the return of Gyros on the Spit

alerted by reneG to mike sula's bleader column (see below) on the return, after 14 years, of this greek restaurant, i made time to check it out yesterday. i'm pretty sure i remember its original location on broadway, but in any case, the news that house made gyros, not the usual Kronos cone, was being used sent me running. i ordered 3 gyros sandwiches to go and whiled away the 25 minute wait sitting at the bar and reading my book. this isn't fast food; rather a sit-down restaurant and i didn't mind the wait, knowing what was coming out of that kitchen. the server was very friendly, offering water and letting me know when my order was almost ready. and when i mentioned the old location, dino, the new owner came out of the kitchen to say hello. he's the son of the original owner and he offered a comped container of peas cooked in tomato sauce that he was working on and off i went. the gyros was phenomenal- truly hefty, perfectly topped with tzatiki and onions, served in a pocketless pita-my preferred style. the tender pita had tasty grill marks on it and barely held the enormous quantity of truly exceptional lamb/beef gyros inside. it comes with a side of either fries, potatoes or grilled veggies. we tried both dino's delicious roasted potatoes/onions and the grilled veggies (red and green peppers, onions, zucchini). neither of these was an afterthought- both worth ordering on their own. this is a truly welcome return which i hope will be the beginning of a long stay in lake view.

http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/ar ... n-the-spit

GYROS ON THE SPIT
2826 n. lincoln
773-698-7999

I'm curious,

How were the peas?

Peas in a tomato sauce is not something I've come across.

Thanks

Willkat98 wrote:I'm curious,

How were the peas?

Peas in a tomato sauce is not something I've come across.

Thanks

a ha! you caught me out. i was trying not to say anything negative about a freebie, but they were overcooked. mostly peas, a little tomato liquid. i only had 1 spoonful and lost interest. but i am looking forward to trying some entree dishes that will be added soon to the menu. i love lamb, and greek restaurants are always a great place to find lamb. i was disappointed when i read that GOTS gyros was a mix of lamb/beef, but the taste was really lamb-y.

Was there last wk and felt the gyros were good though not memorable. I prefer Avli, Psistaria or even Greek Islands. But the loukaniko sausage… now that was something. Possibly the best I've had. Also, the roasted potatoes w/lemon were very good as was the spicy feta dip.

Living close by, we saw the reconfiguring of the building from its former incarnation as Splice Cafe (and Muqdisho Grill, and the late-lamented Calliope), but didn't know what it was becoming. Now that I see the photo on the Reader page, I can understand why I didn't know the transition was complete--the signage for the new place is practically nil!

Glad to know it's here; sounds worth a visit, and I hope some place can reverse the location's curse and bring a little more life to that block of Lincoln. Your mention of sitting at the bar seems to indicate the place has a liquor license. Is that correct? And is it a full bar?

We had carry-out from here on day 2 of there new opening. My wife was walking by and saw the name Gyros on the spit so she immediately went in to investigate. She was a huge fan of the original on Broadway. She used to drag me there when we first started dating . What a gem that was with the steam tables in the window with mom manning those and Dino's dad making the Gyros. I think my wife cried when they closed..Anyway now Dino his wife and His sister are all back in action, Dad still comes and makes the Gyro's a few times a week. We had a Gyro's plate, Greek salad, Pork Souvlaki appetizer and it was a Ton of food. We had the peas in tomato and we liked them. The menu will be expanded soon and hopefully they bring back the Lima beans there mom was famous for. They do have a full bar. Living a few blocks down the street we are very excited to have something like this back in our hood! We were satisfied and and think as time goes by they will only get better. They are very nice and proud folks.

Jazzfood wrote:But the loukaniko sausage… now that was something. Possibly the best I've had. Also, the roasted potatoes w/lemon were very good as was the spicy feta dip.

Same page as Jazzfood, liked the gyros, loved the loukankio. Dug the Dino's potatoes and tirokafteri, spicy hot feta dip.

Loukankio


Gyros


Alan/Jazzfood and I were given, as were the other customers at lunch, a lovely plentiful complimentary dessert of top notch full fat Greek yoghourt with fruit, nuts and honey.

Yoghourt, honey, fruit, nuts


Terrific friendly service, comfortable seating, good table bread, would have been better warm, and greek olive oil for dipping.

Gyros on the Spit, count me a fan.

Gyros on the Spit
2826 N. Lincoln Ave
Chicago, Illinois 60657
773-698-7999
Open from 10:30 every day.
http://www.gyrosonthespit.com

Dino's potatoes (pic above in G Wiv's photo of gyros) were stellar, oh man! I finished 2/3 of the potatoes before even touching the gyro sandwich.

