TLO Restaurant Review: Gyro City Café

9:30 AM EST on February 2, 2021

I have to say, my gal-pal Jodie is truly a good friend. Even though she’s not a big fan of gyros, as she admitted on the way there, she still traversed with me to 7300 Northwest Expressway with nary an argument as we headed into the Gyro City Café, recently recommended to me by my esteemed editor.

Stopping by for lunch last week, the two cooks in the open kitchen were fastidiously working in the small area, desperately trying to get the orders out to the busy lunch eaters taking a break from their, judging by the dirty work clothes, jobs as telephone linemen and such.

We ordered our eats in something resembling broken English from the woman at the register, gladly making due with whatever I was eventually brought as the man behind her cut away at the spinning hunk of meat on the vertical spits. As they argued amongst themselves, it was great to have an open kitchen to watch the tactical goings-on.

As we sat in the dining room waiting, I noticed that the walls to the left and right of us were lined with sun-cooked posters of Clint Eastwood, Elvis Presley and the Beatles. "This is my kind of place," I told Jodie as our numbers were called out and we grabbed our freshly made food.

We drove out to a park near the post office somewhere on NW 50th. As I greedily went through my bags and boxes, the first thing I started munching on was the very large Greek Salad ($6.50). Loaded with lettuce (of course) and chunks of tomatoes and onion, what truly sat it apart were the hearty helpings of olives, Feta cheese and Greek dressing.

I had to push that tasty concoction aside after a few bites, however, and continue on this Zorba-entrenched road, mostly thanks to the old-fashioned Gyro ($6.50). While I’m sure we’ve all had gyros before—mine were mostly from Penn Square Mall—they packed so much meat onto this sandwich I was hoping he didn’t know I was writing for the Lost Ogle and trying to impress me.

As slice after slice of the mixed meat made abrasive love to my hungry tongue, Jodie was happily indulging in her Chicken Gyro ($6.50). As the warm chicken slices slid down her throat, she smiled and let me know that, you know, gyros aren’t so bad after all, the Tzatziki sauce running down both our busy hands.

I was happy learning that—and I think we can all agree now—the food is even better when your dining partner is having as much fun as you are, for the most part.

As she finished that chicken, I wrapped the old-fashioned up and saved it for later, because I feel I saved what I hoped would be the best for last: the Spanish Gyro ($7.00), filled with the heavy meat, thankfully, but also enough grilled onions, jalapenos and Tabasco sauce to shoot steam out of my ears like a Warner Bros. cartoon character.

Every bite was a true twist of flamboyant flavor, as the pure heat called me back a few times to take a swig or two of my Diet Coke. Now that was truly a explosión de sabor that I wasn’t counting on but, by God, I ate every steaming morsel of it and probably could’ve done more. Cómpralo ya, indeed.