Laurel Street strollers will have seen two new “coming soon” signs along the 700 block of Laurel Street.

The former Asya site at 773 Laurel finally has a definitive sign in the window announcing that the Stamp Bay & Grill is coming soon. It doesn’t appear to be a chain, so more information is needed on what kind of cuisine it will serve — will it be more like a Sneakers or Maverick Jack’s, or more like a Cask or Blind Tasting?

Across the street, at 732 Laurel Street (former site of Shellie’s Miniature Mania, which presumably couldn’t any longer make the margins to afford Laurel Street rent) is a sign announcing that a Nick the Greek will be opening.  Nick the Greek is a self-labeled Souvlaki and Gyro House having nine locations in the Bay Area, the closest being on Broadway in Redwood City. Although I have never eaten there, it has four stars on Yelp with a fairly straightforward, but not extensive, menu of Greek staples such as Gyros and other meat dishes, falafel, Greek salad, and hummus.

Long-time residents may recall that about a decade ago, it was a running joke in San Carlos that it seemed like one can find falafel on every corner — I think in reality there were six or seven Greek/Turkish/Mediterranean restaurants in San Carlos at one point. As of now, the City of Good Eating counts three restaurants that primarily fall into this category — Agora, Mediterranean Delite, and Santorini. Agora (San Carlos Ave.) has been challenged to get traction with diners. Mediterranean Delite, while having great food, it is a bit farther afield south on El Camino. Santorini would be the closest direct competitor to Nick as it is just across the street! It will be interesting to see what happens when they open.

By the way, there are two other prime locations that are vacant on the 600 block of Laurel Street right next to each other. We can certainly imagine one or both of these may be occupied by a restaurant in the near future. Look for signs that may occupy the windows of 633 Laurel (formerly The Cabinet Center, which moved to 1312 Laurel Street) and 635 Laurel (the former Gherkin’s Sandwich Shop, a place that has changed over multiple times in the last decade).