Plenty of cities have gyros. Chicago is the reason most of America does. In the 1960s and '70s, local companies started making the spinning cones of seasoned beef and lamb and shipping them across the country, and the city's Greek diners made the gyro an everyday Chicago meal.
How to order
A gyro sandwich comes wrapped in warm pita with raw onion, tomato and tzatziki, the cool cucumber-yogurt sauce. Ask for extra sauce if you like it messy. Get fries on the side, ideally with a squeeze of lemon.
At a sit-down Greek restaurant, also order saganaki: a slab of cheese flambéed at the table while everyone shouts "Opa!"
Greektown
The short stretch of Halsted Street just west of the Loop is Chicago's Greektown.
- Mr. Greek Gyros: the counter that has fed cab drivers, clubgoers and students for years. This is the textbook Chicago gyro, with onions and tzatziki.
- Greek Islands: Greektown's flagship family restaurant since 1971. Order a gyros plate, then the flaming saganaki.
Neighborhood grills
Some of the city's best gyros come from far outside Greektown.
- Athenian Room in Lincoln Park: a family-owned Greek diner since 1972, famous for gyros and for fries soaked in lemony chicken juices.
- Central Gyros on the Northwest Side: an institution that has served its own beef-forward gyros for about half a century.
- It's Greek 2 U Grill in Andersonville: a small family grill that plenty of North Siders swear by.
- Charcoal Flame Grill in Morton Grove: a no-frills suburban grill with a house-made gyro cone that fans rave about.
The modern take
- Taxim in Wicker Park: a regional Greek restaurant best known for its duck gyros, a dressed-up version of the dish Chicago made famous.
Working through Chicago's classics? Start with 20 foods to eat in your first year. New to the city? ChicagoApartmentBuildings.com is our guide to apartment buildings across Chicago.