covo gyros market

i'm surprised no one has posted about this place yet. it's a welcome, inexpensive, addition to wicker park, IMO.
i've only had 1 meal here, but will definitely be returning. the website for this place doesn't include a menu, but it's a pretty simple, counter style ordering system. there are spits of chicken, pork, and lamb/beef to choose from, served either in a tender, greek style (ie: pocketless) pita; in mini pitas or as a salad. my biggest beef with the place is the lack of an all lamb gyros. i shared both the lamb/beef, and the pork pita sandwiches with a friend. after the meat is shaved you get to choose the toppings you want and an optional, additional side. the staff assembles your meal. we tried both the fava bean dip and the spicy feta as sides. ($3/with greaseless, crunchy pita chips). the third option was a tasty roasted eggplant dip. the fava would have benefited from some hot sauce, or even some tzadziki but there is none on hand. the feta was great, and addictive. the sandwiches are distinctively formed into a cone and tightly wrapped in waxed paper for ease of handling. but i didn't care for this style, as it seemed that the toppings were all pushing out the top of the cone. it made it messy and hard to share. the pork was distinctive, with, IIRC, brown sugar somehow in the mix. it was tasty- not too sweet. the lamb/beef tasted mostly of beef. but both meats were juicy and tender and had some char on them. a sandwich and 1 side came to under $12. i liked the large, simple room-all dark wood, hanging light fixtures and floor to ceiling windows. it was completely empty at noon on election day. i'd like to see this place become a neighborhood fixture, so everyone: please get out there and try some gyros! thanks, justjoan

COVO GYROS MARKET, 1482 N. MILWAUKEE. OPEN 11-10PM EVERY DAY

A most welcome alternative to the Kronos GyroKone (Psst, it's really a frustum) that has come to dominate Greek fast food in Chicago and beyond. Covo builds three types—a beef-lamb mix, pork and chicken. Chipotle-like, you choose your meat and the format—gyro, mini-gyro or salad—then select from about a dozen toppings and condiments. Maybe order a side dish and a beer, load everything on a tray and carry it to a table. It's a handsome room.



It's best not to get carried away with the toppings, even though all look tempting. This beef-lamb gyros, though tasty, was almost overwhelmed by all that stuff.



Pork was the star, with crisp surfaces and good flavor. Again, less is more; the tomatoes only diluted the flavor of the meat.



After a single visit I'm ready to say Covo serves the best gyros in the city. They're doing a lot right.

Covo Gyro Market
1482 N Milwaukee Av
Chicago
312-626-2660
http://www.covogyro.com/

Rene G wrote:Chipotle-like

Exactly. Hellenic Chipotle.

Nonetheless...

I had a really enjoyable lamb/beef salad there last week. The romaine lettuce & topping ingredients were vibrantly fresh and crisp. Nicely seasoned, tasty quality meat to boot.

For a simple, midweek lunch/casual dinner, this place serves a purpose, for sure...certainly if you live nearby.

Parking spot opened up as if magic, took it as a sign. 10-12 people in line, seemed to take a long time, but was hungry and that may have altered perception. "Fast food, slow"

Just Tzatziki and onions, they used red, on a beef/lamb and pork mini. Crisp bits, juicy, both types appealing, pork edging out b/l.

Critique: Doughy pita. Add a squirt of oil and 30 additional seconds in the press and I'll be happy to once again brave Saturday afternoon Bongo Room brunch hipsters for a Covo mini pork gyro.

cell phone pic

Just got back from Covo

Not a bad gyro, but I wouldn't say I was blown away. After looking at this thread, I opted for the pork, which I thought was actually pretty good. Def agree that the pita could have used a little more time in the press, but not overly doughy anyway. I saw in this thread that it might be a good idea to avoid too many toppings, so I asked for just olives, onions, and tomatoes. The dude totally drowned the thing in tomatoes, just dumped seemingly a half cup of diced tomatoes on top of it. Got the tzatziki sauce on it that was fine, but I usually like a tzatsiki sauce that has some more richness and some more tartness to it.

