Good gyros fast

I'm dying for a decent gyro on the near/far North side that I can get without having a sit-down dinner.

I did a search on LTH and didn't really come up with anything close by....

If they have great fries, too, it would be a plus!

Any suggestions greatly appreciated, but I don't really want to leave Chicago proper.

I'd like to expand this to the South Loop/Greektown/United Center/Pilsen/Little Village/etc area, as well.

Basically anything between, say, Chicago on the North, Halsted on the East, Kedzie on the West, and Pershing on the South.

Great carryout gyros here:

Cross-Rhodes
913 Chicago Ave, Evanston

I like Patio's Beef for gyros and fries. It's a neighborhood joint in Edgewater. Lamb is carved off the spit, yogurt sauce is tangy, pita bread is fluffy and the price is pretty cheap. Like 5-6 bucks for a gyros and fries. I love their hamburgers and hotdogs too.

PATIO BEEF
6022 N. Broadway (corner of Broadway and Norwood; across the street from the Dominicks.)
Chicago, IL

Growing up my favorite gyro was from:

Kismet Drive In

9931 W 151st St.
Orland Park, IL 60462-3113
708-349-2205

I have no idea whether it is the same owners, but they did killer fresh-at- order-fast food in general.

That's nowhere near where I am now.

For gyros I'd like to second Cross-Rhodes, you can eat in or carry-out. Another good carry-out option is Parkside Gyros on Clark St. just North of Touhy Park. The fries are OK, but the gyros meat is always fresh, and the portions are generous.

I have one rule when it comes to ordering gyros, the establishment must have a minimum of two spits running; anything less than two spits and the quality/turnover of gryos meat is always questionable. Both Cross-Rhodes & Parkside meet this critical criteria.

Parkside Gyros
(773) 338-0321
7355 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60626

It's gotta be Cross-Rhodes! Absolutely addictive lemon-seasoned fries -- diets be damned.
>>Brent

I like the gyros at The Athenian Room (Webster just west of Halsted), and I assume you can get them to-go there.

Although I confess I've always assumed gyros was a fairly generic foodstuff. I'd be glad to be educated on the differences between one place's gyros and another's.

I search for good gyros as hard as I search for good chicken soup with a matzo ball sitting in the middle of the bowl . . . and I find both elusive.

A trend I see more often than not is untrained fast food restaurant employees slicing the meat and putting it on a griddle to cook/heat. I don't often see the help dip the pita in the drippings before putting it on the griddle, either. Before I order I watch to see how the help prepares the gyros. When I see the meat hit the griddle I'm out the door fast.

Hubs on Lincoln Ave. near Catalpa has decent gyros, a couple of "spits" rotating all the time whenever I've been there.

My favorite for gyros closed several years ago . . . it was a Greek (obviously) restaurant on Broadway, about 2 blocks South of Belmont, on the West side of the street. The name escpaes me at the moment.

that place on broadway remains the gold standard by which i judge all other gyros. funny i can't remember the name either.

the reason most gyro places are pretty much the same is that they pretty much all use the same frozen slab from kronos. the place on broadway is the only fast food place that i've been to that made it's own gyro meat.

Bill wrote:A trend I see more often than not is untrained fast food restaurant employees slicing the meat and putting it on a griddle to cook/heat. I don't often see the help dip the pita in the drippings before putting it on the griddle, either. Before I order I watch to see how the help prepares the gyros. When I see the meat hit the griddle I'm out the door fast.

Not sure why griddling the meat is a problem. If the place is doing a brisk business, and the exposed meat has only a limited amount of time on the spit, isn't the griddling a good way to warm/crisp the meat? There's so much delicious grease in the meat, it doesn't seem like a little griddle-time would harm it...or would it?

Hammond

There's a place on Pulaski & Devon called Backyard Barbeque serving burgers, dogs & salads that is not all that great except that they make their own gyro's. I don't usually go there, but I've been meaning to stop in and try the gyro's, which may be this place's only redeeming grace.

