Zoya’s Cafe & Catering

Possibly the most disappointing gyros experience in STL. They claim to be a Greek place but their gyros looks more like it came straight out of the refrigerated section at GFS or off the back of a Sysco truck. Completely uniform, pre-​formed, equal thickness and not at all imaginative slices of gyro meat added to an oddly-​prepared pita that looked like it had been warmed in a waffle iron and was somehow ½ as thick as the pitas I’m used to being served. Add in some unevenly sliced red onions and you’ve just about got the picture.
They also add a little bit of parsley which is a nice touch and their house-​made tzatziki which is amazing enough to be worthy of a large upgrade in the star count on this review. The sandwich is served with a bag of chips for almost ten bucks.
Do you like a gyros that is hand-​carved from a spit, possibly crisped up a little bit on a flat-​top, topped with thinly sliced onions, a creamy tzatziki replete with chunks of cucumber and served on a lightly oiled and grilled puffy warm pita bread? If so, this isn’t the place for you… or me!

I I saw an ad on Unilocal for this restaurant as I was looking for a casual place for lunch. The grouper gyro was fresh hot and delicious! They had split pea and lentil soup which sounded awfully healthy so I figured a bowl of that would be good for me and it was totally worth it. The place started hopping around 11:45 kind of slowed down about 1:15. I had to pass through the kitchen to get to the restroom and even the kitchen was spotless cleaned by a couple of Russian owners no doubt.

This has become one of my favorite spots to grab a quick bite to eat. I order the Gyro Special with the half Greek salad.
The gyro is fantastic and not greasy. Always comes with fresh tomatoes.
I think the Greek salad here is amazing. I am obsessed with it and must order it every single time.

Great inexpensive home style cooking. I got their Italian roast beef sandwich. The roast beef was very soft and moist. The bread was delicious and you could definitely tell it was home made. The sandwich is topped off with Parmesan cheese, peppers, lettuce, tomatoes and Italian dressing.
Food is filling and the portion sizes are good for $ 8 lunch it’s not a bad deal. $ 10.32 with soda. The staff was friendly and I was in and out within 10 minutes during lunch. This is my very first time eating here. I didn’t know this place even existed. It’s right behind the gas station on Olive and New Ballas road in Creve Coeur.
I would highly recommended this place for lunch. It’s good food at reasonable prices. I may up my stars to 5 after trying a few more goodies. Enjoy

I love having a Gyro sandwich every once and awhile, and I can think of no better place to go on the west side of town. The ingredients always taste fresh, and always leaves me wanting more, which is a tuff when your belly is full. I’ve never used their catering but I will consider it for the next opportunity.

Zoya’s is a tried-​and-​true lunch spot near work. It has a large selection of soups/​sandwiches/​salads and daily specials with an European twist. You can get Borscht, a Russian soup, if you are feeling really adventurous. I especially love the cabbage rolls and the bread here. You can’t go wrong with anything really.

Food is great but it takes a long time. I’ve waited a considerable time on both occasions I’ve picked up an order.

We stopped here for lunch, what a fantastic place! It was super busy, but everyone seemed to be enjoying their meals and the staff was very friendly. My husband order the Matzo ball soup which was fantastic and the fish Pitaco. I had Borscht (which was beyond amazing) and a Greek salad. The servings are quite large, great tasting and well worth it. I highly recommend getting the Baklava as well. Even though I am from out of town, I will definitely be returning!

Had my first visit there today. Food and service was good. Prices are a bit high however. 2 gyros and a salad $ 27.00. But glad I tried it. If I go back or not is debatable.

This place has grown on me over the past few months. The dining room isn’t much to talk about, but the food I have ordered is great.
I usually don’t consider Greek as one of my options when going to lunch, but this place is now an exception. I have limited my order to a few items and I’m not sure I’ll deviate from those becuase they are so tasty.
Their Greek salad is probably the best I have ever had. It isn’t so much the ingredient, although they are good, but the dressing. It isn’t as zesty as other Greek dressings, but it has a bit of a sweet flavor to it.
The beef gyro is huge. If you order the lunch special, gyro, salad, bread and drink for $ 9.99, you will roll out of that place. It is actually too much food for lunch. It would be great if I could go back to work and take a 2 hour nap. I typically add a bowl of matzo ball soup and it is perfect.
The staff is friendly and service is fast. Try it out, you’ll like it.

While the food was decent enough, there were little things that made this experience less than great.
First…wasn’t greeted by the employee despite making eye contact and there only being one couple in the place.
Next…dark! All the overhead lights were off and only track lighting illuminated the walls. Weird. Made me feel like I was unwelcome and crashing on them winding down for quitting time since also all of the dessert cases were empty. I was there an hour and a half before they closed.
Also…what is with the ambient music? If Bob Ross wrote House Music, this is the muzak they have blaring in this place.
The gyro bread is pre-​made and reheated in a waffle iron, and while it’s ok, it’s not fabulous. I watched a large shmear of some kind of cream cheese go on my gryo (???), and along with the typical fixings, two gigantic blobs of tzatziki. Zoya’s could learn that less is more with that. Too much goo!
The salad was bright and fresh (loved the mixed greens, and parsley was a lovely, rare touch!).
For a business calling themselves a Greek café, their offerings were pretty typical deli fare.
I’ll probably be back because it’s the closest gyro place to work, but I won’t be bragging about it to my friends. It’s just a creepy place.

A great lunch spot with homemade soups and fantastic bread! The Gyro was very good a tad heavy on the tzatziki sauce for me, but I still ate the whole thing. The Greek salad is also excellent with lots of olives, feta, peppers and tomatoes.

I stopped in this place by accident on my way home and was pleasantly surprised.
Even though I walked in 10 minutes before close the day before the 4^th the employees that were working were extremely helpful and friendly.
I ordered the beef gyro and it was delicious. The meat was tender and flavorful.
I would go again and eat outside.

