Super Pitas

-Grubbing in Chicago(land)  
Real Greek Gyros in Niles

The casual Greek food trend from last year is still giving us options. The latest comes from a place called Super Pitas on Milwaukee in Niles. They're saying is "The Original Greek Gyros" by which they mean most people in Greece prefer their gyros be made with pork. For a while in Chicago your only option was really the beef/lamb combo that companies like Kronos made a staple of the Chicago food diet. Some places still make homemade gyros with a beef and lamb blend but the spots making gyros in house with pork has overtaken them. Plenty of parking as Super Pitas sits in a strip mall.

Newly Opened in Niles

Real deal gyros are one of my favorite things to eat. They fall into the spits of meat category that I so very much adore. Even though I grew up eating the lamb and beef blend so popular in Chicagoland I much prefer a pork gyro now that I've had so many of them. Rarely do they disappoint and Super Pitas did not. I got the plate which comes with fries, tomatoes, sliced red onion, tzatziki, and a pita sliced into four. As always the plate made for a meal and leftovers. I enjoyed the traditional flavors and would happily go back if I lived in the area or next time I'm near. They also offer chicken gyros while fries are standard in the gyro sandwiches. That's how the most popular places in Athens do it.

Pork Gyro Plate at Super Pitas

Super Pitas
7041 N Milwaukee Ave
Niles, IL 60714
(847) 423-2050
Website

Naf Naf Grill

Regional Fast Food
-Quick + Tasty Mediterranean in Chicagoland

Today we're headed to check out one of the fastest growing food chains here in Chicagoland. Naf Naf Grill specializes in getting a quick Mediterranean fix. Be it in shawarma, falafel or kebob form. It started out as a small mom and pop spot on Ogden avenue in Naperville. It then quickly became a hot spot that was featured in many food related publications. Two businessmen were so impressed they asked to form a partnership with the couple who owned it and here we are today with eight locations through the Chicagoland area with more planned as each quarter passes. If you have Naf Naf as a lunch option near where you work, you're probably not complaining.

Naf Naf has developed a cult-like following and many swear by their bread...baked fresh on site at some locations

They have a well rounded menu with many usual suspects but its the chicken shawarma that I order each and every visit. Which isnt abundant since the only one I've ever tried is the Niles location but I make it a point to stop in if passing by the Touhy avenue exit on 90/94. They display a huge spit for the meat that comes pretty tamely seasoned but is only a part of the entire sandwich. I'm in the middle on the aforementioned pita bread. Its extra soft and puffy as they make it fresh at this location. What really makes this sandwich for me though is their hot sauce which is a cilantro heavy concoction with real spice to it. Also the pickles, I always order extra as they make for the perfect condiment to top the entire sandwich off. Their house cut fries are more like chips, some love them. I pass as the sandwich itself is a nice portion size for someone looking for a quick lunch under $10 that isnt from Ronald, Wendy etc...You can do much worse when you only have 40 minutes.

Chicken Shawarma Sandwich from Naf Naf

Naf-Naf Grill
Locations in Chicagoland

Nick's Drive In Gyros

--Got Beef? (and lamb)
KingT's gyro-tron

Welcome back to the gyro-tron, did you miss it? Next stop is the burbs of Niles and Nicks Drive In. I'm not sure exactly how long but Nick's has been in the area for some time and served at least a couple generations of people/families. Why its called a drive-in I have no idea, maybe because you have drive into the small parking lot hoping to find a spot. Nicks has a reputation of having the best gyros sandwich in Chicago and so I had to try it. Over the winter I took a ride to do some shopping at the Asian mega store Super-H Mart (HUGE Asian grocery store/mall great for your Asian ingredients) and grabbed lunch from Nick. Nicks menu is heavy with Greek specialties and Chicago gyro stand regular items. They feature rotisserie chicken, ribs, kebabs, hot dogs, Italian beef, hamburgers and of course gyros.


Homemade gyros is a good sign


mural outside

Nick's reputation for having the best gyros in the land of the gyros is due to their secret homemade family recipe that is prepared from scratch. Its nice to see a place that still does it the old school way. I would say that almost 90% of places order their cones from one of the many gyro companies here in Chicago. In case you didn't know: every single gyro manufacture in the country is based in Chicago. The big companies like Kronos make over 80 million a year and at least half of that comes from businesses in the Chicagoland area. That is a ton of pre-formed gyros cones around town. Its not as if these cones are inedible and in fact many places still put out great gyros that use these companies for their meat. Its all about the preparation by the restaurant your eating at.

Nick's gyros have a style all of their own due to the fact they are homemade. I made a few trips to Nicks since the time I was told to go and it has been a mixed opinion on each visit. When Nick's cuts the meat right off the cone and its nice and charred it is a very good mixture of lamb and beef with little bits of garlic in each piece. However on a few visits it had been pre sliced and no where near as crispy as my first gyro dinner there. The same time it was pre sliced the tomatoes and onions weren't so fresh and the pita wasn't warm. Maybe the 2nd and 3rd visits were off days or something but along with the ehh frozen fries and watery tzatziki it didn't live up to the hype and there wasn't enough sauce even when I ordered an extra cup. In summary when this place is on they are on and when they are off...they're off.


Nicks homemade gyros platter

Rating Scale: 5/5

Gyro meat: 4 (when its on)
tzatziki: 3
fries: 2
freshness of pita and toppings: 3 (at times)

Score: 12/20

Nick's Drive In
7216 N Harlem Ave
Chicago, IL 60631
(773) 631-5045
Website