Athens Gyros

Not the best. It’s dry and the sauce isn’t the best. You get a lot but it’s real messy. I’ve had better but for a gas station it’ll do when I’m craving it super bad!

My wife is a gyros fiend and swears by this place. I love it too. I also love that it is in a gas station well fit for my low key demeanor (!) yet it is very clean, well lit, clean bathrooms, with friendly service and modest prices. There are perhaps 8 to 10 nice tables and chairs either seating 2 or 4 guests.
You can also enjoy a beer with your meal. When I have been able to, they invited me to just go in the cooler and pick out what I liked from their wide selection. Fun! Despite the availability of fermented malt beverages, I have never seen anyone else have one or be at any level of intoxication.
Never any rowdy people or loud obnoxious jerks either. Perhaps the crowd changes as the night wears on though. But during lunch and regular dinner hours, definitely family friendly.
Also, I love their french fries. Not thin strings or fat and mushy. Somewhere in the middle and just right.
Love it!
Enjoy!

Best gyros in Wisconsin, perfect amount of meat to veggie! Mine was a little light on sauce, they gave me more without paying extra! Win win!

I’m not really a gyro person, but the wife sends me here on occasion to get one, and from what I hear, they’re excellent. They have a few other non-​greek sides available, including cheese curds and fried fish/​cod. The cheese curds are good (usually have them finished in the car by the time I get home) but the fish is not (I got it once and will never again — frozen crap quality fish).
Overall, as usual in my reviews, just happy to have more options in the general Waunakee area. Amazing that more restaurants haven’t opened up out here.

Whoever said a gas station can’t make the best gyro or Greek street food? apparently the have not stopped into Athens Gryro. Tucked inside the Shell gas station is a squeeky clean Greek grill that serves piping hot pitas with fresh chicken, grilled pork, or gryro meat with loads of fresh tomatoes, onions, and creamy cucumber sauce… ALL AT A REASONABLE PRICE. This seriously is the best kept secret of all of Madison WI. I always order the grilled pork pita with all the fixings. You can watch the cook grill your pillowy bread and slice the onions and tomatoes in front of you. One time I witnessed him making the cucumber sauce, shredding fresh hot house cucmbers and combining them with fresh herbs in a cream yogurt sauce. The gas itself is pretty cool too. Nice wine selection and plenty of clean tables to eat your warm pita. Did I mention you could play the lottery or drink a cold brewsky at the bistro tablexs inside the station? yeah, that’s an added bonus.

Holy cow, Athens’ can really fit a LOT of food on a plate. That is, only order a gyros plate if you and your two friends are REALLY hungry. I was NOT that hungry, and carted ¾ of my order home to my appreciative husband. The gyros themselves were pretty good, although I occasionally crunched down on a piece of not-​quite-​ground-​up herb/​spice that was a little off-​putting. I’m fairly certain I’ve had better tzatziki sauce, though I’m not sure if it was Parthenon or that gyro joint I went to in Florida…
I digress. Food aside, I’m not a huge fan of eating inside a gas station. I had to suppress the urge to grab a bag of chips from the shelf right next to my table, and there were frequent walk-​bys from customers on their way to the john.
I’d recommend hauling your two pounds of food elsewhere.

Don’t judge a book by its cover! Sure you’re getting a gyro in a gas station but who cares? Athens Gyros is hands down the best gyros in the Madison area… yes better than the Parthenon. A lot better.
The tzatziki sauce and meat are fresh and made on site. The pitas are always warm and soft but not chewy like some.
The seating area is small but always clean and well maintained. There are plenty of high chairs for your little gyro eaters and the bathrooms are clean.
BONUS: Since it’s in a gas station, you can basically get any kind of drink you’d like!
We live 25 minutes from Athens Gyros but we regularly make the drive!

I love me some good gyros! Don’t let the gas station fool you here — these are top notch. If you get the plate, it’s a TON of food (you’ll need more bread — fyi). The gyro/​fry/​soda combo is more than enough for most anyone. The meat has a fantastic flavor and everything else, well, it’s 5-​stars so what can I say?
Any location for Athens will do. They have a location on Odana Road with Pizza Pit & Pizza Extreme that is convenient for west side workers. The Athens at this location has a nice seating area that’s clean and receptive.
If you like Parthenon (the high bar), these are no different — the same really, as most people point out it’s the SAME GUY.
I really miss the Cross Plains location, but I can get my fix pretty easily with the various other locations. If you like gyros, you MUST try these! Out of this world…

The staff was very friendly and even gave me a free soda but I’m pretty sure she did it because she saw how terrified I was to touch anything. There were cobwebs from the chandeliers, unidentified filth in every form on every surface, and caked on foods on nearly every visible food prep surface. I realize that sometimes the best food comes from the strangest hole-​in-​the-​wall establishments but this wasn’t one if them. I ordered a gyro meal (the woman couldn’t pronounce correctly-​should have been my second clue) and it was clear the meat was old, the tzatziki sauce was a pre-​made frozen sauce that lacked any authenticity. I won’t be back.

