Souvlaki Truck: A Greek Roadside Gem in Yonkers NY
Whenever I think of Greek food, I imagine classic diner souvlaki and gyro platters. The dishes are usually listed in the bottom corner of the menu, under Italian specialties, almost like a side note. To be honest, I feel like the recipes are usually treated that way, too, although at 2 a.m. you won’t catch me hating.
But the Souvlaki Truck that's been parked on the side of busy Central Park Avenue in Yonkers since 2013, and its restaurant base Niko’s Taverna up the street, are very clear about making these Mediterranean specialties the star of the show.
The big blue truck’s owner and chef, George Kringas, manned the charcoal grill on a chilly afternoon in October, with Niko Taverna’s chef de cuisine Michael Bianco taking orders at the window. Rage Against the Machine played in the background inside the truck, both chefs had their tattooed arms whipping up to-go orders, and a huge slab of lamb gyro spun slowly behind them like a dancer.
“Gyro actually means rotate,” Kringas said when I saw the chicken gyro menu item was crossed out and asked what the difference was between souvlaki and gyro-style meats.
Chicken and pork were the souvlaki options, marinated meat cubes served on kebabs. The gyro meat available that Saturday was lamb. Having two big rotisseries on the truck takes up a lot of space, he said.
The twice-baked lamb gyro loaf was giving me the eye from the spit, and I knew I wanted to try the pork souvlaki. Since most menu items ranged between $5 and $8, a sampler seemed like the ideal way to immerse myself in this experience for the first time.
I ordered the pork souvlaki platter, which came with two juicy pork kebabs, oregano-seasoned fries, pita bread, a salad and a side of tzatziki sauce for $13. I also ordered stuffed grape leaves, a side of gyro meat and feta fries, for $5 each with the help of Bianco, who said “everything” was the best thing on the menu and laughed.
It took less than 10 minutes for them to prepare my order, and the two chefs talked to me a bit about working on the truck and smelling like French fries -- something I can relate to from also spending time on a food truck. Bianco even let me try his homemade Fresno chili sauce with pork lumpia he brought from home as I waited.
The first thing I noticed when I pulled the fries out of their wax paper bag at the nearby bus stop was how perfectly golden brown they were, and how the oregano grew more aromatic tossed in the hot potatoes with salt. The feta was warm, set softly on top of them and melted on my tongue immediately.
I moved onto the dolma next, the classic stuffed grape leaves. There were about five or six in the order and they were stuffed with moist rice. They had a refreshing, but subtle, herbal lemon flavor. The refreshment factor was multiplied when I dipped them in the cool cucumber tzatziki sauce that came on the side.
With my salty fingers, I then dug into the gyro meat. Like traditional lamb gyro meat, each slice was long and thin, and it made me want to roll it up to dip in tzatziki. It was just like I remembered from gyro platters past, and the serving of meat was pretty large for a $5 menu item. I recommend eating it with your hands because it was even better with the oregano salt.
As each car whizzed by me and I looked at my feast (that could feed a small family) laid out on the bus stop bench, I realized that the setting makes this gem even more special.
Sitting on the side of the road with some of the best Greek food I’ve ever eaten, I thought, the sensory overload made the experience even better.
The fries were definitely the most flavorful (and my favorite) part of the meal. But with a concise, quality menu and the opportunity to get different meats -- whether it be a la carte, in a platter or in a pita -- this is the perfect little Greek pit stop to eat these specialty dishes however you like them best.
The Souvlaki Truck, Central Avenue, Yonkers
Call in your Order
T: 914-500-7580