Byres Road has long been the haunt of students and locals alike, with a range of shops and bars and restaurants.
Some, such as Curlers and the University Cafe, have stood the test of time, while others are newer, with some units yet to open new cafes, coffee shops or bubble tea outlets.
One of the newer places to eat is Gyros, a Greek inspired restaurant (with space for 14 covers) and takeaway.
Spearheaded by the team behind Halloumi, Gyros took over the former Martha’s Deli at 223 Byres Road in April 2022.
The menu includes influences and flavours inspired by the wider Mediterranean as well as an array of traditional Greek dishes, including the much loved Gyro, stuffed with chicken, pork, lamb, meatball, king prawn or a vegan offering.
There’s also Souvlaki, chargrilled lamb Kofta, Falafel, and Skepasti (essentially a hot sandwich with pita bread top and bottom).
On opening, general manager Andrew Kangulu said: “We are thrilled to open Gyros in Glasgow’s West End. Our sister brand, Halloumi has proven to be a huge success, with three locations, and has established a demand for Greek cuisine in Glasgow.
"Customers at Gyros can expect a casual dining experience full of traditional Greek flavours cooked lovingly while they wait using time-honoured methods and long-established recipes.
"Expect delicious flavours of modern Greek street food, inspired by the casual Gyros venues that are found throughout Greece. The Gyros team will use time-honoured cooking methods, familiar recipes and quality produce."
Having missed out on a free gyros when the restaurant opened last year (they gave away some to the first 100 customers), and often passing it by when out with the dog, I decided to try it out for lunch one Monday in January.
I am not one for buying into the new year, new me, so I don’t really have any new year’s resolutions, especially any to do with losing weight or going on a health kick.
This is just as well as we massively over ordered, and I wasn’t expecting such carb on carb dishes as there were available here.
We started with toasted pita and dips, Melitzanosalata and Tzatziki (£5.70 each).
The tzatziki was fresh and lively, and creamier than some I’ve tried in the past while the melitzanosalata had a hint of smoked aubergine, but this was overpowered by garlic.
The pitta was a good mix of soft and toasted, with more than enough for each dip. Next up was the Aegean schnitzel gyros (£8) and a prawn saganaki skepasti (£10.50). We also shared loaded halloumi fries (£7.50) and a Greek salad (£5.70).
The schnitzel gyros was packed full with crispy breaded chicken, slaw, garlic aioli, tomato,
Onion and chips (which feature a lot). A good mix of flavours and textures, with the slaw and tomatoes adding texture and freshness while the aioli gave some creaminess.
The prawn saganaki skepasti was pretty big, and easily could serve two if you’re not starving. This dish had cheese, onion, tomato, prawns, Saganaki and chips.
There was also a spicy mayo which, with the cheese, resulted in a rich sauce (a bit like an American fake cheese sauce out of a can). This wasn’t unpleasant, but I am not sure it went very well with the prawns.
Finally to the shared dishes. The Greek salad was a classic, with big wedges of tomato, cucumber, green and black olives, red onion and a slab of herb scattered feta on top.
It was very refreshing (after all the carbs) with a nice dressing and the cheese was not too much. The fries were lovely and crispy and came with deep fried halloumi, which was hidden among the large portion.
Another nice dish, which on its own or part of a smaller order, would come into its own. I can see this being a favourite for an after the pub snack. These reheated well at home later on.
Gyros provided an enjoyable lunch (with leftovers for dinner), but all dishes we tried, apart from the salad, were quite heavy going.
Ideal if you’re a student with a hangover, or just in need of some comfort food but maybe not if you’re on a January health kick.
223 Byres Road,
Glasgow
G12 8UD