Great spot. I would consider this restaurant more eastern European, rather then Greek. I met the owner who was very friendly, she suggested the borscht. I have been to Russia, and had some excellent borscht’s, not to mention my girlfriend is also Russian, and defiantly knows her away around a beet. I was reluctant and I ordered the borscht, and the beef gyro.
The borscht was excellent, and tasted like mother Russia. The gyro was good, but the flavor was a little undeveloped for my taste. however very good for St.Louis.

I needed a little carryout lunch after no breakfast and two doctor appointments that went on until 1 p.m. There’s indoor and outdoor seating. Pretty basic café style — nothing fancy.
I opted for the Greek lunch, which is a gyro, Greek salad and beverage. .. and it comes with a lovely piece of bread. Utensils, napkin and butter went along with the package. .. very considerate.
I watched them make my gyro, ’cause it’s right there in front of you. And there was not much meat going on this sandwich. Plenty of tzatziki, diced tomatoes and a bit of red onion. But meat. .. not so much.
The salad was just delightful: romaine and other dark greens (no iceberg here) tomato, yellow pepper, red onion, kalamata olives, and feta. Beautifully proportioned with a highly tasty Greek vinaigrette offered in a separate container.
I just wish the salad had been a bit bigger, it was so delicious!
The gyro was quite fine. I added feta for $.75, and it was a reasonable amount. And I could pick it up to eat it.
Maybe it was because I hadn’t eaten all day, but I ate all of it, including the lucious fresh hunk of bread with REAL BUTTER.
It was a $ 12.62 lunch with no leftovers. Hmmmm! That’s all.

What a pleasant surprise to enjoy a delicious gyro during lunch. They have great week day lunch specials. They are family owned and Zoya herself waited on us. The gyro was excellent and quite moist.
Check it out!

Typically, I’m not one to get all excited over Greek for lunch. Let’s just say, I’m not in a hurry to get anyone to the Greek. Not sure why. Maybe it’s because I just don’t get tingly when I hear the word gyro. Also, I don’t eat veal, or lamb. Simply because they (calves and lambs) are just too cute to consume. Combine this with the suggestion of a friend who goes to the same sandwich place each and every day for lunch, and I’m like «Dude, you eat the same sandwich every day, of course a new place is going to taste good.» So I never took Zoya’s seriously.
ADD side note, if anyone ever wants to open their own sandwich shop, here’s a free name idea. Hawgwarts Sandwitches and Sandwizards. Make sure you spell it Hawgwarts for legal purposes.
Back on track here… Well today I gave in, and said «Brah, you can pick any place you want brah.» I throw «brah» around liberally. I also chew my gum with my mouth open, and over extend my jaw whilst in chew brah. There you have it, I threw him a low hanging curve ball, and whammo… he hit it to Zoya’s for the home run of lunches. I will admit, I Unilocaled the place before going so I knew it wasn’t going to suck based on the reviews. I’m happy I went, because I now have a killer place to go for my change-​of-​pace lunch.
So why do they get a 5 star from me? Well that’s really easy. The food is great! The gyro is plump (not all dry and blah), and the Greek salad is off the chain. Haven’t tried the baklava, but it looked good as all Hades. They also get your food out relatively quickly, which is nice as well. Another great thing is their lunch deal. Greek lunch for 9.99 which includes a plump gyro, off the chain salad, soda, and bread. It’s quite filling, and relatively more healthy than 5 Guys Clogged Arteries, and Fries. Zoya’s lunch is actually less expensive based on what you order.
Another ADD Side note… My prediction is that those who routinely eat on the west side of Olive, and New Ballas are likely to live longer compared to those who eat on the east. This is purely speculation, and not the reviews of Unilocal and their affiliates. This comment does not guarantee longevity.
Ironically though, the name Zoya means «life» in Greek. BOOM! Mind is blown…

Oh vey, this place has the most DELICIOUS matzo ball soup I have ever had in my life.
I came here for lunch randomly with my twin sister and a mutual friend of ours and I fell in love! This place is a bit smaller than most places but their menu and food makes up for their lack of space. I have only had their chicken salad sandwich and matzo ball soup but I am excited to go back to try the rest of their menu!

This small spot is informal dining.
The sandwich is a solid 4 star sandwich.
I had a chicken and mushroom sandwich on this fantastic bread that tasted like they baked it themselves. The chicken was not processed and tasted like it was carved from the bird not long before being in my sandwich.
The mushroom soup was not as tasty but it might be because it had lentils in it, of which I do not like in this format.
They had some wicked looking baklava but I didn’t try it. today.
Two very sweet Russian woman were behind the counter. They were the kind of people that makes your heart lighten as their genuine smiles really brighten your day.
The snapshot: Great informal place to go when you need to get lunch fast and you want a great sandwich! Maybe ask for a taster of the soup before you get it. Amazing bread.
*edit* They do make their own bread and it is wonderful!
*re-​edit* If you come for lunch at noon you will be waiting in line and finding a seat might be a problem.

Not sure what that 1-​star review is all about… This place definitely deserves better.
Zoya’s is mostly a lunch place. The place is run by Russian ladies and features soups and sandwiches, in addition to gyros, salads and some other menu items. The cuisine is mainly European.
I’ve been here multiple times off and on during the last couple of years, always for lunch, and it has never disappointed. Food quality is excellent, everything always tastes fresh, including the bread, which is just awesome.
I suggest the cold Borscht soup in the summertime, it is very well done. (This is coming from a Russian here). The Norwegian Lox sandwich is one of my favorites as well.
One thing, the lunch portions can be a bit smallish, compared to the amount of food you get from some other places, but the food is very good so it’s not really a complaint.