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Located on the Danforth, Messini is known as one of the best places in the city for gyros. One Thursday evening I had a craving for gyros and dropped by Messini with Chris and Jo. When we arrived around 8 the place was packed with people waiting for their take-out orders.

The place is also open late – till midnight from Sunday to Thursday and 4am on Fridays/Saturdays. Bet it’s popular with the post-clubbing crowd.

Gyros!

I ordered a dinner plate which came with a Greek Salad. The salads which you typically get at Greek restaurants are never really anything to write home about. But this salad was something else! It came in a large bowl and just look at how generous they are with the feta. The salad was packed full of fresh vegetables and was a great start to the meal.

Greek Salad

We were also served some warm complimentary pita served with a tapenade.  I only had a small piece since I was saving room for their famous gyro but the tapenade was noteworthy.

Complimentary pita

Chris couldn’t decide between ordering the calamari and octopus so we ended up ordering both. The first to arrive was the Grilled Calamari ($9.45), coming with one large piece of squid. It was surprisingly tender and was seasoned nicely.

Grilled Calamari

Next up was the Grilled Octopus ($8.45) which I liked even more than the calamari. Similar to the calamari, it was very tender and perfectly seasoned. A great start to the meal.

Grilled Octopus

Now, onto what I came here for – the gyros! I ordered the Pork Gyros Pita – pork shaved from the spit and served in a pita topped with onions, tomatoes, tzatziki and French fries. As I ordered the dinner plate, this cost $10.95, on its own, the pork gyros pita would only be $4.05!

Having come here with very high expectations, I have to say I was a little disappointed. I found the meat to be a little under seasoned as I was looking for an explosion of flavour. While not mind-blowing, it was still good. I enjoyed the crispy bits and the fries stuffed inside the pita.

Pork Gyros Pita

The dinner plate comes with the Greek salad as well as a choice of fries, roasted potatoes or rice. For an extra $1, I went with the Feta Fries. Instead of regular fries, these consisted of thinly sliced potatoes with feta, oregano and olive oil baked on top of them. Delicious! I recommend making the upgrade for the extra buck.

Feta Fries

There was a long wait between our appetizers and our pitas. After inquiring with our server she informed us it was because the souvlaki takes a long time to cook on the grill… so keep this in mind if you’re not ordering a gyro.

Jo ordered the Pork Souvlaki Pita – pork grilled on a skewer and served in a pita topped with onions, tomatoes, tzatziki and freshly cut French fries ($4.05). I didn’t try any of it but she mentioned it was on the dry side. Guess it’s best to stick to the gyros!

Pork Souvlaki Pita

Overall, Messini is great value – low prices and solid food!

Messini

At a glance:
• Located in the heart of Greektown
• Known for some of the best gyros in the city
• Popular with the take-out crowd
• Cheap – $5 for a gyro
• Open late – midnight Sundays to Thursdays/4am on Fridays and Saturdays

Ratings (out of 5):
• Food: 3.5 stars
• Service: 2 stars
• Atmosphere: 2 stars

Messini Authentic Gyros on Urbanspoon



  1. Frank (Reply) on Sunday 13, 2012

    From your review of service and atmosphere, this place is best for take out. I like gyros and will give it a try later. If I do not want to drive all the way down to Greektown, is there anything up north with good gyros

    • Jess (Reply) on Sunday 13, 2012

      Yeah, it’s definitely more of a take-out place. Unfortunately I don’t know any places with good gyros uptown 🙁

  2. moo (Reply) on Sunday 13, 2012

    The lamb gyro and chicken gyro are infinitely better than the pork.
    Pork ends up being a bit too chewy. Chicken falls apart much better w better seasoning, and lamb is fattier and more flavourful.

  3. Marjan (Reply) on Sunday 13, 2012

    This is our go to spot for greek food. It’s soooo good and so reasonably priced.

    • Jess (Reply) on Sunday 13, 2012

      It’s one of our go-to’s as well! Tasty food and enormous portions 🙂