Downtown Gyros & Cafeteria

Rest in peace Downtown Gyros. What a DELICIOUS Chicken Gyro they had. 2^nd best in Chicago next to Yango’s. The big benefit with these guys is that they were open real late. We have had many, many late nights picking up or just eating there. We have also picked up from there plenty of times when completely sober and have reveled in their deliciousness just as much as when not-​so-​sober (isn’t that the real mark of an excellent restaurant that does well late at night?). We loved this place so much that for awhile they would be annoyed because we would burn through their «buy 9 gyros and get the 10^th one free» cards at a rate that must have made them suspicious of foul play. Unfortunately, they closed on 7÷25÷2011. A sad, sad day for Gyros in Chicago.

We have a newborn baby, so we ordered delivery even though we are right down the street from Downtown Gyros. After an hour, I called to check on the order. The woman claimed the delivery person got lost! Seriously!!! I can see the restaurant from my deck!!! I gave them 15 more minutes. Still no food. I called again and the woman talked in circles. I finally canceled and ordered food from Jubilee Juice right next door.
To make matters worse, the next day I received a phone call from website that hosts DG’s online ordering after I gave solicited feedback about my ordering experience. They told me that DG had never canceled my order and, therefore, never refunded my $$$!!!

Another staple for me of near-​workplace joints is Downtown Gyros. They aren’t open too early so as not to compete with Johnny’s or Holiday and hold their own as a result.
They have a huge selection of just about anything you can imagine. My fav are the greek fries: a little seasoning, pepper and feta cheese (all you really need for true happiness). I have had the gyro special and the chicken gyro specials. My coworker will sometimes be in the mood for a hot dog and get me those. In all everything is hot and delivers a very expected experience. Which is what I want.
There’s quick service and the staff is friendly. Unlike some places with a minimum, they’ll take your card without fuss and the daily specials are reasonable, keeping your lunch to about $ 7 to $ 8.

Dodgy as hell. Walked in today for breakfast and some dude was squirting pesticide all around the restaurant: Under tables, next to the counter where you order. I mean, I know restaurants have to protect against bugs, but during business hours?

Pretty cheap gyros and yummy!
they are open till late night so if you went out and are hungry this would the best spot to go… might get crowed

This place has a great Gyros plate and fries. The Tzatzkiki sauce (hopefully thats spelled right!) is outstanding. I just ordered from ChiTownMenus
and got the Dinner Gyros Plate (which comes with fries, pita, and tzatziki sauce), Mozzarella Sticks, a Large Soda, and lots of extra sauces on the side for under $ 20.00. More than enough for 2 people, possibly even 3! Ughhhhhh, I’m sooo full!

Ok, the omelettes are good, we started a Sunday morning ritual where we order breakfast from here but it stopped because of my working schedule :(
I did order a gyro plate one time and I did not like it… maybe it was because I’ve eaten a gyro at Parthenon… the best I’ve ever had. But the salad was drenched and the dressing was spilling out of the bag. Also, the fries are WACK!!! They taste like they’ve been sitting all day, no flavor, no crispiness…
I will just stick with the omelettes, my bf gets the gyro omelet and i like the Garden.

2-​stars seems so low, but I do agree with it’s description, «Meh. I’ve experienced better.» I’ve had their gyros several times delivered to my office for lunch. The gyros is «meh». It’s ok. Kinda bland. But you do get a decent amount in the gyro sandwich. Price is decent at ~$ 5 though. So for that price, I’ll take the «meh» gyro bc I work at River North and it’s like a food-​deadzone.

I’m not sure why this place gets such bad reviews. I can’t comment on the Lunch menu because I’ve only eaten breakfast. But, let me say this: yes, gyros mostly taste the same with one important difference: the FRESHNESS of the gyros meat itself. Old, dried-​out gyros = gross.
We order the Mediteranian Omelette (Gyro & Feta) with a side of hashbrowns and toast. $ 5.75 each. (I don’t eat the potatoes or toast, so they don’t charge me my coffee and everybody is happy.) And an order of pancakes, regular stack-​o-​three for $ 3.25 for the little guy. Cheap-​as-​free, people.
And the service is just super nice. Strangely, even though it’s a very Greek-​American gyros place, this joint reminds me very much of the diners/​cafes in England. Same sort of tile floor and formed formica booth seating going on. But anyway.
And they’ll give you some yummy fresh tzatziki sauce with your eggs if you want it. They actually remembered that we like it and gave it to us right away the second time we ate breakfast here.
So here are the basics:
Order at the counter
Pump coffee out of a vacuum thermos
Sit in pre-​formed, formica booths
Watch the world cup on a tiny television high in the corner
See Chicago Cops come in for lunch
Eat gyros

It’s strange here. I’ll go here if I don’t have any other options. I usually get the greek chicken with the brown rice and potato. Sometimes it’s good, but it definitely isn’t consistent. They do put a great blend of spices in this gravy that they pour over the rice though. The chicken sometimes is dry.
I took my friends and my brother here one time — since I live close by — and we did some heavy drinking. Our friend ordered a hotdog and it was peachy purple inside. I have no idea how you can screw up a hotdog. She still makes fun of me for taking here there. My reputation is key, so I’m taking away 3 stars.
The people there are friendly, chicken & beef gyro are nothing to Unilocal about. Fries are like highschool cafeteria fries. Nothing to Unilocal about.
But if you are around the neighborhood, this is the only place to go so…

