Review: Spartan Pita & Gyro

Special of the day: generous serving of yummy spicy jalapeno mac n cheese with tender chicken, came with side salad.

Cross-posted from Yelp.

The short: Dependably tasty food with generous portions; good value; friendly and efficient service; no-frills, clean place; everything's cooked to order, and while service isn't slow at all, as a lunch spot, call your order in if you're on a time crunch. The only Greek place I've been to offering htipiti--feta and red pepper dip with pita--good and spicy!

The long: Plenty of parking in the strip mall on the north side of Thomas, halfway between 46th and 44th Streets. The restaurant is on the southern end of the strip. It's well lit with lots of moveable tables inside, and it's spacious, so good for groups, and there's always enough seating though it can briefly fill up during the most peak hours. I tend to walk in from my office right around 11, so there's usually only me and maybe one or two other tables seated.

Ordering at the counter is quick and easy, I often just get the special of the day--there's a lunch-ish special (e.g., pita and fries) and a dinner-ish special (e.g., spaghetti with side salad), and I often just default to that. Today I got the jalapeno mac 'n' cheese with chicken, which came with a generous side salad--perfect-size chopped lettuce, tomato, olives, a couple slices of raw white onion that I avoided because no thank you, and an overall sprinkle of feta. Consider asking for a plate or it will be a feta party. A con-feta party. As in, feta everywhere. I might use some of the light and tasty dressing--oil and maybe some kind of balsamic...maybe olive juice...brown. It's really just fine with the feta--it's really just roughage, anyway.

The mac 'n' cheese was spicy! My taste buds flattened in fear and tried to flee into my inflated tongue--which means it was just right. And a generous serving, so if you aren't having a good gluttonous time, it can be two servings, three if you're dainty. Or normal-sized. Or large with a small stomach. I had a slice of cheesecake, too--I'd ordered the rice pudding, but they were out and gave me the option to sub in cheesecake or baklava--cheesecake is good--soft and creamy, pretty standard. The chicken was perfect--tender, just enough char to be exciting and not off-putting, and flavorful, though if you've submitted to the spicy mac 'n' cheese, you might just want the chicken to calm your mouth down.

This is a favorite lunch spot. I've tried about a third of the menu, and I've never had a poor meal here. Fries stay crispy the whole meal, meat's always good and tender, pitas are always soft and fresh, and one day, I'll remember to ask them to hold the raw onions. Kudos for free refills on iced tea and always having green iced tea.

4502 E. Thomas Rd.
Phoenix, AZ  85018  
(602) 956-1996
Mon    10:30 am - 9:00 pm    
Tue     10:30 am - 9:00 pm    
Wed    10:30 am - 9:00 pm    
Thu     10:30 am - 9:00 pm    
Fri       10:30 am - 9:00 pm    
Sat      10:30 am - 9:00 pm    
Sun     11:00 am - 8:00 pm