Okay, West Siders, you’ll either love me or hate me when I say this.
Are you sitting down?
I was born and raised on the West Side. Sebastian’s does not have the best gyros in town.
You okay over there?
Let me clarify: Sebastian’s was the first exposure I had to gyros, and it holds a special place in my heart. From the tiny, corner store with a handful of booths, to Alex behind the counter, using his electric knife to carve the spit of gyros, to Alex’s wife yelling at him while sweetly taking the orders from the customers, it’s a fun place. Sebastian’s has character, more character than any gyros place in town.
What’s funny is that I didn’t eat there until I was an adult. My mom thought gyros (pronounced, by her, jai-roes) were “weird”, so we’d drive by and I’d always wonder what they were like. I also wondered whose gyro’s they were (look at the sign!). I later used it as an example to teach the use of possessive vs. plural because everyone on the West Side (where I student taught) knows Sebastian’s!
Gyros around here are all about the preparation. I’m fairly sure everyone gets the same gyro meat (it’s not freshly made; it’s essentially a meatloaf and there are a few distributors of it), but the pita, tzatziki, and other garnishes are what make the difference. Sebastian’s pita isn’t too thick, but is generously buttered. The tzatziki is thin– Taz’s tzatziki wins here, as it is a bit thicker. It’s still not bad. I usually get an gyro salad, which is an open-faced gyro, with more lettuce and bread on the side. The tomatoes were as fresh as they could be this time of year, and there were a couple of olives and some simple vinaigrette. There wasn’t quite enough feta– Taz uses more– and I like the salty, creamy feta on my salad. I don’t want to have to search for it.
So, I guess Sebastian’s is the second best gyro in town, but the first in my heart. It’s a good choice, whether you have the memories associated with it I do, or whether you just find yourself hungry somewhere along Glenway Avenue.