David,

Frying the meat changes, completely, the character of the gyros meat. It dries it out and makes it crunchy. Cooking the meat on the spit (is there a better term for this contraption?), with the juices running through it, is what gives the gyros it's distinctive flavor/taste and is, I believe, the manner in which the product is/has been traditionally/intentionally prepared.

Some fast-food restaurants are now featuring frozen gyros, pre-cut, and they don't maintain a "spit" for cooking. The meat is tossed onto the griddle and fried, and then placed into a roll.

The attraction to a fast food restaurant featuring two-spits with gyros is that there's a greater assurance of getting a naturally prepared/presented product.

Variations in preparations is one of the things that makes dining-out an interesting or enjoyable experience, but I think if an establishment is going to vary from the "norm" or what's typically expected then it should clearly post/advertise that fact so that unsuspecting customers are aware of it before ordering/paying and surprised with what they're handed.

I've been similarly disappointed when I see, very infrequently, counter help in a fast food restaurant place "Italian beef" in a deep fryer to "heat it up" before putting it into the roll. I hope that no one reading about that would think it okay . . . unless they were forewarned.

I approach this particular subject/topic from a traditionalist viewpoint.

Bill wrote:Some fast-food restaurants are now featuring frozen gyros, pre-cut, and they don't maintain a "spit" for cooking. The meat is tossed onto the griddle and fried, and then placed into a roll.

Man, I've had that once, and it was so incredibly awful that I'm scarred for life.

My feeling on crisping on the grill or griddle is based primarily on how thick-cut the meat is. If it's sliced off the spit in very thin slices, I think crisping is detrimental. If the slices or chunks are much thicker, I don't think putting them on the grill is a problem... and the crispy edges with soft, juicy, meaty interior make for a great combination.

Anyway. No one has any suggestions further south? I would think there has to be some joint in greektown with good fast food gyros, but I've been disappointed by both the place on the NW corner of Jackson and Halsted (Mr Gyros?) and by Greektown Gyros.

re: griddling the meat.
I prefer a nicely browned & crisped slice from the spit but usually during the lunch hour it's not always possible. So therefore, I'd rather have the slices griddled a bit to give it a little caramelization & crispness than the un-caramelized slices of the limp gyros meat.

However, I am definitely not down with the thin, prepackaged stuff. I like the thicker slices that vary in size that are cut off the spit.

I was always under the impression that most places got their gyros meat from once source as well. So the differences always were determined by freshness/turnover of the meat, sauce, and toppings. A gyros sandwich has been ruined for me in the past by onions that were too thickly sliced.

btw, on another gyros note...anyone ever try Alton Brown's method for making it at home?

Bill wrote:I've been similarly disappointed when I see, very infrequently, counter help in a fast food restaurant place "Italian beef" in a deep fryer to "heat it up" before putting it into the roll. I hope that no one reading about that would think it okay . . . unless they were forewarned.

I've never seen that done and hope to never do so. It seems odd that a counter person would do that if there's a big pot of hot juice nearby, but perhaps it's faster.

Honestly, though, I can't imagine a restaurant posting a list of forewarnings concerning where their preparations vary from traditional approaches. And who, after all, determines the "correct" traditional approach and the "variation"? If you don't put celery salt on a Chicago hot dog, is that the correct approach or a variation? Hard to say.

Hammond

The geography isn't what you're asking for, but just for the record I'd nominate Athenian Room on Webster for anyone to try. Very similar with Cross Rhodes - in fact I believe there is/was a family connection.

Fabulous cottage cut "greek" fries - crispy and inundated with lemon juice/oregano. If you're pretending to eat healthy, they make a terrific salad with a yougurt dressing on the greens and then those fries piled on top.

The same lemon/oregano infuses their wonderfully crispy half chicken. And their marinated skirt steak is no longer cheap, but quite good.

