The Gyro Spot

Fast, fresh and friendly

The Gyro Spot in Manchester seems to have hit its stride. Open since summer of 2012, this small Manchester eatery is fast becoming the place for inexpensive downtown lunches and evening snacks.

Those looking to replace the typical and less-than-healthy fast-food option at lunch will be happy to find a fresh, tasty alternative that can range from pork, chicken and veggie gyros ($6.50 and $5.75 for the veggie) to Greek salads ($6.75) and traditional soups ($4 for small and $5 for large) such as avgolemono and fakes. Choosing the lighter yogurt-based tzatziki sauce, a wheat pita and nixing the fries, which come inside the gyro, keeps things on the lighter side.

Stop in with the evening crowd (or just throw caution to the wind at lunch) and order your gyro with the house special “G Sauce,” a spicy, creamy topping that will give your sandwich a kick, plus a side of the freshly cut feta fries ($4.75) that come heaped with — you guessed it — feta cheese. Cap it all off with deceptively simple but oh-so-delicious loukoumades (fried dough balls drizzled in honey and sprinkled with powdered sugar, $4) for a great and quick Greek meal.

This is an order-at-the-counter eatery with speedy service that isn’t your typical fast-food experience. Like the popular Chipotle chains, everything is made fresh right in front of you behind the glass.

Other traditional Greek items such as dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with rice and spices, $5.75) and spanakopita (spinach in filo dough, $4) round out the menu. Bottled beer and two on-tap options are available.

A good sign of authenticity: It’s pronounced yee-roh here, not gy-roh. If you get lost, just glance up on the wall where you’ll find fun and helpful phonetic guides.