Papagallo gyro cafe — Restaurant in Lenexa

Phenomenal! The food was off the charts. This is a mom-and-pop hole in the wall place, that you MUST visit if you are in this area. I was visiting a friend in Shawnee and we happened upon this quaint spot. Family-owned and operated, they have a wide variety of mediterranean and Italian inspired dishes created on the spot for you. There is also a small grocery in the shop with European cooking items - I specifically noticed spices my Croatian roommate used to use in cooking.

When we arrived, it was two individuals. Friendly and fun. The dining area is small, which makes me think most people must order to-go. I chose to ask what they loved best, which after finding out its family-owned was best. I had the gyro sandwich combo with chicken which came with a salad, hummus, and the sandwich. Drinks are separate and in cans. The salad was great. I thought the hummus was lacking a bit, but I didn't mind, but that sandwich. insert the chef's kiss was PHENOMENAL. We were also given complementary baklava for dessert. This baklava was full of pistachios and also just as delicious.

Others came in as we were finishing up, and I happened to ask if what they loved best, which they agreed was my gyro. However, I was also then told this person was the son of an Argentinian woman with Palestinian roots who makes empanadas for pop ups for this restaurant. She had JUST brought them to the shop, so we asked for two togo since we were already full. Let me tell you and let me be very clear: FIND THESE EMPANADAS!!!

Both families were incredibly warm and full of hospitality, and with the food being so delicious, it made for the most enjoyable experience! Love Love...

It’s no small feat to be a great new restaurant AND rest on 30 years experience in KC. Ray Kattan and his family team have done just that. The “new” Papagallo Italian Express on Quivira has been open just six months, but Ray has decades of experience making great food. A native Syrian who loves Italian food is an All-American treasure. We sampled the chicken parmesan on spaghetti and lasagna. Both came in ample portions with pita triangles on the side. The restaurant’s menu is no bigger than it’s dining room – which is NO complaint. (A restaurant that specializes in everything has no specialties at all.) We can safely say you won’t find better Italian fare in KC. Other styles, other presentations, yes. But not better. And be sure to treat yourself to a piece of walnut baklava!

Now, all that said, the highlight of the meal was meeting Mr. Ray, himself. Ray is ebullient, brimming with enthusiasm for his food, and has a contagious joie de vivre. At our invitation, Ray bounded out of his office, shook our hands and even kissed me on the head! In a friendly, frenetic landscape of his life, Ray shared his trials and triumphs over the long journey of his life. Spend ten minutes hearing Ray’s passion for family, food, and his adopted homeland and you’ll be counting your own blessings as Ray does. Ray beamed with pride when I said, “You’re a blessing to America”. Ray said no one ever told him that before. He darn near cried. We hope you’ll get over to Papagallo soon, savor a meal, get the baklava, and ask for Ray. In advance,...

Pros:

1. Varied menu
2. We were each given a free Greek salad for reason of something like too much salad was made

Cons

1. Small seating area (two 4 person tables and three two person tables)
2. Dirty interior (crumbs on the tables and dirty cups left on table)
3. During covid, the two of us were told to seat ourselves so we sat at the only table (4 person) with silverware that was also 6 feet away from the only other table with customers. We were then told to move to a table (2 person) where one of us had our chair touching the chair of the other customer (note that there were other tables available). Does make us wonder what other health-related things they don’t care about here. 3b) Later, 1 person by themself sat at a four person table, and were not asked to move to the other available 2 person table. Wondering why this is…
4. Service was fairly slow - took two minutes for a worker to tell us to take a seat, and a total of five minutes to be provided a single menu for the two of us
5. Soft drinks are cans, and water is without ice
6. The flavor of the lamb curry was ‘alright’ at best. But for $16 I expected better (or equal) flavor than the frozen microwave curry meals you can get at target. And at the end of the day, I’d rather buy three of those frozen meals for more curry/rice plus naan, for better flavor, and for cheaper
7. Portion size is smaller than expected (for the price/flavor)

Info:

1. I assume the good ratings come from people buying take out, along with some specific...