249023 Wed Mar 22 15:59:02 -0800 2006 49 19 Outer Boroughs 0 1324057 Where is it? I love the meat extra well-done! I live in Manhattan and can't seem to find anything GREAT there, I used to love Romanos in on 35th and B-way, but it seems as though it has changed. Any other recs would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Wed Mar 22 15:59:02 -0800 2006 0 Fred 1 1324060 cinderella on second avenue and 8th street is damn good, and consistent. i can tell you the best gyro is definitely NOT chickpea. Wed Mar 22 16:05:05 -0800 2006 1324057 0 Pitu 2 1324636 The best gyro is at Opa! Souvlaki house. Good and only $4.50. just north of 30th ave stop on the Ntrain. Their bakery next door (not open late) is worth making the trip. Sat Apr 01 22:47:14 -0800 2006 1324060 0 forta 3 4000046 I strongly recommend their tzatziki appetizer with bread. You get so much and it's so delicious. Sun Aug 31 11:43:20 -0700 2008 1324636 115296 joeyz 1 1324063 Sorry for confusion Wed Mar 22 16:22:34 -0800 2006 1324057 0 Fred 2 1324085 Check out MEMO on Kings Highway and East 19th Street...mentioned in prior posts - the mixed chicken and lamb combo takes the prize. Thu Mar 23 01:28:43 -0800 2006 1324063 0 Mike R. 3 3270111 Second. It's excellent, way better than the hyped Sahara. Also, in Manhattan, go to Zeytuna on John/William - their gyros are the absolute best. It's chicken Mon, Wed, Fri, and lamb Tue.Thu. Mon Jan 07 11:44:47 -0800 2008 1324085 85498 nokitsch 4 3478266 I live in Staten Island, All the time go to Sahara King on Coney Island. I really can't say if anything is better the lamb gyros... Mon Mar 10 11:20:54 -0700 2008 3270111 166214 DontTryItX 4 4165388 I had Zaytuna's lamb gyro today. It was ok. The tzatziki or whiteish sauce was very runny and skimpy but the meat was nice. I wouldn't say it was the absolute best though, in my opinion. I will have to go back and try the chicken. I'm partial to Greek gyros, opposed to Middle Eastern or Turkish style doner kebab, which is what I had at Zaytuna. I like Helios' gyro in Park Slope and Nick's the best so far. Tue Nov 11 14:03:24 -0800 2008 3270111 19580 ChowDiva 1 1324070 my personal favorite is Mangal's (Turkish hole-in-the-wall). Other stuff is good too, but doner is the best. Run out of lamb pretty quickly. 47ish and Queens blvd (#7 to 46th st. station front train). Wed Mar 22 17:42:39 -0800 2006 1324057 0 welle 2 1982115 Absolutely. Fine chicken doner too. Get it on the homemade Turkish bread rather than a pita -- well worth the buck or 2 extra. Mon Oct 30 07:09:36 -0800 2006 1324070 13481 Woodside Al 2 4017399 Second! This is the best gyro in the city. Get it on the Home bread. I always thought Turkish places called it Doner, but they call it gyro here. Either way, if you want lamb shaved off a spit with yoghurt etc, this is as good as I've EVER had. PS - they now have sit down now table service right next door. Mon Sep 08 09:50:19 -0700 2008 1324070 21954 2slices 1 1324075 1. lamb gyro- Fontana , Northern Blvd and Francis Lewis Blvd. 2. pork gyro- Gyro World- 194-23 Northern Blvd.(just west of francis Lewis blvd) Wed Mar 22 19:47:39 -0800 2006 1324057 0 stuartlafonda 2 1324076 Fontana's, for sure. I also really like Sparta Souvlaki in Bay Ridge. -PAL Wed Mar 22 20:17:06 -0800 2006 1324075 0 PAL 2 3470847 Gyro World is good. Avli in Bayside (Bell Blvd.) Kati Allo in Flushing (Francis Lewis Blvd.) Fri Mar 07 14:43:07 -0800 2008 1324075 123711 GreekGddss 1 1981461 I moved into Queens 1 year ago and took everyones advice for gyros. However, i was disappointed with most recommendations. These are my findings: Annas Corner: very small portions for the price. As for the gyros i found that is was not good at all. Maybe it was the day I went BZ Grill: Very oily OPA OPA: Looks like their is not much cleaning going on. Might need a renovation. The food was plain O.K. Fontanas: In that area that is