I really liked the more pronounced lamb flavor of the meat, I wish I was in the area to make this more of a regular stop for me.

I lived on Gyros for a year in college. Lunch and Dinner. They were closed for breakfast.

I will have to try this place.

I went back last week for lunch at had the Loukankio. While I very much enjoyed grilled sausage with it's sautéed onions/peppers and feta, the nuances of this particular type of sausage was lost to me (I didn't notice the "brilliant hits of orange peel" that Sula mentions in his article).

Very exciting. I'm an Athenian Room partisan (and of course, Cross Rhodes), but looking forward to trying this. I've only had that sausage in Greektown a couple of times, where I found it odd. Is it likely that this is meaningfully different from what I've had? Just curious.

i had lunch again today at GOTS and found out (only by asking) that there is parking available along the side of the building in the shared parking lot. no signs to indicate it, though, so we meter parked today-but never again. the service was friendly as always, though the room had very few customers between 11:30- 1 when i was there. i tried the greek sausage, not in a sandwich but rather on the combo platter. i enjoyed it, but much prefer the gyros which was wonderfully lemony today (also on the platter along with chicken kebobs and pork souvlaki ).

Three of us had lunch there yesterday, and it was a highlight of my day! The food is so good there. We went wild with apps--we had three dips with pita (love the spicy feta, love the tzatziki, love the hummus), the spanikopita was my favorite appetizer (!). My partner had the saganaki, which he loves because he loves that kind of thing (not my style in general as a food item), and we also had the kabobs (I thought they were just ok, a bit dry). Then we all three each had a gyro sandwich (without onions but with everything else) and the potatoes on the side. EXCEPTIONAL! It was a really fun lunch and I think the good is really worth a trip (I had flown in from NYC yesterday around 11:20am and we drove right there from the airport!). Dino, the owner, is very friendly and engaging. I consider this a really lovely place with the food firing on all cylinders.

In 2010, in another thread, I wrote:Gyros on the Spit, at 3138 N Broadway, was one of my all-time favorite Chicago restaurants for home-style Greek food. I still miss it.

I loved Gyros on the Spit for terrific homemade gyros and comforting Greek steam table food. It was a sad day when the Sakkas family closed their restaurant in 2000. There was nowhere else quite like it.

It's been an encouraging Spring, with several of my old favorites unexpectedly reopening, including Uncle Joe's and Taco Mex. The return of Gyros on the Spit was even more welcome and surprising. After hearing it had reopened I made sure to visit during the first week. Despite best intentions, I haven't been back yet. Keep in mind this report is from the first week in April, so things might have changed a bit since then.

I never had any Greek food as spicy as GOTS's tirokafteri—little more than pureed jalapeños and feta. That's certainly not a complaint.



If this soup—resembling an exploded stuffed pepper—is offered, it's well worth ordering.



I thought the souvlaki was quite good (though slightly dry) but it took third place after the loukaniko and gyros.



Gyros lived up to my rosy memories. Both the gyros and tzatziki are my favorites in the city. In the future I'd probably opt for sandwich over plate.





I don't think I ever had loukaniko at the old GOTS. Simply a great sausage—juicy and subtly, but distinctively, flavored. I loved it plain but thought it even better in sandwich form, enhanced with some crumbled feta plus grilled onions and red peppers. Dino's potatoes are flat-out great.





I'm thrilled to have GOTS back again and am hopeful that some of my old favorites from the steam table will eventually return. I notice the website's menu is slightly expanded over that from opening week. Has anyone visited recently? Any new dishes to report? Most importantly, have the lima beans (gigantes) been sighted yet?

Gyros on the Spit
2826 N Lincoln Av
Chicago
773-698-7999
http://www.gyrosonthespit.com/

Might be time for a Delilah's/Gyros 1-2 punch.

We went for lunch over the weekend and were very happy. I had the "exploded stuffed pepper" soup and the loukaniko, my wife had the chicken souvlaki, and we couldn't have been happier with our food. Although I didn't have beer on this occasion, the many brews available called out to me for a future visit. (As jhawk mentioned, the place stocks a full bar, and even has an inviting bar at which to sit if that's your pleasure.)

I want to mention two or three other ways the place impressed us.

The space is far more attractive than its previous occupants led me to expect. Not elaborate by any means, but cleanly, tastefully dark-wood modern.

Speaking of clean, the men's room was immaculate, and I presume the ladies' room was as well. I know that won't matter to everyone, but to me it bespeaks ownership that cares.

