I was recently told that GyroGrill had won some kind of "Best Greek Food in San Diego" award. Whoa, that was a bit of a shock. It had been a while since I last visited, so I decided to head on over for lunch.
The good thing about GyroGrill is that they open at 10am as I'm not a fan of the "squishy" parking situation in the lot here. When that lot gets full, it's a pretty tight squeeze.
And to be perfectly honest, I was interested to see what the price of the Gyro Combo was these days. And the sign said the combo was now $15. In case you're keeping score, in October 2020 it was $7.99 by January of 2022 it was $12.99. During my last visit, in April of 2022 it was $14. Well, now a year later it's $15. I guess I should be happy that it's "only" gone up a buck since last year, right?
And both the A-frame chalk sign and a page posted near the counter said something like "Awarded San Diego's Best Greek Food 2022".
By something called "the San Diego Award Program"? Well, talk about a generic sounding name. But seeing that GG is on the ballot again this year, I followed the link from the business website and it leads to this page on a UT website.. I quickly noticed an omission, can you figure it out?
Anyway, I ordered my usual, the Pork Gyro Combo. The really nice guy from my previous visits was working and I took my order back to the office.
Upon opening up the Gyro, I quickly noticed that things had changed. This was no longer marinated pork cut from a spit into thin slices. This was more like chunks of marinated grilled pork shoulder. Along with being chunks of pork, the meat was a lot darker in color than what I'd had previously. It was also tough and dry. In terms of flavor, this was on the salty side.
Lest you think I'm having a "senior moment", this is what it looked like on my previous visit.
I actually have enjoyed the cross-cut, chip like, fries even more than the Gyros at GG, crisp outside, creamy inside. These had changed as well.
These were cut lengthwise and much thinner. They didn't stay crisp as long and were on the drier end of things.
Man, I miss the way those potatoes used to be……here's a photo.
Bummer.
Now, I know that there's more to Greek Food than Gyros, after all, we've had some nice meals in Greece. But still…….
GyroGrill
6780 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121
🙁
I haven’t tried GyroGrill, and now I’m not likely to! I drove by recently, but had just gone to Zgara a couple of days prior so I didn’t stop.
Hmm… The best Greek food in San Diego doesn’t sound that wonderful.
Yes, very disappointing Kat!
Yeah, I just went to Zgara myself Sandy….needed my fix after having this.
I think there’s better to be had Soo!
These award programs are mostly a joke anyway — it’s a race to see who can round up the most votes via social media nowadays. Not who’s truly the BEST.
Very true Peter! But there are so many people who “buy into it”.
I scrolled through the list and there’s quite a bit of casino spots. Maybe the primary demographic is older people that still subscribe to the print version.
Good observation Junichi!
I’ve noticed that casino restaurants seem to be tops in these “best” lists. I attributed it to the casinos advertising or campaigning.
Interesting Sandy! That’s probably true.
Oh wow. That looks pretty bad. I only went there a few times about a year or two ago and it was pretty good. They used to give you way too many potatoes. I hate that parking lot too and would never go there during the weekday lunch rush. First time I went there was on a Saturday and there was on,y one person working there (cooking and managing the register). It was really busy for him and I felt bad for him but it was still during the pandemic and alot of restaurant were just dealing with short staff. But it was worth the wait. Unfortunately they’re probably making cost changes and affecting quality.
Yes, it’s not as good as it used to be Denver. If I go to Tenkatori; I try to get there right at 11.
That’s so sad, cost gone up and quality gone down. Who did they pay for the hit piece?
😉
Yes, a “sign” of the times Billy! I told the person who mentioned the award to me and they cracked up.
I used to grab a pork gyro and fries there every month or two during the pandemic. That gyro looks nauseating to me, and the fries used to be so good!
It was such a disappointment Dereck!