Ever since is was a young boy, not even out of elementary school, living in the mountains of Montana, I’ve been obsessed with a strange foreign food. The food in question is called a gyro.

I’m not sure of the exact pronunciation, I’ve always pronounced it like it’s spelled euro. A gyro is like a Mediterranean taco filled with lamb meat, lettuce, and this white sauce called Tzatziki sauce. It all comes together to create a unique and delicious flavor that blew my young Montana mind.

Now that I live in Carbondale I’ve been on the hunt for the best gyro in town. There aren’t many places that serve gyros in town, and I haven’t even had all of them but I think I’ve had the best of the bunch. For anyone who is interested in finding the best place to satisfy their Mediterranean cravings or wants to try something new I’ve determined a list of the top three places to eat gyros in the city of Carbondale.

#3 Arby’s

There are several reasons why I think Arby’s deserves the number three spot on this list the largest being that it is a fast food chain restaurant while the other restaurants are not. I believe that as a fast food restaurant the quality does not have to reach the same presentation and health standards that a local sit down restaurant would strive to achieve. However even with these lower standards I still think that Arby’s gyros taste great and are the most affordable, only costing $2.99 for a sandwich and $5.01 for a meal which comes with Arby’s signature curly fries, and a drink.

#2 El Greco

The second best gyro experience in Carbondale has to be El Greco. I’ve heard many people say that El Greco is the best gyro place in town, but I have several reasons why i think El greco is worse than the restaurant in the number one spot. My biggest complaint with El Greco is its location. El Greco is located on the strip in downtown Carbondale which means finding parking is very difficult, and a lot of the time you have to pay a meter for your spot. El Greco is also located right next to a liquor store which attracts a lot of unfavorable people. Most of the time its college students, but I have witnessed two homeless people get into a yelling match in front of El Greco.

As for the quality of the gyros at El greco, I think their gyros are great. From the few times I’ve had them I’ve really liked them. They usually have a little bit more sauce than I like on them, but it’s never overwhelming. El Greco is also the most expensive on this list with a gyro combo costing $6.95.

#1 Pita Alley

Without question in my mind I believe Pita Alley is the best place to get gyros in Carbondale. Starting off with the location compared to El Greco. Pita Alley is located in the Murdale Shopping Center which is on the West side of Carbondale. There are a lot of parking spots in front of Pita Alley and they are all free to use.

Now on to the gyro itself. Pita Alley’s gyros are the easily the best gyros in Carbondale and one of the best gyros I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot of different gyros in many different places.They don’t put anything else in there gyros that you wouldn’t find in any other place on this list, but they execute the familiar formula perfectly. The meat is perfectly cooked, and the amount of Tzatziki sauce they use it perfect. Also, if you get a combo meal their fries are amazing. They use a seasonling on the fries that makes me like every other fire I’ve ever tasted seem inferior. Pita Alley is also very affordable with a gyro combo meal costing $5.99. All things considered Pita Alley is the ultimate place to eat a gyro in Carbondale.