When I have a yearning for a good gyro sandwich, falafel, or
souvlaki, Gyros and Gyros in Palo Alto is my favorite destination. This is a small place with about 10 tables packed in a high-ceilinged room.
We generally order the combo plate ($9) as an appetizer, which includes generous portions of hummus, babaghanoush, dolma, and cackik served with pita bread. Or we order a falafel plate ($8) or a chicken kebab plate ($10).
This time, we decided to skip the healthy combo plate and instead order the sinfully rich spanakopita ($4), a spinach-and-feta cheese pie wrapped in a crisp phyllo dough. This is not something you should be eating if you are on the Atkins or South Beach Diet! But, once in a while, it is good to break the rules and indulge in one of these Greek specialties. The pie was served hot at our table, neatly cut into four slices.
We then ordered a mixed combo souvalaki plate ($14) and hummus ($4), which we split. The plate contained lamb and beef gyros, chicken kebab, shish kebab (seasoned lamb cubes), and Adana kebab (minced lamb). I had the chicken kebab and a small portion of the Adana kebab, and both were delicious. The order came with a salad, rice, and pita bread. The various kebabs were really well done and tasty. The hummus, however, could have used more lemon. I like my hummus a tad tangy.
After plowing through the entrées, we decided to try a Turkish dessert called rizogola. Usually we order the baklava, and the one at Gyros and Gyros has almonds instead of walnuts. Their serving of baklava is good for two people. Rizogola is Turkish rice pudding that comes in a small clay pot covered with a crisp coating that looks like cinnamon powder. This was a custard kind of rice pudding and quite delicious. This rice pudding tasted very different from any other rice pudding I had tasted and was worth ordering. Our check came to $22 for the entire meal.
Interestingly enough, the menu does not feature any coffees at all. Puzzled, we asked the person behind the counter if they served Turkish coffee, and he said yes. I found it a strange oversight that a restaurant run by a Turkish family did not feature their well-known beverage.
After this satisfying meal, we walked up and down University Avenue in a desperate attempt to burn off the extra calories that we had consumed. The food at Gyros is always satisfying, and it is really worth visiting this place if you are looking for a nice gyro or falafel.