I wanted to like this place so much, I really did. You can tell this is an independent little place and the lady behind the counter is very nice.
I was wandering around the West Loop on my lunch break and ended stopping in for lunch since I saw their specials on a sidewalk chalkboard. I saw gyros on it and had been craving one for quite some time now. Ended up getting the gyro meal and a baklava.
They gyro is a standard gyro. Is it just me but I think all gyros in Chicago for the most part tastes the same. But I felt like for the price, there should have been a little more gyro meat. I ordered a Coke Zero for my drink and something was off with it. Either not enough syrup or something because it didn’t taste right. But I didn’t have the heart to complain after a lady had dropped her drink and spilled it all over the table and floor just minutes ago. I’m also usually not one to leave any food behind, even if it’s bad, I’ll try to finish it but the baklava that I had was just not good. The puff pastry was sans puff, very dense, and it just makes me think it was sitting out for like 3 days. I finished about half and threw out the rest.
I honestly can’t say that I will be back considering that restaurants along Halsted are way better.

Gross. Stopped by here Friday night in between gallery stops to grab a bite; it took forever and the food, when not cold (fries), was just wrong.
Why is there barbecue sauce dripping off a Philly Steak Sandwich?!
Avoid, at all costs.

I order take out from this restaurant once a week. The delivery time fluctuates from 40 – 60 mins, but the food always arrives hot. The gyro meet is moist and flavorful. The gyro salad is a generous portion. We order a gyro salad, gyro platter and gyro sandwich and have it delivered for $ 20.00. Dinner for three. There are many choices in greek town but this one delivers on price and flavor.

COPS EAT HERE. I feel like establishments that attract more than 3 cops at a time should broadcast this. Cuz cops generally know where the good food is at on the cheap.
And this place? Not quite as cheap as I’d have liked (come on, Chicago’s finest, get with it, I don’t like the $ 8 sandwich!), but it was tasty.
Turkey club? Slap some thinly sliced turkey on the griddle to heat it up, pair it with some crispy bacon inside a soft pita, and you’ve got yourself a hearty sammie. Yum.
Also went down easy on our visit: hot dog, Philly steak, chicken pita, fries and onion rings.
Oh, and also, there was a lesson learned that day. My friends and I always SHARE. And if I’m paying, you best be sharin’ with my friends. (As little sis admits, «You got me there».)
Not a bad place to stop if you’re in the mood for gyros and the like, but they’d do better to shave some off their prices. Seriously, $ 6.50 for a Philly steak sandwich? Too much.
So yes, cops do eat here. But goodies like this can be found cheaper elsewhere.

Don’t let the free delivery fool you. It was the worst delivery experience of my life.
1. The delivery took hour and 40 min
2. I ordered okras but got green beans somehow
3. The oil from the beans leaked all over
4. The oil completely ruined the salad, fries, and the bread I ordered
5. Everything was stone cold
6. Chicken in the salad was WAY too over cooked. It was very dry and crunchy.
7. The bread used in the philly sandwich was stale.
8. We didn’t even eat half of the things we ordered. We threw them away. It was that bad.
Avoid this place at all cost. There are better places around. No need to waste good money on awful food.

We ordered lunch from there the other day. Both entrees came without the pitas that were supposed to be included (kind of an essential item when it comes to getting gyros meat), and one entrée was missing its sauce. They also forgot to include the baklava we ordered. The food had taken a while to get here and the meat was fairly cold. One of the entrees was supposed not to contain onions, but there were several pieces of it in there. The olives and some of the lettuce tasted pretty bad, too.
Fortunately, we ordered on GrubHub and so we got a refund because of all the missing items. Obviously not ordering from this place again.

Are you slightly drunk after going to a few West Loop gallery openings? Then you’re not going to be drunk enough to enjoy the food here. This place is also a vegetarian hell. I ordered the Veggie Melt, not even sure what part of the gyro was going to be melted. Nothing was melted, as it was a pile of condiments atop a gyro. It was edible, but I only recommend going if you’re really hungry.
There’s a great poster of doughnuts on the wall, so I added a second star.

This place has some great gyros and some really good greek fries. I’m not a fan of the frozen fry but if I had to eat them I would eat Downtown Gyros greek fries. They had been frozen but the topping was wonderful. In fact, I ordered a gyros and greek fries. I had leftovers and when my boyfriend met me an hour later ate my leftovers and then went back to the restaurant to get his own and he doesn’t really care for fries. If you’re in the neighborhood, this is the place to go.

Wait!
They charge HOW much for a taco at De Cero?
Anyway, the food here is really cheap and right next door. The feta fries are outstanding — thick and crispy fries loaded with feta cheese, cilantro and lemon.

A good place to get some gyros and fries. Yea its reallly greasy… but what else would you expect from such a meal?