I heard about Hapeville’s (town the exit before the airport on 85-S) Grecian Gyro by following a former Atlanta Citysearch editor’s twitter feed. He seemed to gush about the place for days. I kept thinking, “I like gyros and all, but why would I drive all the way to the airport to get one?” Then, my parents came to town for a weekend and happened to have a flight back out shortly after lunch. Since they enjoy Greek/Lebanese restaurants (Baton Rouge has a strangely high density of them), we decided to check it out. 2 weeks later, I drove back down to Hapeville for no reason but to get another gyro.

Grecian Gyro

As you can see, the place has been there for a while. Yes, it looks a little diner-sketch. Yes, there are only about 20 seats inside (plus a patio outside). But the gyro–the best I’ve ever had–is worth any reservations you may have.

Gyro Wrap

Grilled Chicken Salad

I ordered the beef & lamb gyro wrap “Nick’s Way” (tomato, onion, Grecian sauce) on both my visits. The gyro meat was the most flavorful I’ve ever had, and was quite juicy too. I let my dad, who doesn’t particularly like lamb (too game-y), sneak a strip of meat, and even he was impressed (“that might be the best lamb I’ve ever tasted”). You can see just how much food one gyro is, which I appreciated to help justify the $6 or $7 price. The Grecian sauce is not regular tzatziki, it’s more tangy and a lot more garlicky. You can even buy the stuff bottled in the store–it’s that good. My parents were equally pleased with their huge salads (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, Greek olives, pepperoncini, and Feta cheese topped with Nicks Grecian Dressing), but my mom was hoping for more of a chicken shawarma (spit roasted like the gyro meat) than just grilled chicken breast on the salad.

There are 3 locations of Grecian Gyro–in Hapeville, Tucker, and Forest Park. Make the drive. It’s worth it. They’re open Mon-Sat for lunch and dinner. Their website says they also offer franchise opportunities…someone please open one in Midtown!

www.greciangyro.com