Lezzette’s Home-made Gyro is Pretty Interesting
My quest to find a real gyro sandwich in Midtown never takes a vacation. So when I spotted this sign on 34th btw. 8+9th in the window of Lezzette, my curiosity was piqued. Sure, it’s out of the technical Midtown Lunch boundaries. And Lezzette looks more like a generic Midtown deli, than an authentic Greek restaurant. But whatever. “Homemade Gyro”! How could I not?
Now, my idea of a “real gyro” might not be in line with everybody else. I’ve never been to Greece, so when I say “real gyro” I’m still talking about the standard prepackaged gyro spits you find here in the states. What makes a good one (IMO), is when the restaurant allows the meat to fully cook on the spit, before slicing it off. And, the sandwich has to have real tzatziki. White sauce aside, there isn’t a street cart in all of Midtown that takes the time to let their gyro meat cook properly. They all cut it off in chunks, and cook it up on their flattop. Makes for a delicious plate of halal food, but not a real gyro. Gyro II does it right, but their yogurt sauce is weird and sickly sweet. I like the Famous Chicken place version, but the best is probably at Uncle Nick’s– but you have to travel to 9th Ave. for that one.
But Lezzette is different than all of those places. When they say “homemade gyro” they mean homemade gyro. Check this bad boy out. This is real meat, wrapped around a giant spit. It’s beef (not lamb) and the flavors are more Middle Eastern than Greek… but look at that thing! You’ve got to respect it.
The sandwich comes as a wrap, instead of in a pita, confirming that it’s not really Greek… but it was pretty tasty. I will always prefer lamb over beef, and it won’t satisfy your American/Greek gyro fix. But it’s a great wrap, especially if you prefer your gyro to be made from real meat. There’s a good mix of Mediterranean spices in the meat, and the whole thing is balanced well with the lettuce, tomato, and yogurt sauce. I don’t know if I’d travel far out of my way for it, but if you work in the area, Lezzette should definitely be in your rotation.
THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)
- Real meat! On a spit. How can you argue with it?
- If you like gyro sandwiches, but prefer beef over lamb- this is your place!
THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)
- I prefer Greek spices over Middle Eastern spices
- I prefer lamb over beef
- I prefer pita bread over a wrap
Lezzette, 369 W 34th St (btw. 8+9th), 212-244-8301
Posted by Zach Brooks at 11:55 am, August 26th, 2009 under Lezzette, Middle Eastern, Out of Bounds.
19 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
19 Comments
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*cries*
I wish that were in the 40’s or 50’s.
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I think I’m going to have to break down and try the Bread and Olive beef shawarma next week.
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Damn, I gave up on that area once Soul Fixins closed. That sh*t looks crazy delicious, ha ha!
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How much does the Gyro cost?
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I’ve been in here before too, Their chicken shawarma wrap is excellent too. I asked for a chicken shish but she insisted I try the shawarma and boy was she right, girl knows how to cook.
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…it should be lamb….but yes…it looks bloody lovely.
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Damn, it does look GOOD! Do they deliver? I feel like all the best midtown lunch spots are in the 30’s. Woorjip, Szechuan, this place… Damn 48th and 5th!
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I can’t believe he left out the price..
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mkim, if it were on the upper bound of the ML boundary ($10) there would have been a complaint, and if it were past it, he wouldnt post it, or would have and said it was up to us if it were worth it.
I’m going to guess it’s $7 – $8.
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No fries on it? Its not real.:)
I wasn’t in Greece for long, but everywhere I went, they threw fries on the gyro.
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the best gyro i had was at a bus stop in Santorini island. It was a tiny small place…and on my first bite, i was like, wow…i didn’t expect this…
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i second mkim’s comment – where’s the price??
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wslee00, lol, i don’t remember the price but i am sure it was less than $5.
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Slightly off topic, but last time I went to Uncle Nicks for delicious gyro, the price had gone up $1, to $5.95. Quelle horreur!
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i just had this recently and i believe it was $8
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i love this place! their hot food is excellent. the variety is great, always something different: chicken cordon bleu, okra (always a vegetarian dish), seafood in tomato sauce, chicken parmigiana, for example, always has chicken and beef kabobs, always a huge slab of some fish, mostly salmon, all served with some rice or barley and sauteed vegetables. a lot of it is not a midtown lunch (over $10), but it’s all fresh, and if you get a skirt steak, he cooks it to order! these are real meals. their cold salad bar is excellent — homemade hummus, tabbouleh, gigantes, eggplant salads, orzo salad. i love lezzette! i’ve never actually had the gyro there. i may try it as i don’t like lamb (“real” gyro in greece is made from pork, by the way). the owners are turkish. their baklava is to die for. i’m going for lunch today!
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eating one right now – asked for a price for you guys, $6.98
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i got a coke and some baklava too to try out.
and wow this gyro is tasty, doesnt even need a pita style wrap. If they don’t ask you, ask for spicy.
Wow, that looks delicious!