Also got the roasted eggplant dip. I wasn't too impressed. Mistakenly I was picturing some ghanoush like flavor. But there was absolutely no smoke. It tasted just like eggplant and a whole lot of garlic. Not bad, but not very exciting. A little bland.


But the gyros was good. I'll probably give it another try when I'm in the neighborhood.

i'm pretty comfortable remembering my pita as being wonderful-not doughy at all. it sounds like it might be wise, though, on future visits to ask that the servers give the pita a little extra time in the press to ensure a tender, but not doughy pita.

I had a really enjoyable lamb/beef salad there last week. The romaine lettuce & topping ingredients were vibrantly fresh and crisp. Nicely seasoned, tasty quality meat to boot.

i'll have to try a meat salad sometime, too. i hadnt really considered it. did it come with pita on the side, pigmon?

justjoan wrote:i'll have to try a meat salad sometime, too. i hadnt really considered it. did it come with pita on the side, pigmon?

No, Joan.

First, let me say that I'm not the Kronos hater many others are - if cooked well (crisp edges, moist otherwise), I think it's a solid product. In fact, I've frequented Wally's Gyros (Park Ridge) where I think they do Kronos proud. And this is a little where Covo let me down. I tried the lamb/beef and the pork. The issue I had with the lamb/beef is that I never would have known there was lamb in the mix, and it's the lamb flavor I craved so much. Also, it was crisp but on the dry side. Pork was a little better, crispy but less dry (still a little dry), yet tasty.

I refuse to stray from my minimalist approach, favoring just a little tomato and onion, and tzatziki sauce. However, I didn't like their tzatziki - not tart enough, and a lot of mint (I didn't want any mint taste).

JayB wrote:Also got the roasted eggplant dip. I wasn't too impressed. Mistakenly I was picturing some ghanoush like flavor. But there was absolutely no smoke. It tasted just like eggplant and a whole lot of garlic. Not bad, but not very exciting. A little bland.

I also tried the "roasted" eggplant dip and had a similar reaction. I might have actually liked it a little bit less, but there was no roasted flavor whatsoever.

On the other hand, I loved the Greek fries, which were crisp french fries with feta, lemon and oregano. They were terrific. The fries just might be the cause of a repeat visit for me.

JayB wrote:Also got the roasted eggplant dip. I wasn't too impressed. Mistakenly I was picturing some ghanoush like flavor. But there was absolutely no smoke. It tasted just like eggplant and a whole lot of garlic. Not bad, but not very exciting. A little bland.

I had the same reaction as you & BR.

I had the lamb/beef gyro yesterday, was ok at best, not nearly enough meat, pita was not an good addition as others have noted. I don't see a need to go back.

Sweet Willie wrote:

JayB wrote:Also got the roasted eggplant dip. I wasn't too impressed. Mistakenly I was picturing some ghanoush like flavor. But there was absolutely no smoke. It tasted just like eggplant and a whole lot of garlic. Not bad, but not very exciting. A little bland.

I had the same reaction as you & BR.

I had the lamb/beef gyro yesterday, was ok at best, not nearly enough meat, pita was not an good addition as others have noted. I don't see a need to go back.

I used an about to expire Groupon for a couple of gyros to go on Tues. I also had the eggplant and because I could see it on the line I knew it wasn't going to be ghanoush-like. I found it a bit vinegary and, overall, not very exciting.
I agree that the meat portions seemed very small. The beef in the lamb/beef combo was very dry, the lamb fared a little bit better. The pork seemed to be OK, but I had only a tasting, as I sacrificed it to my wife.
I also see no reason to go back. I'm very disappointed as I had high hopes for the place--I think it's a pretty good concept--I'd love to be able to get a housemade gyro roasted on a spit--it seems that, perhaps, these folks simply need to get their recipes together.

According to Eater.com, Covo is closed for good. Interestingly, I didn't know they were owned by Prasino.