New York Gyro Central Ave — Restaurant in Columbia Heights

I visited NY Gyro for the first time for a take out lunch. The place was a bit of a dive, the parking lot looked like a Syrian airfield after a drone attack and there was plenty of trash strewn around the area to avoid the impression of pretentiousness, but hey, this means that the owners are busy concentrating on the food quality, right? I ordered the Lamb Gyros sandwich combo to go. This is a very common ethnic-ish meal in the US and I used to be a master Gyros chef, so my standards are pretty high. What I got was pretty disappointing. I'll start with the fries. They were exactly like McDonald's fries except that they were underdone. Underdone fries are nearly unforgivable. The Sandwich started with a fairly standard packaged pita. They did have a vertical broiler with a cone of Gyros meat on it but it didn't look like it was actually a: ON or b: Turning or c: no one was cutting hot juicy yummy gyros meat strips off of it. What I got in the sandwich was a handful of diced mystery meat which didn't really taste like any Gyros I have ever had and probably did not come off their mannequin-like brolier set up. Diced anything is not what you want in a pita sandwich. Everything should be cut long so it stays put in the pocket with just enough Zsaziki on top. In this, the tomatoes, onions, meat and lettuce were all diced. The only thing holding everything in the pita bread was the copious amount of "special" dill sauce that saturated everything - even the tissue wrapping that enveloped the gooey mess inside which I had to dissect like a biology lab experiment to eat. While not too competent at making satisfying lunch for humankind, NY Gyros does deserve an achievement award for making the first Gryos sandwich meal that tastes exactly like a badly cooked Big Mac and Fries - which, by the way, you can buy the real thing...

My family and I have been coming to New York Gyro in Columbia Heights for years, and it’s easily one of our favorite spots! The food is always delicious and satisfying, and we especially love their Haleem—it’s rich, flavorful, and absolutely perfect every time. I also love the Chicken Tikka with a hearty salad!

During Ramadan, they offer a limited Iftar buffet, but honestly, for us, it’s more than enough. The options are never ending, fresh and are filling, tasty, and just right for breaking our fast. We’ve never felt like we needed a huge spread—the quality and flavors make up for it.

What truly makes this place special is the exceptional service. Br. Basharat is always incredibly kind, welcoming, and goes above and beyond to make sure we have a great experience. His genuine care and hospitality make us feel like family. He is also very kind to my children!

I also occasionally will bring my photography clients here, and they absolutely love the food. I also have larger family get togethers here as well! It’s a great spot to grab a bite and share a meal with people, it never disappoints.

While the space is a bit limited, we’ve never had an issue finding a spot, even during Ramadan. They do take reservations, so I would recommend calling early as it does get busy. But they do have a heated outdoor tent, which is a great option when it gets busy.

If you’re looking for flavorful food, amazing service, and a welcoming atmosphere, this is the place to be. Highly recommend it—you won’t be...

Been trying these middle eastern chipotle style places and restaurants looking for some amazing love and flavor, this place has midtones if any for flavor, in my opinion, and can be a bit spendy.

Got the combination rice dinner with chicken and lamb. There wasn't much meat, I'd bet half a chicken breast and a .25lb of lamb. A cup and a half of rice. I asked the chef to hook up the toppings/salad, was cucumbers, green peppers, Pico, lettuce, cucumber sauce. Without these items i personally think the dish would have no flavor.

The cheese pratha was wack for $7. No flavor of any kind, more of a thick dry bread. Added little no nothing to the meal.

The garlic naan, wack. For 2.25 i was clearly expecting to much, the sesame seeds all in the middle, small, about 6.5 inches in diameter. Lack luster, just bread with no love.

The chicken tikka with rice...W-A-C-K. Chicken was dry as Las Vegas air, little flavor once again, I'm just not a fan of chicken breast, seems 70% of establishments just dry that thang out making sure it's cooked.

The somosas were pretty good though, only item that had a good flavor, took me to another region in the world. A little spicy, taste those middle eastern seasonings in every bite. Comes with two dipping sauces, one sweet and spicy the other, green and bland.

The service is okay, nobody rude, waited about 20 minutes for...