Panos Char Broiler

Pano’s is currently being renovated and should be back in business soon.

Panos Char-​Broiler had been around for at least 20 years, back when i started going there. from the old articles and black and white photographs of Panos, the Greek immigrant with a dream, to the little old man – a relative of management, i believe– who hung out all day and sold cigarettes out of his briefcase on the sly, to the out-​of-​this-​world Chicken Souvlaki, the hole-​in-​the-​wall atmosphere only added to its charm.
but through the years and management changes, Panos lost something. the heavenly thick, fluffy Pita Bread – with just the right amount of stretch – became more cakey and thin. the gorgeous chunks of lightly-​charred Chicken Breast became smaller and less juicy. the food no longer representative of the vision of the man in the black-​and-​whites, i stopped going.
i’m sad to see now that Panos Char-​Broiler is gone, and as recently as this month. would have gone one last time, had i known. thanks for the memories, Panos! here’s my salute to you.
happy Unilocaling and here’s to tasting life! :)

Sadly place is out of business… They made the best gyros…4stars anyway

So sad but as another reviewer commented i think the place is closed, called Monday ³⁄₁₁ the number is disconnected: O (

CLOSED???
I have tried going to Panos twice in two weeks and the restaurant was dark. Tried on Saturday the 16^th at noon and they were closed. No signs or anything. According to their posted hours they should have been open. That was a holiday weekend so I thought maybe that was the reason. But I went back today at lunch time and the place was closed. If they have closed up shop that will be too bad — they make very good gyros.

MY favorite Gyros. And if they make the meat too well done, it’s even tastier.
I’m addicted. I get a Gyros Plate at least once a week. The Gyros sandwich is huge, but for me a little hard to handle while eating. A Gyros Plate is like a do it yourself-​version, so each bite can be just the mix I want of Meat, Pita, Tomato, Onion, and Taziki, (Cucumber-​Yogurt) sauce. Plus it comes with a huge salad.

Like everybody else, I love finding a hidden dive with great food. This is my favorite gyro spot in the area. It’s next to the golf course, so the crowd here is a crazy mix of golfers, seniors, and blue collar workers. Somehow it works. This definitely aint health food but it’s a great dive!

Their gyros are huge! You get bang for your buck. It’s not the best, but still pretty good.

As always I’m quick to call a company on their shit, put them on blast, and warn the world to save their money. When I encourage you to spend your hard earned cash anywhere it’s more than well deserved, and most likely I’m weary about reviewing it because more customers means the longer I have to wait so that being said.
I’ve been going to Panos for years always getting their cheese burger or double cheese burger (with or without bacon) combo. I love em, and in my opinion best fries in all of LA cooked just right crunchy on the outside, squishy on the inside. then throw a lil seasoned salt on there and. Oh so good! But today I went with my buddy and he always gets the gyro. I said why not sounds good to me. OMG it was so so so sooo delicious. A little on the salty side, but with an extra tzatziki sauce (the white sauce they put on top) on the side it balanced out nicely and was pretty good with the extra sauce on top too. I love this place and stop by pretty much every time I’m in the area.
IN MY OPINION: 5 stars, can’t go wrong here!

Sometimes i think i have snobby taste buds and higher expectations than most people… especially when i see so many 5 star ratings here and numerous raves about the gyros. I decided to take a detour here for lunch today… now i’m bummed out.
I’ve never eaten there before, so i ordered a gyro and fries. The guy asked me if i wanted a drink. I’m not a big pop drinker, so i said «no thank you». OK I paid my dinero and stood aside and took a look around. They need to update those tired old booths. Then i’m reading the menu and realize i should’ve gotten a drink ‘cuz if i did, my meal would’ve been 65 cents cheaper. I mean, really though, the guy could’ve just charged me for the «gyros special» eventhough i didn’t get a drink. That’s bad customer service right there.
I’m looking and looking, but i don’t see a spit spinning gyros. They have signs all over saying Devanco, which is the brand most places in Chicago have, but no spit. Apparently, they slice it up and dump it in a warming tray. OK, not the best way to serve them, but if the flavor is there, no big deal.
Lunch is ready. I grab it and head for the park ‘cuz it’s a gorgeous day out and i want to enjoy the sunshine. First things first. The fries came unsalted. Who doesn’t salt fries? They put 4 packs of salt in the bag, along w/​ketchup. The fries were thicker than thin cut, but not steak fries. They were nice and crispy. Now i’m gonna start in on that gyros sandwich.
It comes w/​tomato, onion and it’s already sauced. As i unwrap it, i see numerous pieces of gyros that are old, dry and almost black. It must be the part that was sitting on top of the warming tray and dried out. That’s nasty. I picked out those pieces and there’s still a huge portion there, so i start eating it. It’s not bad, tastes a little greasy ’til i get to the 2^nd half where the thing is dripping in fat! I had fat dripping down my hand and pooling on the gyros paper. I guess that’s what happens when they sit in a warming tray instead of being sliced fresh to order. I ate what i could before the fat overtook me and wrapped it up to take home to the dog.
I definately won’t go back for a gyro, although the dog would be smiling. Maybe i’ll try something else.

