Greek Spot

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jacobpstein

Joined 3 years ago

Vegetarian Gyro Hits the Spot. The Greek Spot has a lot of great choices and all of these great choices are even better after a night out along U Street. There is one item though, one culinary feat that stands out, one perfect pita that deserves the spotlight. Above and beyond the fantastic falafel and stupendous souvlaki, Greek Spot’s vegetarian gyro deserves a review of its own. You are now reading that review.

Vegetarian gyro? Yes, vegetarian gyro. Skeptics might ask, why not just get their regular gyro, why substitute? Although Greek Spot’s gyro and gyro platter, which comes with a greek salad and orzo pasta, are tasty, the $5.95 vegetarian gyro is less greasy, more savory, and just as filling. They grill Morning Star Farms non-steak steak strips and this gives the “meat” a crispy outside and juicy inside. For vegetarians who have suffered through various levels of terrible meat substitutes: this is not your grandma’s Tofurkey. In fact, every vegetarian I have gone to the Greek Spot with has been more suspicious than my carnivorous friends, who have no qualms eating it because it tastes great.

The sandwich comes on either white or wheat pita, which is heated on a grill, and then filled with lettuce, feta, onion, parsley, and tomato. They wrap the sandwich in aluminum foil which keeps the heat in, melts the feta, and releases extra flavor; that last one may or may not be scientifically true. The final pita sandwich is a great confluence of crisp veggies, grilled steak flavor without the grease or fat of actual steak, feta, and perfectly warm, fluffy bread. I would recommend asking for the $8.95 vegetarian gyro platter if you have a hunger that needs to be answered right away and don’t feel like eating two gyros. Of course, there is really nothing wrong with just going ahead and eating two, but for those with big appetites the biggest drawback of the Greek Spot is that their portion sizes are “reasonable.”

The other options at the Greek Spot are delicious. They have a refrigerator filled with interesting soda choices (Pure Cane Sugar Cola and Ginger Beer to name two of my favorites) and the hummus, grape leaves, and olives are all good for sharing at one of the tables outside. I have not found another place in the District that offers a vegetarian gyro and have never encountered a vegetarian gyro that rivals, no, surpasses its meaty brother. Skip the long line at Ben’s and abstain from Jumbo Slice for a night. Go to the Greek Spot for the vegetarian gyro and enjoy.