Thermopylae Gyro & Souvlaki Sandwiches

I am new to Salem and trying to hit all the higher rated places, plus my cousin recommended this place and it did not disappoint, definitely one of the best gyros I have had.
Some reviews I read mentioned needing more meat, either I got lucky, or they went on a bad day, as I actually took some meat out of mine to eat by itself as it was overflowing, another issue was paying extra for feta/​cucumbers, and I agree it would be nicer if they were included, but price was small and still a great sub $ 10 lunch

I was super excited to try this place. I drove by once and realized they where closed on Saturday and Sunday.
I returned on a Monday and they where closed during posted business hours.
I returned on Tuesday and they where open.
I ordered a gyro. What was surprising to me is I had to pay extra for items that are generally extra in any other gyro I’ve had. I. E cucumbers and feta cheese.
After paying extra, my gyro was almost the same cost as the ones at the fair and Saturday market. But less filling.
The gyro was great.
The other issue I had is they didn’t have their complete menu available for order. What?
I don’t know how you run a business with inconsistent hours and without a full menu.
I doubt I will go out of my way to eat at this place. If I happen to drive by, maybe.
I believe this place could really hit it out of the ballpark if they stepped up their game.
Include all the toppings, add a little extra meat, have side options, and dress professional.
I don’t wanna see your cleavage.

The best gyros in town, but every time we get I the mood for them, the place is closed. Please post regular hours, so we don’t get disappointed.

There are hours of operation or rather inconsistent. I still say if you go to Winco by the pita bread the prepackaged gyro meat. Yogurt sauce is so easy to make and you can use it on other things than this — I say you can build the same sandwich for 4 people and it will be third of the price they charge.

Is this place even open anymore? Love their gyros but the last five times I’ve tried to eat there, I’ve been met with a closed sign. Sadly today was my last attempt.

Best gyros. Just wish they would answer their phone so we could call an order in but I can’t dock them any points for this as the food is delicious and fresh.

The Gyro was yummy… Probably best in Salem.

The best gyro in town. Adding extras (feta and cucumber) is a must. 8 $ for an awesome lunch

The Original Gyro is amazing. The pita, tzatziki sauce and seasonings are top notch creating a very addicting lunch. Be prepared to wait about 10 mins minimum OR call order in ahead of time.

Apparently, I went there on a bad day as others have given this little gyro place great reviews.
It wasn’t a spectacular gyro at all. Maybe I’m comparing it to some really outstanding gyros I’ve had over the years. Both the meat and the pita bread were really tough and it was pretty spendy for the small amount of fixens. I added on the extra whatever cents for extra feta, etc.
Maybe I’m just too discriminating! Well, I will have to try again and see if maybe it was just a bad day and hope for better results.

You would be hard-​pressed finding a better Gyro in all of Portland. All the vegetables are fresh the meat tastes great. I usually add cucumber and feta and extra meat if I’m starved. Sometimes you may have to wait a little depending on the time you get there but usually service is prompt.

Went for lunch today. I arrived at a little after 11:00am ready to eat. The owner was still setting up so I browsed in Lifesource for about 10 minutes to pass the time until he was ready. This was a minor irritation but the food was so good, I simply cannot deduct any stars for not opening on time.
I ordered the gyro and chicken souvlaki. The gyro was excellent with nicely seasoned meat combined with crisp romaine and tzatziki sauce. The chicken souvlaki was also good but not as tasty as the gyro (the seasoned lamb really makes the gyro stand out).
Biggest complaint is paying more for extras. Just raise the price $ 1.00 and throw in cucumbers and feta cheese. Nickel and diming is irritating.

Pretty darn tasty. Fresh ingredients. Minus one star only for the fact that it may be a bit pricey for the extras.

FYI — from Thermopylae’s Facebook Page (10/​25/​2013): «Thermopylae will be closed today!!! Just as a reminder, we are forced by city ordinance to relocate every six months. That time is at the end of this month, we are actively looking for a new location off of commercial st S. If anyone has any suggestions we would be glad to hear them.»

It’s so nice to see some food carts in Salem. I really hope that he makes it!
The Gyros are delicious and definitely the best I have found in Salem. The guy running the place was nice and the food was reasonably priced. He charged me for some «extras» that some places might not have, but the total was still reasonable, so I didn’t mind.
The menu is limited, but I think that is typical when trying to keep overhead low.
FYI:
From what I understand, Souvlaki is Greek fast food that is typically small pieces of meat and vegetables cooked and served on skewers or wrapped in pita bread (like a gyro).
Thermopylae is in eastern central Greece and means «hot gates.» It is named so because of its hot springs which, in ancient times, were thought to be gateways to Hades. A famous Greek battle was fought there involving the Persians and Spartans which was recently graced with recognition by Warner Bros. The epitaph beginning with, «Go tell the Spartans…» originated from this battle.

Really good gyro/​souvlaki. Best you will find in Salem. Lots of meat. Will definately be back for more!

I love gyros– so I was looking forward to finally get one. It hit the spot! I love mine loaded, but to put cucumbers or feta on it was .50 extra for each item. So it would be $ 8 for a basic gyro which I am ok with, but it is not a value for a lot of people these days. Food is expensive no matter where you go. For this I give a solid three stars.
If they give a little more than expected they will get more people for days… people like and remember excessive portions.
Take it from good to great IMO…

This place is a food cart in the parking lot of a gas station/​convenience store at a busy intersection.
The chicken souvlaki pita was the best one I’ve had in years. The gyro is quite good as well.
Portions are generous, so that makes the slightly high-​for-​a-​food-​cart prices ($ 7+) worth it as far as I’m concerned.
The menu is pretty simple, only about 5 or 6 items with a few optional add-​ons.
There’s usually a short wait (5 – 10 minutes) even if there’s no line, because they don’t seem to cook stuff ahead of time (that’s perfectly OK with me).

We initially thought $ 8.00 was a little steep for a sandwich ($ 7.00 + .50 for feta + .50 for cucumber). However, it was worth every penny. The Gyro was outstanding. Big, fresh, and full of flavor. Yum! We will be back for sure!!!

FINALLY!
We now have a spot on Gyro in Salem. I’m greek and i grew up on these things and have long lamented their absence in Salem. There’s a couple other places in around to get them, but not like Thermopylae.