Tasty tasty tasty gyro sandwich! The meat, the sauce, the pita… so very good. And well-​priced too! Friends also enjoyed their chicken (both gyro style and Souvlaki style). We all got small Greek salads with our meals, and it’s the size of a full plate (and comes with a stuffed grape leaf).
Don’t be a snob like me and pass this place by because of its location and less than fancy outside. Trust the Unilocal!
I really wanted to give a 5 star review, BUT…
— It was hot hot hot in there … come on, you’re in Van Nuys, stick a fan in there at least
— $ 0.50 for refills? Really?
— The booths are sorta small, so any more than 4 people and you’re kinda screwed for sitting together.
So maybe if I had gotten take out, it would have received a 5 star rating. But still, if you like a super flavorful gyro, try this place out.

Decent food, decent prices. The Gyros is amazing here, both in sandwich form and on a plat. The rest of the food, however, is mediocre at best.
Additionally, their drink pricing and refill policy is idiotic at best. A 32-​oz fountain beverage costs $ 1.00 more than their 16-​oz beverage, but a refill on the 16-​oz costs $ 0.50? The fact that they even charge $ 0.50 is frustrating enough given the pricing on beverages.
However, we will probably go again at some point, just for the gyros and a 16-​oz beverage with a refill ;)

YUM YUM YUMMY… Nothing better!!!

So I got recommended to try this place by coworkers.
Don’t get me wrong. They probably are some of the best Gyros I have tasted. When I gulfed it down it tasted amazing. Awesome.
Problem. EVERYBODY who ate this for lunch with me had Food Poisoning. Not Cool Man.
Running to the bathroom. NOT Cool. First experience ruined for me.

Seeing Panos from Victory and Woodley, it didn’t look promising: small strip mall, building tagged up, but I was hungry.
Went with the double gyro and it was really good. The staff, who I believe, is the owner, was very polite. Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Best Gyros in the Valley! No BS!
Haven’t tried anything else yet but after reading some of your reviews, I think I will.

One of my favorite places in the valley. I have been eating here since I was a little kid, and have yet to leave dissatisfied. My family and I would bike around Balboa park, and the highlight of the ride was always lunch at Panos. Sometimes better than others, depending on who is cooking, but ALWAYS good. Once I came by and didn’t have enough cash on me… they bought me a hamburger! Who does that! I have been a loyal customer for years, and don’t plan on making any changes in that regard.
If I am in the area, I make it a point to stop in and say hello; you should too.

Panos has been a favorite of mine for more years than you need to know, but after a long gap of visiting other burger restaurants, I’ve started dropping in again in the last few years.
The gyros sandwich is as good or better than any I’ve tried elsewhere, and the pita burger is a less-​expensive introduction to Greek-​inspired sandwiches. The fried sides, fries and rings, are workmanlike accompaniments to any sandwich or salad.
My last trip there was for a Greek salad, and I had hoped to lounge around in one of the booths and unwind after a knotty workday, but when I arrived the place looked dark through the windows, as if it were closed.
Pressing on, I entered the unlocked door and ordered the salad, but was told it would have to be to-​go because they were closing. It was 7 p.m.
Got the salad, dressing on the side, and had it for lunch the next day. It’s not a bad one. You got your feta cheese, red onion, kalamata olives (pitted, but no hole), cucumber and tomato, but smaller slices spread more sparsely than on other salads reviewed on my pages, all atop 100 per cent iceberg lettuce.
On the asset side, the salad included two dolmades, grape leaves stuffed with couscous, that livened up the mixture, but it still didn’t dispel the disappointment of no romaine lettuce. The side of grilled pita bread was a welcome addition – soft, pliable and dressing-​absorbent.
While it was a satisfactory salad at $ 6.95, I’m more likely to stay with Panos’ sandwiches and sides in the future and get my Greek salads elsewhere.

Gyro sandwich!
That’s my usual there during lunch maybe once a month… really good (but drips grease). They are really fast and when I order for pick up, it’s always ready when I get there.
Prices are reasonable.
Thanks & ENJOY!

I feel so pressured into giving this place a high rating because everybody else did. The food is a solid 4 stars no doubt, at least the gyros were. It reminded me of the time I spent in Greece for a month, doing nothing but eating gyros everyday. That has to be worth a star or two, eh.
I’ll be back! The guy told me to, lol, and he said eat the souvlaki.