Did You Ever Know You Were My: Gyro Hero
Posted Tuesday, October 18, 2016Gyro Hero is a Greek and Middle Eastern restaurant featuring an abbreviated list of popular Mediterranean fast food, including falafel, kofta (a Lebanese meatloaf), chicken or beef shawarma and, of course, gyros.
The place is apparently owned by the same guy who'd brought us the now defunct Jordan Valley Restaurant, formerly on 4th St. That was a bit before my time, so I have only this restaurant to form an opinion.
Gyro Hero resides in a notoriously, inexplicably doomed location on Walnut St. next to a Subway and across from J Gumbo's. Several restaurants have come and gone over the years there, including Capri Tavola Calda and one of the first Tom + Chee's. That fact doesn't bode particularly well for Gyro Hero's future, since there are at least a half dozen competing downtown restaurants serving gyros, kababs, falafel and sharwarma.
The one thing Gyro Hero does have over its competitors is its sheer volume of gyro "wrap" varieties, of which there are eleven. Other familiar fare include fries, onion rings, dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), gyro "burgers," hummus, baba ghanoush and assorted salads.
Gyro Hero wrap w/breaded mushrooms My signature Gyro Hero wrap ($5.59) was solid Greek fare, at least for what you find in the States, with hot, thick shavings of gyro meat, tomato, lettuce, onion and tzatiki sauce rolled into a toasty pita. I also tried a side of breaded mushrooms ($3.50), which I can't imagine are Mediterranean anything. Then again, what culture doesn't enjoy frying its food?
The flavors were solid, equally on par with any one of the Mediterranean restaurants downtown. I would have liked to have seen a grilled fish option, as I've enjoyed elsewhere, but this is a minor quibble. Portions are generous and the prices are reasonable.
If you're looking for a good falafel or gyro lunch option, Gyro Hero is worth your dime.
420 Walnut St., Cincinnati, OH 45202513-721-2020
Rating: 3.0 out of 4
= Outstanding
= Fair
= Poor
The best TACO joint in the city. I go there as a treat to myself every Monday. TEX MEX TACOS are delicious culinary treats that look beautiful and taste great. I'm so impressed with this place that I never explore the other items on the menu. If you don't get your taco fix here, you're losing in life.
posted: Tue., Apr 27th, 2021 @ 2:37 PM
My Wife and myself dined at Ferrari’s on Saturday and the Food and service was great/ I had the Butternut Squash Ravioli with misc nuts and sauce and it was the best meal I’ve had there/ My wife had the Fish and Vegetables and was very happy/ I also got a couple of their pizza and olive loaves of bread/ The bread is always a hit at work.
posted: Mon., Nov 23rd, 2020 @ 1:14 PM
@Rick: Thanks for the suggestion! I'll have to remember to give them a try.
posted: Sat., Nov 21st, 2020 @ 9:06 AM
Try Joe's Pizza located at Airway and Smithville Rd. You might like it...That's one of favorite haunts. I definitely think it beats Cassano's.
posted: Fri., Nov 6th, 2020 @ 4:19 PM
Hands down the best Indian in the area. I have yet to find their yellow Punjabi dish anywhere. It is my favorite, and what keeps me coming back time after time. I think I have been here over 100 times. I love this place.
posted: Thu., May 28th, 2020 @ 12:03 PM
I found a gyro I keep thinking about
https://www.yelp.com/biz/tazikis-mediterranean-cafe-cincinnati
their lamb gyro is about 2-3 bucks higher in cost than a gyro elsewhere - B U T - it is made with whole pieces of lamb meat, not the lamb and beef loaf that all other Gyro joints in Cincinnati seem to do
it is a chain. A minus for me, and I suspect for you as well.
But its good.
really, really good
one caveat: skip the baklava as it is not made in-house
posted: Mon., Dec 9th, 2019 @ 12:43 PM
I'll take your word for it, then.....it is fairly close to work so it'll be an upcoming lunch
I also need to try out this little taco wagon near Quatmans in Norwood
posted: Mon., Sep 9th, 2019 @ 6:21 PM
Hi @TJ - We were pretty impressed with the quality of the items, which I think justifies some of the pricing. I really liked the house-made tortillas and their salsas. Chilero offered some extra little touches that were a pleasant surprise. :)
Just by way of comparison...that same week we'd tried the new Mazunte location downtown...and our experience at Chilero beat them out.
posted: Thu., Aug 29th, 2019 @ 10:18 PM
Great food and fantastic atmosphere
posted: Wed., Aug 28th, 2019 @ 8:29 PM
Seems very pricey for a mostly carryout/counter-service joint
posted: Wed., Aug 28th, 2019 @ 5:51 PM