I didn’t have a lot of time for lunch today, so I had to stick near the office. I had been to Famous Falafel & Gyros once before, on the SE corner of 52nd St & 7th Ave, based on the recommendation of a reader. I wasn’t too crazy about their chicken over rice, but this person said I should give them another chance. Today there were a bunch of people around the cart, so I decided to give them another try.
While I was waiting on line, someone in front of me ordered a chicken souvlaki. Since the chicken sitting on the grill didn’t look that appealing (pictured below), I decided this was the way to go.
Today’s Lunch is a chicken souvlaki on pita ($4) from Famous Falafel & Gyros. I hoped it would be better than the chicken over rice, but would my optimism be rewarded?
The guy took a chicken souvlaki off the charcoal part of the grill, put it on the griddle, and took the meat off the skewer. He then squirted some lemon juice on the meat, put onions and green peppers on top and let it grill a few minutes.
When it came off the grill, he asked how I wanted it, and I said on pita bread with white sauce and hot sauce. He put some salad on the bread (lettuce, cucumber and tomato), added the meat and toppings, then the sauces. When I said that I like it spicy, he also put some jalapenos on the sandwich.
Upon taking a few bites, I thought this was a decent sandwich. The chicken had a definite charcoal flavor to it, which was not a surprise because it was blackened on much of the outside. But inside, it wasn’t all dried out. I wouldn’t say the chicken was juicy, but it wasn’t dry either.
The toppings were good, with the cucumbers and green peppers adding some crunch, and the hot sauce and jalapenos adding some heat. The white sauce wasn’t much of a factor, but it did keep things moist and a little creamy.
Today’s Lunch gets a 7 for the food, but since it was only $4, I’ll add half a point for value.
Nobody is going to mistake this souvlaki for the ones at Souvlaki GR, but if you’re around 52nd & 7th and need a quick, cheap bite, the chicken souvlaki at Famous Falafel & Gyros will do the trick.
