes were a real treat. Then again, who doesn’t like fried balls of dough drenched in something sweet?
It’s important to remember that the food here is not sophisticated; it’s the members of this church’s congregation who put it together. If you bear in mind that this isn’t fancy, gourmet Greek food, and if you time the crowds properly (which I did not do this year), you can have a great time!

I like food festivals because it’s like the food version of sleeping with two or three different people in the same night and not feeling guilty about it.
Procrastinated until Labor Day, the last day of the festival, to hit up the Greekness with the magnanimous Jessica C. Though it took about 20 minutes to get into the garage, I was happy to easily find a free parking space at the top of the BJC parking garage off Laclede.
Though it was a beautiful day and fun to get out and mingle with other fine St. Louisans, this festival is too big for its pantelónis. I don’t mind lines, but the tables were too close together, the lines were a tad too long, and people didn’t look very festive. I think if this festival were able to expand into a larger space, or arrange things more effectively, people would have been more jovial.
The food, I’m sorry to say, was below par. I’ve eaten a lot of Greek food in my day, having a father who worked primarily with Greek restaurants during his long career, and the food here was not that good. It wasn’t terrible, but if it were a restaurant I wouldn’t come back. The gyros ($ 7) were thrown together, the meat was tough, the spanakopita ($ 3) was both dry and soggy at the same time, and the baklava ($ 2) was overly sweet and soggy. The loukomades were awesome, but can you really fuck up a doughnut?
The service was hit or miss. Some really nice hosts came through the line (the deli line for a gyro was about 20 – 30 minutes I would say) and thanked each person for coming, apologized for the wait, and asked if we had any questions. I thought that was great. However, at the beverage tent I made a joke with the guys about the $ 3 Cokes and they just stared at me as if I had made a your momma joke in front of their mommas. Awwwwwwkward.
Found a place to sit with some strangers, which was nice, but most people weren’t so lucky as to find a place to sit. Looking around, people looked pretty miserable. There was music playing, but no one was dancing, and getting into the church was a tight squeeze.
On an unrelated note, the strangers at our table asked us if we met in college, and Jessica C. told them that we «met off the internet». Their eyebrows went up and they said, «Ohhhhhhhh!» politely, exchanging glances. Haha. Jessica C. then backpedaled and tried to explain Unilocal,which I’m pretty sure was lost on the strangers. Next time, let’s just go with that we met in college…
Overall, it was good to get out and eat in the sun and meet new people, but this festival isn’t on my annual «must» list.

Hello, my name is Julia W. and I’m a Greek Festival junkie.
[Hello, Julia.]
So, once, when my husband’s St. Louis family came to visit me on my home-​turf (that dreamy place called Chicagoland), they were shocked that practically EVERY family restaurant in the area served gyros and avgolemono and spanikopita and saganaki and even more surprised by the number of Greek Fests the area hosts throughout the year. I’d lived up there my entire life and it never occurred to me that it was different elsewhere. (Stupid region-​centricity!) Anyway, I was majorly bummed by the lack of Greek food when I moved to St. Louis. I’ve been to and enjoy Olympia, Michael’s, et. al., but none seemed quite up to my expectations.
Then one day, I was buying nuts at Mound City on Olive and asked the friendly Greek proprietress who had the best Greek food in St. Louis (that I could buy, although I’d be happy to have a Greek Yia Yia adopt me!). She didn’t hesitate for a second before saying St. Nicholas Greek Festival. While it kills me this thing doesn’t run all year long, the fest has been on my calendar ever since and will be a Labor Day tradition for our family for as long as we live in St. Louis.
Gyros – excellent. Justin was happy it was served with fries, just like when he visited Greece.
Pastitsio – delicious (and 1-​year-​old approved!). Also, it was a heapin’ serving! I had plenty leftover for lunch the next day.
Spanikopita – easily the best I’ve ever eaten. And I’ve eaten a lot of it.
Tzatziki – Fill a kiddie pool with this and I’d jump right in. That probably doesn’t make it sound delicious, but then that means more for me!
Assorted Pastry box – I am not ashamed to admit I ate all 10 pastries by myself in less than 24 hours. Okay, maybe I’m a little ashamed, but more because I didn’t share. The baklava was my favorite, but it was all quite good.
Yes, the lines were hella long and it was crowded as hell. But the food was fantastic, the congregation members who run the festival were incredibly friendly and welcoming and the lively Greek band made the experience that much more fun.
Labor Day can’t get here quickly enough.

SORRY ST. LOUIS,
This year was horrible other than the free parking.
My man and I stood in the gyro line for about a hour and a half which I understand theres alot of people but it was so SLOW and the stations were horrible if I wanted something with my original gyro other than a salad i had to stand and wait in another long line. This year was way to packed the food was okay i could have made a better gyro no offense and the fact that my fiancée pulled a long black hair from in between the meat and tomato. I understand its a festival but come on, the pita was dry and tasted like a pita from a grocery store was it didnt taste authentic at all. totally disapointed:(oh well there is always next year right? Maybe they will lower prices a bit expensive i think 7 $ or something for a gyro 9.50 for a salad and 12 – 14 for a plate with two shishkabobs and a lil rice sorry i could get a whole pork tenderloin for 8 bucks. Just my opinion i will stop complaining now lol

The shish-​kabobs were a little tough though deliciously seasoned. We also tried a gyro (oh…my…god…the tzatziki sauce is amazing), Greek fries (very yum, but I don’t know what was so «greek» about them), and spanikopita (quite good, but I don’t have much to compare to). All were quite yummy.
We finished with a baklava sundae. I’m not gonna lie; it tasted good, but I was disappointed. There wasn’t much baklava to it! If I had known, I would have gone and bought some baklava, taken it home, and topped it with ice cream myself. A few crumbles on top does not make a bowl of ice cream worth $ 5.
Woot for free parking in the BJC garage. Boo on the somewhat confusing lines (I go WHERE for gyros? I can’t get x, y, and z here, but I can get it there?).

THIS is the festival that opened me up to the awesomeness that is Greek food. I make it a point to go every single year, and man… I’ve not been disappointed one single time.
The food is delicious and cheap. The greek salad is amazing.
The gyro… god, the gyro. It’s, hands down, the best gyro I’ve had in my LIFE. I have dreams about it for days after the festival is over.
Try the baklava, too. They give you a small taste for a low price, and it’s the perfect after-​dinner snack.
I look forward to Labor Day every year for this festival alone.

I know there’s that other Greek Festival every May out in Des Peres, but this remains my favorite Greek Festival in the city.
Every Labor Day weekend, St. Nicholas opens up its doors, and Barnes opens up one of their garages, and the entire area around Kingshighway and Forest Park is inundated with all things Greek.
The food is AMAZING and you can fill up for under $ 10 easily. Buy a bottle of wine or a few Greek beers, sit back and enjoy the music. The pastries are the best. I could eat my weight in this baklava. Quite frankly, as much as I love Olympia, I can’t help but admit, this Greek food is better and the atmosphere certainly cannot be beat.
This festival runs for the entire Labor Day weekend, and is filled with dancing, music, (as I said and couldn’t shut up about before) amazing food, and plenty of OOOOPAAAAAAAs. You can also buy plenty of items at the Flea Market of Athens such as T-​shirts, olive oil, and other Greek goodies. Certainly something to put on your calendar next Labor Day weekend.