Should you find yourself marooned in Bloomington and in search of a decent meal, Yelp’s #1 destination may surprise you as much as it did me: It’s an independent fast casual joint called Gyropolis (Greek-ish for Gyro City). Once you’ve eaten at Gyropolis — “dined” is too formal a word for a place kitted out like a shopping center food court nook with a Hellenic accent — you’ll concede that Yelp’s crowdsourced conclusion has a point.
Most obvious and most relevant: The gyros at Gyropolis ($6.50) are the equal of any in the greater metro area. Their closest competitor, the version at the Gardens of Salonica, has a superior and outrageously scrumptious hand-crafted pita, but the overall package at Gyropolis boasts a size and overall balance of ingredients that is both bigger and more satisfying. Forced to choose, I’d drive south, not northeast. Conventional gyros tend to suffer from stiff, flavorless pita, under-flavored tzatziki (cucumber sauce), and dried out, sometimes leathery meat, but the sandwich at Gyropolis tastes fresh and as delicate as you could hope for from such a robust street food.
A 6″ gyro pizza on pita ($6) was equally tasty. The pieces of gyro meat on the pie are big enough to enjoy, but small enough to avoid the unpleasant “golden retriever eating a necktie” spectacle sometimes presented by tough, oversized pizza toppings. Its cheese has a real Wisconsin feel to it — chewy, stringy, and laden with dairy richness. (An industrial-sized tub of Nasonville Dairy feta in the cooler suggests that Gyropolis isn’t shy about splashing out for the good stuff.)
The restaurant’s baklava ($3) is outrageously delectable, butting up against (or possibly supplanting?) the heavenly stuff sold over at Filfillah in Northeast. Crunchy and flaky as the dickens, it packs a cinnamon wallop that borders on spicy, a terrific balance for the balanced honey sweetness that concludes each bite.
Gyropolis may not look like much, but its ingredients are fresh, and they’re clearly feeling the love for what they do. Next time you need a break from Wally’s, they’ll be there.
Gyropolis
Greek Casual in Bloomington, MN
2320 W 90th St
Bloomington, MN 55431
952.746.2091
HOURS:
Mon-Fri 11am-8pm
Sat 11am-3pm
Sun CLOSED
BAR: No
RESERVATIONS: No
ENTREE RANGE: $6-8
VEGETARIAN / VEGAN: Yes / Doable
Also the owner grows his own veggies for the gyros during the warmer parts of the year.
Shhh – this place was our secret and now you’ve told the whole TC about it! Great food but limited seating — plan to take your order to-go and happily stay if a table opens up.
Good review James!
Greek is pretty much my favorite, I had no idea there was something good in Bloomington. I’ll definitely check it out!
Jade, let us know what you think – it’s not particularly fancy stuff, but it really is reliably tasty… particularly the baklava.
My kids got hooked on Greek food through this place and the family deli on 98th and Lyndale. Always solid food and could not reccomend it enough.
I have been going there for years. what i realy want is their cucumber sauce recipe. Now that I moved, their almost an hour away, and I miss it. Plus I think it would go good on a burger or with steak.