One thing you will notice when you walk through the streets of Athens is that there are many restaurants offering Gyros and Greek Salads. Some are in line with other foods in terms of price, some are getting into the high range, especially as you walk around the old town. You get the two extremes, you can pay €5 in a take-away, but €15 – €20 in a restaurant. This is due to the misconception of what a gyro is. Is it the dish, or the meat?

What is a Gyro?

We think of it as the dish, because it is often referred to it in that way. However, Gyro actually refers to the type of meat in the pita wrap. This Is a vertically roasted spit of meat, often pork and chicken in the modern Athens. If you are thinking of the takeaway variety, it is served in a pita with tomatoes, cucumber, fries and tzatziki. (Chicken often gets served with “island sauce,” a mixture of mayonnaise and mustard.) Restaurants often charge more, because they offer an open pita, which is plenty to share, but not wrapped.

The other dish that is very similar and it is often confused with is Souvlaki. These are skewers of meat, and often find their way into Gyro-style wraps, a lot cheaper and super delicious.

The Spot

Between Syntagma and Monastiraki, you will find not only the best-priced gyros, but also a Greek salad to die for, as well as a great selection of crisp beers and soft drinks for a break from the Athens heat. It’s called Meat the Greek, their Gyros is in such high demand that it is often sold out, for around €5, you can understand why. So, their solution is to have Gyro and Souvlaki versions of the famous pita wraps.

And a note on the Greek salad. The feta is incredibly fresh, the tomatoes are as fresh as you can find and the saltiness of the caper seeds just brings a new level of complexity to this Greek favourite.

Enjoy!

Meat the Greek – Fokionos 2-4, Athina 105 63, Greece