OK I have THE place for you. Hub's. There are two locations. One is in Skokie on Dempster just east of Crawford. The other one is in Chicago at Lincoln and Foster I believe. The gyro meat is NOT griddled.....and the pita is cooked on the burner in drippings. The fries are also very good. Plus the beefs are famous and the chili is tasty.

When I moved to Niles I feared I'd never find a good gyros place, but I found out that their relative owns Goodi's (where the old Fluky's used to be at Milwaukee and Greenwood). They are good also, but not as good as Hubs.

OK one more thing, if you go to Hubs try the chocolate milkshake!

P.S. A good place for matzo ball soup is Sanders at Central and Touhy.

Kronos is the principal distributor of gyros products in Chicago, if I'm remembering correctly. They may also be the principal distributor of the products in other parts of the USA. The company publishes a guide to fast food restaurants suggesting how the product is to be prepared and served. Follow this link: http://www.kronosproducts.com/pdf/gyros_cone_instruct.pdf to learn more.

I second Hubs (at least the one on Lincoln between Foster and Bryn Mawr)--and if you order the gyro plate you get enough meat for two to three meals. The only problem is that they sometimes slice the meat as it browns and let it sit for awhile, which makes it greasy. I prefer the meat cut fresh from the spit (and if it's not browned I'm always willing to wait).

I will not buy a gyro that is cooked on the grill. I've seen places grease their grill with generous amounts of some butter/oil concoction.

Bill wrote:David,

Frying the meat changes, completely, the character of the gyros meat. It dries it out and makes it crunchy. Cooking the meat on the spit (is there a better term for this contraption?), with the juices running through it, is what gives the gyros it's distinctive flavor/taste and is, I believe, the manner in which the product is/has been traditionally/intentionally prepared.

Testify brother

I find it not only ruins the texture, it makes it much greasier, and greaser in a bad way, like instead of a soft, gentle glisten of fat, it it periodic globs of goo. The only place that I know of that can do it OK off griddle is Nicky's in Berywn. But what they do is different than most. They cut the meat THICK and then grill it on a flame. It's more like kefta this way.

Anyways, I was pleasantly surprised at lunch today with a gyro at 5 Faces on Divsion/State. I actually watched in the window, making sure the sandwich came off the spit and went on the bread with no intermediate trip to the grill. It was a very dry sandwich, at least by gyros standards. I'd add this place to the safe list.

Vital Information wrote:Anyways, I was pleasantly surprised at lunch today with a gyro at 5 Faces on Divsion/State. I actually watched in the window, making sure the sandwich came off the spit and went on the bread with no intermediate trip to the grill. It was a very dry sandwich, at least by gyros standards. I'd add this place to the safe list.

While I didn't mention it by name, 5 Faces was the shop that I was referring to in this old Chowhound thread on gyros, four years ago.

And, gosh, will you look at that, I was talking to you, Rob.

I am glad to hear that it is still crackin'.

E.M.

I like the gyros at Greek Corner, on Augusta and Damen. Nothing earth-shattering, but their lamb parts is flavorful, juicy and crisp on the edges. It costs under $5. They do griddle it...

Hi,

Due to the enthusiastic comments on Cross Rhodes in Evanston, I made a point of having lunch there today. This diner-type restaurant has a very Greek focussed menu with a few American items, like hamburgers, to appease dining companions who may not desire Greek food.

Our first order was Taramousalata served with a pita. I've always liked Taramasalata, though the particular version served here was not my favorite. The taramasalata was an ice cream scoop portion in a lettuce cup with the balance of the plate being a warmed pita bread. This taramasalat was very thick, not the usual pinky color and not as full flavored. Fortunately it was the only *miss* during this meal.

