The Helpful Critics

On a recent cold winter night, I went in search of some cheap, tasty food to fill me up. I wasn’t being too picky, and I wasn’t looking for anything spectacular, but that’s exactly what I found. If you think that you need to spend $50 to have a wonderfully mouth-watering meal, think again. My boyfriend and I spent no more than $15 at a hole-in-the-wall gyro restaurant in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle, and we left the restaurant delighted and stuffed.

Mr. Gyro looks unassuming from the outside, and it doesn’t look much better on the inside. There are only a couple tables, so you might have to get your food to go. There aren’t many items on the menu, so you can’t be too picky. And the décor is anything but classy. But if you like your food piled high and seasoned just right, and you don’t mind old panoramic pictures of Jerusalem alongside a Mr. Gyro t-shirt hanging on the wall, this just might be your kind of place.

I had a delicious plate of falafel, vegetables, and hummus that was just wonderful, and so good that I desperately wanted to finish all of it, but there was just too much. I wrapped up what was left, took it home with me, and ate it as soon as I felt I could do so without bursting open. My boyfriend had a gyro that he was so delighted with that he made me take a bite, even though he could see how full I was. And, as we waited for our food, we noticed the spiced French fries on the menu and just had to try them. We weren’t disappointed; I’ve never had such uniquely flavored fries, and they tasted fantastic.

There are plenty of great restaurants in Seattle, and there are more hip neighborhoods than Greenwood, but do yourself a favor and skip the trendy places with small plates of expensive food and go try Mr. Gyro for yourself.