Who Has a Real Gyro? Authentic Chicago, Awful LA, and the Truth in Athens

I love gyros. They’re a culinary delight bursting with flavor, from the lamb/beef combo slow-roasted to perfection on a rotating spike to the creamy tzatziki sauce cooling your palate with every bite. 

Unfortunately, most places don’t know how to make a real gyro sandwich, as this Chicago native sadly discovered upon moving to Los Angeles.  

Chicago’s Amazing Gyro Sandwiches

Visitors to the Windy City might not realize that Chicago has mastered all ethnic cuisines, including Greek. There, gyros are fast food, like teriyaki bowls in Los Angeles. 

A lot of burger joints in Chicago often offer gyros in addition to the hot dogs and hamburgers you’d expect, and they’re fantastic!

Nicky’s Gyros, on the corner of 147th and Cicero in Crestwood, serves a mouthwatering gyro platter of epic proportions. The pan-fried pita bread has a slightly crispy toasted outside and a soft, warm center. Nicky’s uses real gyro meat shaved from a rotating spire and heaps the pita so high that you can barely fold it. They top it off with a rich, creamy tzatziki sauce bursting with flavor and fresh onion, lettuce, and tomato. 

It’s a perfect gyro sandwich.

Nicky’s isn’t the only place to get an authentic gyro in Chicago. Most mom-and-pop burger stands serve them up right. Check out Rosie’s in Oak Lawn or T&G’s in Blue Island. Wander into any greasy looking burger joint and look for the sure sign they’ll have a great gyro – the rotating spick of delicious meat. 

I prefer Nicky’s because it offers a nostalgic feeling from childhood, but all the local joints offer delicious sandwiches. 

My Quest for a Gyro in Los Angeles 

When I moved from Chicago to Los Angeles, I had no idea how difficult it would be to find a gyro even half as good. 

Most places in health-conscious California don’t understand the concept of pan-frying pita bread. If you are lucky, you will get real gyro meat in a dry, uncooked piece of pita when you order a gyro. It’s not even remotely comparable to a Chicago gyro’s crispy, greasy, pan-fried deliciousness. 

It’s even worse if you aren’t lucky. Some places don’t even use real shaved gyro meat – they use *shudder* frozen processed meat! Blasphemy in the gyro world!

After so much disappointment, I embarked on a quest to find an authentic gyro in Los Angeles, and it was a lot harder than I anticipated. 

I must have tried hundreds of restaurants.  I’m sorry friends, if you’re looking for the best gyro in Los Angeles, you won’t find it here (and by here – I mean both the city and this article. I couldn’t find a good one in all my ten years living in LA. If you fared better – please offer recommendations!)

I even asked some places if they could fry the pita bread, only to be met with a look of profound confusion. One person thought I wanted him to put the pita in a deep fryer!

Chicago Food Snob?

My friends in California thought I was nuts. Of course, they would; they’ve never been to Chicago, and they don’t know the mouthwatering perfection of an authentic street gyro! They thought I was too particular, just a food snob from Chicago, thinking only the Windy City does food right. 

I insisted Chicago made real gyros and set out to prove it when I visited Greece, the country that inspired the American gyro. 

Visiting Greece

Greece had been on my bucket list since I was a young child. I was enamored with the mythos of the ancient culture from an early age, and when I had the chance to visit the country, I jumped on it. 

There are so many things to do in Athens, and many people visit the gorgeous Greek Isles while there, but we need to focus on the most important thing about the trip: The food. 

I am obsessed with gyros (souvlaki in Greece!), and I was going to their birthplace. I could finally sample an authentic gyro in the country that inspired their creation!

The Perfect Gyro in Athens

Athens has numerous food stalls and fast-food restaurants offering gyro-type sandwiches. They’re scattered all over the main touristy areas, and although I sampled quite a few that all matched Chicago’s style, that wasn’t good enough for me. 

I wanted a real gyro, one the locals eat. That’s the only way I could prove Chicago was right!

I wandered away from the downtown area to the city’s outskirts, where I found a tiny hole-in-the-wall fast food joint swarmed with locals going about their day. I knew it was the right choice when I saw the Greek-only menu (luckily, it had pictures!) and met the clerk who spoke no English. 

I made a valiant attempt to order with my hands in a language I couldn’t speak, and the clerk quickly understood what I wanted. They specialized in gyro sandwiches, after all. 

My mouth watered with anticipation as I paid and carried my prize to my hotel room. 

I unwrapped the greasy feast from the paper and saw the glorious truth:

Chicago Wins!

The Greek gyro’s pita bread was lightly pan-fried to perfection with a crispy coating and warm, delicious center. The meat was freshly cut from the spire, and the homemade tzatziki was richer than any I’ve ever tasted in the US. 

But Greek gyros had something special even Chicago never replicated: they added crispy fries inside the sandwich! The combination of flavors and textures in every bite added a special something I had never thought possible. 

I scarfed the entire sandwich down in less than five minutes. 

It was worth it, although I was stuffed and in a full-blown food coma. I’d return to Athens for another bite of that delicious sandwich in a heartbeat. 

My quest was complete. I found a real gyro, and it was perfection.