Unique it is. At first glance, it seems like a homey restaurant, complete with gas-fire logs and a grandmotherly serving staff.
But there's a catch: The logs hang on the walls, illuminated by red and blue light bulbs. And the grandmothers wear miniskirts and sequins.
There are long family-style tables arranged in neat rows and more private four-person booths. And there are wide red and black stripes painted on the walls, projecting a geometric, checkerboard atmosphere.
The kitchen's in full view at the rear of the restaurant, letting patrons watch chefs prepare their meals.
"That reflects the melting pot the way I see it," says Poulos, who left his native Greece in 1962.
A Nick's beef double cheeseburger, which is about four times the size of a McDonald's burger, runs $3.95. The roast leg of lamb and the Boston scrod buena vista are pricier, costing $8.95 and $7.95. Poulos says his time spent studying at Columbia made him "especially sensitive to the student community." He says his philosophy is to emphasize large quantities of food at a low price. "[Students] have to eat out two or three times a day. They have to have good food and a good quantity of food," he says. Poulos remembers first arriving in Cambridge and looking around Harvard Square. The newly-arrived immigrant saw many ethnic restaurants, but no purely American ones. "Where do you go for an American restaurant? I said, 'Let's make one here in Harvard Square,'" he says. "This is an American restaurant. You see the real America here." While alcohol sales once contributed the lion's share of profits, Poulos says he raised prices on drinks to establish a quieter dining atmosphere. "We're working hard to improve the place and make it a good community institution," Poulos says. "Once you come here, people feel at home and happy." And they don't walk away hungry.