And finally, Timmy (friend of Dino), who was waiting on tables, took special care of a nasty arm abrasion my wife had just suffered in a fall at our previous stop. Unbidden, he brought over a cloth napkin soaked in alcohol (vodka?) for her to disinfect the area. This was friendliness and concern beyond the call of duty, and very appreciated.

Six days later, we made our second visit, this time for dinner. Place was bustling! Wonderfully high energy, the kind that comes not just from a place being full, but from being full of happy people eating good food and being well taken care of.

I'd always believed gyros was gyros was gyros, because that's what my experience had been. But no, this recognizably was a thing apart, a cut above. Less salty, more meat flavor, and with just the mildest amount of beneficial crispness to its texture. The serving was enormous, yet I ate almost all of it, and I look forward to the leftovers. Lincoln just north of Diversey is starting to come alive.

I visited Gyros on the Spit for the first time last night for a late dinner. I wasn't quite sure what to expect in terms of atmosphere, but I'd describe it as very casual table service, with a decently sized beer and wine menu, just what I needed after a long week of work (that unfortunately continues into today). We started with the spanakopita, and while I would have liked just a little more cheese in the filling, the chef was certainly generous with the dill and it was delicious. I'm not quite sure whether the dough was a housemade phyllo (slightly thicker than most, but not like a puff pastry), but it worked very well with the generous filling.

The avgolemono was very respectable too, with plenty of rice and lemon, well balanced and served piping hot. I wasn't as enthusiastic about the bread. I've grown accustomed to being served crusty, sesame seed studded, bread at Greek restaurants and this bread (though just fine) lacked both.

But we were there for the gyros, and they didn't let us down. There were a few pieces on the drier side, but for the most part, very well seasoned, moist and delicious gyros. Also worth mentioning is the wonderfully chunky, tart and cucumber rich tzatziki sauce which is better than most I've tasted.

Service was friendly and prompt, and prices seem rather low given both the neighborhood and quality of the food. I'm cursed with the subpar Barba Yianni near me in Lincoln Square (though I adore the spinach pies at nearby Hellas) and all I could think throughout dinner is that Gyros on the Spit is just the kind of spot that would thrive in Lincoln Square. Oh well, at least it's a pretty close drive. And I will definitely return.

BR wrote:I'm cursed with the subpar Barba Yianni near me in Lincoln Square (though I adore the spinach pies at nearby Hellas) and all I could think throughout dinner is that Gyros on the Spit is just the kind of spot that would thrive in Lincoln Square. Oh well, at least it's a pretty close drive. And I will definitely return.

Don't you dare take it away from us!

Cabbagehead and I enjoyed our first meal at GotS last night. We really like the homemade gyros for its lamb flavor. Also the tirokafteri was dy-no-mite! The stuffed pepper soup wasn't my thing particularly, but Cabbagehead liked it very much. It's not our neighborhood, yet we ran into 2 people we knew while we were there. Service was wonderfully warm and friendly. We'll be back.

Another excellent meal at GOTS, this time with both of our kids. The gyros was outstanding, juicy and tender with a few bits of char. Sausage was very good, and our son had the pork souvlaki, which he reported was very good. The grilled vegetables that you can order--if you can pass up Dino's potatoes or the Greek fries covered with good feta--are also very good. They are cooked quite soft, as is the Greek way with veggies, but the eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and onions were full of flavor.

We tried the zucchini chips this time as an appetizer and found them pleasantly homey, lightly breaded and very mildly seasoned, served with lemon and their delicious tzatziki. I prefer Avli's crisper version, but these softer ones were good too. We each had a different beer (all good) and were kindly comped an ouzo shot each after the meal. Service is so friendly and warm there that I feel we've been going there forever even though it was only our second or third visit. Wish it were closer!

This place is still firing on all cylinders. Our pre-theatre dinner last night consisted of my wife and I sharing a gyros plate, imam, and a greek salad. Dino's potatoes and mixed veggies were great sides.

We arrived last night at about 5:30. The place was half full at most. By the time we left an hour later, all of the tables were filled up.

Free off street parking. Great food and service. What's not to love?

Gyros on the Spit will be closing at the end of this month.

They also confirmed it on Facebook.

The last day is Sunday, October 30.

--
edc

edc wrote:Gyros on the Spit will be closing at the end of this month.

They also confirmed it on Facebook.

The last day is Sunday, October 30.

--
edc

Very sorry to hear this. A loss for the neighborhood. We were fairly regular customers and they always seemed to be doing OK.