probably the best one (Flushing) Aliada: Only seftalies Romanos on 33rd street and Broadway Astoria: Blows every place away. My co workers told me about the place and I tried it. The Gyros is awesome and very big portions for the price The chicken and Gyro combonation platterr with roasted potatoes is exceptional. I also tried their pizza and it was one of the best I've had in a long time. Place is clean and very very friendly. MY VOTE GOES TO ROMANO'S Sun Oct 29 23:18:40 -0800 2006 1324057 49834 jon27 2 2014773 Okay, Seriously.. If you like spam then I think Romano's is the place for you. If you like frozen soggy pizza then I think Romano's is the place for you. We ate there eary Saturday evening and the place was empty, the service was great but their fries were under done, their roast potatoes were more like boiled and drenched in oil, their Greek salad contained not one but two olives and two chunks of feta. Their gyro meat looked like spam and I am not kidding. I don't know what happened between your visit and mine less than two weeks apart. Their souvlaki was passable but we couldn't figure out if we were eating lamb or pork. Next time I am going to Nicks on 9th avenue. Sun Nov 12 04:44:45 -0800 2006 1981461 14005 foodzot 3 2020311 I DO NOT AGREE Are you sure you have the right place??? Gyro at Romanos is one of the best you will get. When i moved to Astoria I had tried all of them Gyro places. Gyro at Romanos is not that typical KRONOS Gyro you get at most places. You refer to it as SPAM. I would sure like to try the canned spam you're eating (that tastes that good) because I would be bagging my lunch everyday. Their Pizza IS NOT FROZEN because when you order it they make it right there in front of you. I've also actually witnessed them rolling out their dough. I've lived in the area for years and Romanos has been one of my favorite. As for saturday evenings being empty??? I can honestly say that everytime I've been there on a weekened it is always very busy. As for their Roast Potatoes they are delicious and their souvlaki is also very good. Must be doing something right because I hear they have been there for over 20 years I guess we don't agree Tue Nov 14 15:22:26 -0800 2006 2014773 53097 pcorntail 3 3267967 @foodzot: I ignored your advice and regret it. Romano's is totally awful! The gyro was indeed some processed meat-product and the joint is just a dive. I should have listened to you, and I should have heeded the little voice that asked, when I sat down, "Do you really think a place with the word pizza in the name, run by latin americans, is gonna make decent greek food?" Next time I get the gyro urge I'll go back to BZ, which is awesome. Sun Jan 06 17:52:07 -0800 2008 2014773 17376 ryan 4 4026169 Yeah, BZ is really quality food. Someone up above says it's "oily" but then again what gyro is not a bit oily?? It's also dry and tender and the tension between the 3 makes a gyro, no?? I live in Astoria and find BZ to be one of the neighborhood's best restaurants. Thu Sep 11 07:36:00 -0700 2008 3267967 38753 zemilideias 3 3267971 @foodzot: I ignored your advice and regret it. Romano's is totally awful! The gyro was indeed some processed meat-product and the joint is just a dive. I should have listened to you, and I should have heeded the little voice that asked, when I sat down, "Do you really think a place with the word pizza in the name, run by latin americans, is gonna make decent greek food?" Next time I get the gyro urge I'll go back to BZ, which is awesome. Sun Jan 06 17:53:00 -0800 2008 2014773 17376 ryan 4 4165551 You know what is really funny??? The people that own it are Greek and thay are the ones running it with a couple of latin americans,russian,italianstaff etc. wake up you are in NY most places have people from all over working for them One other thing "awful" is not a word to describe a landmark like Romanos but whatever