We ordered Gyro sandwiches, described as sliced beef and lamb on the menu, with extra onions for me. Cross Rhodes will please an earlier poster who expected two Gyro meat cones as a test of quality gyros. When we ordered our Gyro's the waiter inquired if we wanted white or red sauce. While I am frequently ordering extra Tsatziki sauce, I had never had a red sauce associated with a Gyro. Upon questioning, we learned some customers prefer BBQ sauce on their Gyro. Red sauce on Gyros was news to me, has anyone else heard of this variation? Overall this was a very fresh tasting Gyro with meat crust and juicy having been cut fresh from the cone.



The Greek fries, highly touted by Brotine, were a big hit. The menu describes them as large steak fries topped with our unique lemony herb dressing. These are fries which come as-is extra crisp with the dressing sprinkled on and collecting at the serving plates bottom. My initial taste was not too spectacular until I started rubbing the fries in the herb dressing on the plate's bottom. When I order these again, I will ask for the dressing on the side so I can soak in the sauce as I go. While the dressing didn't strike me as too lemony, it did seem red wine vinegary. The reddish tinge to the dressing on the bottom did support my estimate of red wine vinegar. If you like the garlic fries at Candlelite, then you will very likely like these fries as they are quite similar without the garlic.



Another dish I love is Chicken Greek Style, Cross Rhodes advises theirs is free range chicken with a white wine sauce, which sounds very promising to me.

Cross Rhodes is a cash only restaurant.

Cross Rhodes
913 Chicago Avenue
Evanston, IL 60202
Tel: 847/475-4475
Monday-Saturday: 11:30 AM - 10 PM
Sunday: 4 PM - 9 PM

Bill wrote:Kronos is the principal distributor of gyros products in Chicago, if I'm remembering correctly.

Grecian Delight is another big manufacturer. They make a good product but surprisingly very little lamb if any in it. The other big players are Devanco Foods and Olympic gyro.

As for me, if it's not off the spit, it isn't a gyro. just a poorly made sandwich.

Greek Town Gyro is good and I enjoyed Goodi's in Niles? when I visit it a few years back.

secret is if they use the automatic gyro slicer to cut the meat. A knife cuts it too thick.

Cathy2 wrote, about Cross Rhodes:

When we ordered our Gyro's the waiter inquired if we wanted white or red sauce. While I am frequently ordering extra Tsatziki sauce, I had never had a red sauce associated with a Gyro. Upon questioning, we learned some customers prefer BBQ sauce on their Gyro. Red sauce on Gyros was news to me, has anyone else heard of this variation?

The same choice of sauces is available at The Athenian Room. Lending another piece of support to the theory that these two places are connected somehow.

riddlemay wrote:The same choice of sauces is available at The Athenian Room. Lending another piece of support to the theory that these two places are connected somehow.

They are connected. The owner of Cross-Rhodes is the former son-in-law of the owner of Athenian Room. There is bad blood between both of them and bringing it up for discussion is a sore subject with Mr. Cross-Rhodes.

secret is if they use the automatic gyro slicer to cut the meat. A knife cuts it too thick.

I see these electric slicers being used more and more, but I don't like the end result as much as I like a nicely cut-by-hand gyros. I agree that too thick isn't good, but too think and in small pieces (which I see happening all to often with the automatic slicer) is just as problematic. It all goes back to properly training employees to get it right and to be consistent - someting else which is elusive.

Yet another cool thing about Google maps:

When I pop Athenian Room into Google Local for Chicago, it not only gives me the location, directions and phone number, but now the pop-up bubble populates starred and linked reviews reviews . The details tab on the bubble also give hours, payment and reservation information.

Check it out

Bill wrote:

secret is if they use the automatic gyro slicer to cut the meat. A knife cuts it too thick.

I see these electric slicers being used more and more, but I don't like the end result as much as I like a nicely cut-by-hand gyros.

Hand-cut anything usually seems preferable, I think because the irregularity of the slices, the lack of boring consistency actually makes the food taste "better." I can't quite explain it, but different dimensions of the flavor seem to come forth when the pieces are not so uniform.

Hammond