[Photograph: Lindsey Becker]

All of the recent gyros talk around these parts put that meaty, warm hunk of sandwich-comfort in the forefront of all of my food-related thoughts until I quieted the greasy beast with my favorite local gyros. Melanthios Greek Char House boasts a charmingly kitschy Mediterranean theme comprised entirely of gray stone, heavy wooden tables, and long benches overflowing with throw pillows that make me feel like I've just popped over to my friend's Greek grandmother's house for a large bite to eat.

The overflowing hospitality theme is continued with the Gyros Pita ($8.50), a platter of heaping gyros meat, thin and long as the scissor-curled ribbons on Christmas packages, so bountiful it completely obscures the hearty, sponge-like pita underneath. Though it would be admirable to try and eat this like a sandwich, it's much easier to unearth the pita with knife and fork, grab a piece along with a thin slice of meat, onion, tomato, and dip the entire bite in the tzatziki, which is outrageously creamy and thick enough to hold a fork upright. Not to be outdone, the side of Greek fries are duly obscured, though instead of by a mountain of meat, the thin, crispy fries are topped with a salty, indulgent blanket of feta.

Melanthios Greek Char House

3116 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60657 (map)
773-360-8572
http://www.melanthiosgreekcharhouse.com/