And as for BZ GRILL I DON'T LIKE IT WE ALL HAVE OPINIONS Tue Nov 11 14:57:08 -0800 2008 3267971 53097 pcorntail 2 4026286 What do you think a Gyro is made of?, it's ground meat or as I called it Mystery Meat. It contains Beef, Pork & Lamb with lots of garlic, oregano and salt. I have no idea of what proportion of each meat goes into a gyro, but it's not 100% lamb. No one would pay upwards of $15 for a gyro sandwich. Take away the pita and other condiments and you have a Salty piece of overly spiced CHOPPED MEAT. So those of you who call it SPAM are technically RIGHT. Only the spicing makes is different from Spam. Thu Sep 11 08:24:32 -0700 2008 1981461 191573 Remag1234 3 4026324 You're thinking of the garbage that gets called a "gyro" in "greek" diners across the US, and at many places in NYC. What this thread is about is the true Gyro which differs based on the nationality that prepares it. Greek gyros are usually pork (sometimes chicken), roasted on a vertical rotisserie, and this is the specialty at BZ Grill. Turkish gyro or doner is lamb (or beef sometimes) as is schwarma, the Middle Eastern gyro. None of these should be made with ground mystery meat, and if it is, you know it's a poor representation. What you should look for is stacks of sliced pork/beef/lamb/chicken roasting vertically. You sir, need to try a real gyro asap. Thu Sep 11 08:36:16 -0700 2008 4026286 11712 Astoria Lurker 1 1982686 Gyro Uno on Steinway and B'way and Pizza Palace on Ditmars & 31st. If you like the meat extra well-done & crispy all you need to do is ask. Mon Oct 30 16:12:52 -0800 2006 1324057 40799 LHT 2 3397347 gyro uno = <3 i dont order gyro a lot, but when i do only from them Gyro world, northern and 190th? right by st. nicks grk church pita pan was very disappointing when i tried it Thu Feb 14 10:08:02 -0800 2008 1982686 128088 helen19 2 4117540 I think it should be illegal to recommend Pizza Palace to anyone. Mon Oct 20 20:02:15 -0700 2008 1982686 229286 montoya040 1 1987075 Spartan Souvlaki, 6820 Eighth Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-748-5838 Sietsema was dead center on this one. http://www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/0629,sietsema,73852,15.html Tue Oct 31 23:03:56 -0800 2006 1324057 10539 KRS 2 3300436 Definitely the winner. Especially fun for fumigating the subway car on the ride home with the after-effects of the extremely garlicky and delicious tzatziki. Great fries too. Wed Jan 16 06:39:12 -0800 2008 1987075 51967 gangly handful 1 2011838 Is anyone aware of places that put french fries in their Gyros (we found this to be very common in Crete)? It's much, much better than it sounds. Fri Nov 10 18:35:02 -0800 2006 1324057 12436 danoots 2 2012158 Ummm, I remember getting great gyros w/ fries inside in Crete. They were so good. Ate some french fry omlets, too. I wish I knew of a place here, but don't. (I've also been looking for a Peruvian place that makes my favorite: saltado de mariscos which is seafood with onions, tomatoes, and french fries all mixed together. I am a big fan of fry-integrated dishes. Fri Nov 10 20:16:11 -0800 2006 2011838 38077 JenMarie66 2 2020849 Pita Pan puts fries in their gyros and souvlaki pita sandwiches. Also, if the fries are right out of the fry-o-lator, they're great! Tue Nov 14 18:06:37 -0800 2006 2011838 14266 Gastronomos 3 2023747 thanks for the tip! Wed Nov 15 17:18:42 -0800 2006 2020849 12436 danoots 4 2024168 Pita Pan is not very good, greasy fast-foody, Kronos gyro. Comparing Pita Pan to a place like BZ Grill is like comparing McDonalds to In-N-Out in my opinion. The mixed-grill at BZ Grill comes with pork and chicken gyro, fries, various sausages, pita and sauce, so it's easy to assemble a great gyro. I haven't been to Romano's but it's on the list. Wed Nov 15 19:23:12 -0800 2006 2023747 11712 Astoria Lurker 1 2013430 On Sietsema's recommendation, we went to