There’s nothing quite like a good old fashioned gyro joint. The Milwaukee area is fortunate to have so great ones in its midst. Between Oakland Gyros, Gyro Palace, Cosmos Cafe, Apollo Cafe, The Gyros Stand, and your personal favorite that we’re deliberately not mentioning here as an affront to you and everything you stand for, there’s no shortage of places in the region where locals can partake in delectable spit-roasted meat, feta-filled Greek salads, decadent deep-fried sides, and other timeless, trend-averse treats.
You can definitely count Golden Gyros (7233 W. Lincoln Ave., 414-541-7580) in that camp as well. The restaurant has been (and has remained) the gold standard of gyros and custard in West Allis since the ’80s. Through the years, we had visited the establishment sporadically for quick lunches during our previous life as a coffee delivery driver. Admittedly, it’s been a while since our last visit, but a nagging craving for a good gyro brought us back down Lincoln Ave. to Golden Gyros this week.
Though Golden Gyros is the stuff of legends to people who live in or around West Allis and to folks of a certain age who post on local food-focused Facebook pages, it seems to be otherwise overlooked and oftentimes overshadowed by many of the counterparts we mentioned above in Milwaukee proper. There’s fairly little in the way of press about the restaurant and its social media presence is also endearingly lacking.
Yet somehow this humble carryout- and cash-only food purveyor—that has probably looked and operated mostly the same since the late 1980s—persists. No, it actually seems to thrive in its relative obscurity compared to its Greek comfort food contemporaries. How? Probably through word of mouth.
Surely, Golden Gyros has maintained stability in an oversaturated and ever-changing culinary climate by way of emphatic recommendations from people who swear by the quality and sheer abundance of the seasoned lamb strips, thick slivers of raw white onion, juicy tomato slices, warm and pillow-y flatbread of its namesake gyros…not to mention the rich and creamy tzatziki sauce that comes on the side.
Others no doubt rave about the restaurant’s Jumbo Burgers and Chicken Shish Kabobs, as well as savory sides like gooey battered cheese curds, onion rings, and the pile of crispy French fries like the ones in the paper sack you see above.
Wanting nothing more than a brief sense memory to temporarily remind us of what unfortunately qualifies as “the gold old days” compared to today’s modern hell, we opted for the Gyros Special during this week’s Golden Gyros return. The combo comes with a gigantic gyro with too much meat, veggies, and tzatziki to possibly fold into one pita. Fortunately, they thought to include a plastic fork in the bag to assist with eating some of the overflow before attempting to tackle the gyro itself.
It also comes with fries and a fountain soda (Pepsi products and Sprecher root beer), all for $17.33. Though close to $20 after tax isn’t a negligible sum of money, it’s totally worth it for a tremendous gyro combo that we couldn’t even finish in one sitting. In addition to the size of the combo, another reason we didn’t finish the meal is because we saved room for custard, which Golden scoops daily.
There’s vanilla, chocolate, and a rotating daily special. Thursday’s special was Red Velvet, a creamy vanilla custard combined with a crushed up piece of the eponymous cake. We happily ordered the daily flavor and thoroughly enjoyed it. You can keep an eye on their list of Daily Flavors online. And if custard isn’t your thing, the restaurant also offers a wide range of shakes, floats, and sundaes.
Metro Milwaukee is blessed to be littered with outstanding gyro places that each bring their own style, flavor, feel, and appeal. If you’ve yet to find your gyro joint or if you’re just in West Allis with a sudden craving for a taste of Greece (and, yeah, a little bit of grease), Golden Gyros is still making timeless and tasty eats, just as they have for years…and hopefully will continue to do for decades to come.