Gyros-​nirvana
Today’s edition of the Waunakee Unilocal Chronicles brings a glimmer of culinary hope to the 53 597. Yes, Waunakee has become destination dining for those folks who have a hankering for that bar time staple, the gyros. I kid you not. Old Trader Gus knows his way around a gyros spit as evidenced by the droves of lunch time diners that converge on a Shell gas station in the middle of nowhere.
The gyros meat is the star of the show. The tender, flavorful pieces of quickly flamed beef and lamb are deftly seasoned with Greek oregano, salt and pepper and topped with a creamy homemade tzatziki sauce. Toss on some freshly cut tomatoes and onions and cradle it in a soft, fresh pita and you have a weapons-​grade gyros that will set you back a mere $ 6.49. Good times, good times…
I tend to pass on the fries which are fringe average at best. Given the massive serving size of the gyros, why dilute the experience?
Service is lightning fast. Even during the peak of the lunch hour crush, my gyros is generally ready by the time I finish paying the cashier. And the restaurant is extremely clean, exceptionally so by gas station standards.
One tidbit of bad news: you won’t be able to get your bar time gyros fix since Athens Gyros closes at 10pm.

Gas station gyros sounds like the kind of thing that will leave you filled with regret, however, these gyros will leave you filled only with a full tummy AND HAPPINESS!
Let’s work from the outside in:
The pitas are soft and fresh. They have a wonderful mouth feel to my mouth which likes soft and fresh bread products. It is also thrown on the griddle for a bit so that it slightly caramelizes. Okay, I don’t know if it actually caramelizes but it does transform. The lamb is a wonderful flavor and shaved to exactly the right thickness. The tzatziki sauce is delightful, as well, though I wish it had more cucumber. It’s then loaded with fresh onions and tomato slices. Perhaps too many onions.
Me and my tummy are happy we weren’t too scared to try these gas station gyros.

Gyros… yes please! But when I tell people where to get the best ones I always get back «Wait…in a gas station?». To which I excitedly say «yes». This place isn’t the most convenient location for us… but when we want a gyro it’s well worth the short drive. Super fast service and the best gyro I’ve had in the Madison area (yes, even better than Parthenon!). While it is indeed in a gas station… just remember to never judge a book by it’s cover!

Gyro Fry no lie!

The gyros was very good, however, we got the flakey spinach and feta thing and it was soggy not flakey at all. Not bad but wasn’t 5 stars like the reviews said.

Gas Station Gyros… crazy right? These gyros rock. Don’t even try to eat it in your car as you’ll end up with a lap full of tzatziki sauce. Hey is that tzatziki sauce on your pants or are you just happy to see me? Fries are fresh hand cut with the skins on. They have other greek specialty items as well however once I smell that gyro meat roasting, I’m committed. Love these gyros!!!

This IS the ONLY place in Madison to get a good gyro. Its in Trader Gus’ gas station. (Shell)

Love this place. Great Gyros and other Greek delights and light on your pocketbook…

Gyros in a gas station… sounds naughty but actually they are surprisingly good. Every couple of months I hit the self destruct button and get a hankering for good mystery grub… stuff that falls into the Spam category. These are perfect for spontaneous spam night. I will return.

Stopped in for dinner after a client raved about their gyros. She must not be the only one with this opinion, because it was very busy, and on a Monday night. The only mistake I made was ordering the dinner, instead of just the sandwich. The dinner comes with a GINORMOUS amount of meat (and fries). All this for less than nine bucks? Sweet! Next time, I’ll just get the sandwich (less than six bucks) – my boyfriend and I both felt meated to the max.
I will definitely come back to try a few other things on the menu.

I like to start off trips north with my stomach filled with one of their tasty, over-​flowing gyros. I’m not kidding, they’re enormous. Like, the size of my head — not that I have a particularly big head. Gyros aren’t all they make. Neh, Athens also makes a mean Souvlaki, Spanakopita, Baklava, Galaktoboureko and Karidopita.
The top-​notch menu easily ratchets Athens Gyros to the realm of gourmet road food. They should’ve named this place Hermes’ Gyros, as he’s the Greek god of roads. Sure, it’s no sit-​down, reservation-​only, hoity-​toity joint. What, with the lack of linen napkins and flaming goat cheese OPA! — go to Detroit’s Greek Town for that. Athens Gyros is a must-​visit for anyone in the area or passing through that has a penchant for authentic flavors of Greece.
Do not be deterred by the unassuming and humble exterior. Do not allow the Shell Station’s fuel pumps out front to sway you from exploring the truly authentic menu. Your taste buds will thank you later.