Spartan Souvlaki and loved the gyro. It's an order of magnitude better than the standard grease bomb. http://www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/0629,sietsema,73852,15.html Sat Nov 11 13:06:08 -0800 2006 1324057 10539 KRS 1 2025107 The Romano's we ate at was on the corner of 33rd Street and Broadway and yes sir it was empty. Wed Nov 15 23:09:37 -0800 2006 1324057 14005 foodzot 2 3268394 gyro corner on francis lewis blvd. Sun Jan 06 20:45:54 -0800 2008 2025107 11071 joekarten 3 3269835 As usual, the Bronx seems invisible in this discussion. There's a relatively new place that opened just up the road from the Riverdale Diner and up from the 50th Precinct that makes a good gyro. Mon Jan 07 10:46:49 -0800 2008 3268394 12318 neddludd 2 4029442 A better place than Gyro Corner or Fontana's [last time at Fontana's, it was a pig sty. Never again. Back to a better place, Try Nikita's Place on Utopia Pkwy and 19th Ave. Whitestone. Good food at good prices. Fri Sep 12 09:45:48 -0700 2008 2025107 191573 Remag1234 1 3300289 Serious Romanos downgrade: It seems that they are using the cheapest ingredients, from the gyro meat to the feta and olives. The hot sauce was so watered down, it barely had a reddish tinge to it. Have been twice in the last ten days. Wed Jan 16 05:41:56 -0800 2008 1324057 10730 byrd 1 3300334 Gyro Corner on Francis Lewis gets my vote Wed Jan 16 06:00:06 -0800 2008 1324057 61298 d18black 2 3470482 Avli on Bell Blvd in Bayside is a new Greek taverna with great gyro, souvlaki, falafel, lemon potatoes, dips and even lamp and pork chops. Service is great and thankfully they deliver. The two places mentioned on Francis Lewis Blvd to me look greasy and dirty and totally unappetizing. The gyro at Avli is moist and looks more like meat than rotating shoe leather. Fri Mar 07 13:15:48 -0800 2008 3300334 31191 debster 3 3470856 Avli ROCKS. It's good food and clean restaurant. Very friendly service too. Gyro Corner and Fontana's--I NEVER go there. I only get Pizza from Fontana's b/c they make Greek-style pizza almost like the wonderful stuff I used to get in Greece. Not quite, but still good pizza. But their souvlaki and gyros are blech. Kati Allo is also good. Fri Mar 07 14:46:00 -0800 2008 3470482 123711 GreekGddss 4 3479622 fontana's forever :) Mon Mar 10 17:09:03 -0700 2008 3470856 90996 chefjellynow 5 4020345 Alvi all day and all night. However as if there Gyro wasn't head and shoulders tastier and better than the others in Bayside, their Chicken and Pork Donner's are just as great, if not better. Tue Sep 09 09:20:47 -0700 2008 3479622 208024 dnm3k 4 4070568 Truly we really don't have a good place in queens at all they all suck Mon Sep 29 14:35:13 -0700 2008 3470856 229383 apostoli007 5 4095789 untrue - mangal kebab. Qns blvd at 44thih. My favorite in the entire city. Get it on the homemade bread. It's amazing. Fri Oct 10 10:29:31 -0700 2008 4070568 21954 2slices 1 4000054 I have always enjoyed the gyro and souvlaki at ditmars gyro, an authentic family institution. For an extra, American style touch, get a side of cheese fries and some tzatziki for dipping sauce. Yum! Sun Aug 31 11:47:21 -0700 2008 1324057 115296 joeyz 1 4117558 Anyone remember a place in astoria called Lemonia ? It closed down a couple yeas ago but it was amazing. Mon Oct 20 20:13:43 -0700 2008 1324057 229286 montoya040 2 4163843 ooooh yes, the late great Lemonia on the corner of 30th St and Broadway in Astoria. Once a week, I'd get the souvlaki and gyro combo sandwich with a side order of fries, to go. Unfortunately, the gyro was the pressed meat version, but I didn't care, the enormous sandwich of souvlaki chunks and crispy gyro pieces with everything on it was the best belly bomber around. It closed a few years ago. Aliades is currently in business in the same location.. Requiscat in Pace Lemonia. Tue Nov 11 02:09:57 -0800 2008 4117558 192632 Rocky45