The Gyro Joint Offers Feel-Good Food with At-Home Ambiance

If you’re not familiar with The Gyro Joint at 165 S Cypress Rd in Pompano Beach, FL 33060 (behind City Hall), then you’re in for a treat! I stumbled across this gem coincidentally on Yelp. My hubby and I had a craving for Greek Food and after reading the positive reviews on Yelp we took the short drive over to Pompano to check it out for ourselves.

We weren’t sure if we would dine-in or takeout, but, once we arrived and saw the crowd level paired with the safety measures practiced we decided to dine in.

Feeling Home at The Gyro Joint

We approached the front counter to place our and were greeted by one of the owners of the Gyro Joint, Christina Rapi, or “Mamma”—how she likes to refer to herself. She made us feel right at home and asked us if we’d been there before and how we had heard about the restaurant. She shared with us that business had slowed down tremendously and is thankful that we were able to come and check it out. Since it was our first time there she answered any questions we had about the menu.

We decided to try an appetizer (Tzatziki) and two dinners (Chicken and Gyro platters). Christina invited us to pick any of the open tables available and came over and sanitized it once again in front of us.

Their Food and Journey

The Gyro Joint is family-operated by both Christina and her husband Paskal Rapi. When you enter the restaurant you can observe their family history and journey from Greece. Also, another fun fact is that the Rapis were former Oakland Park residents! They enjoyed living in Oakland Park because of its proximity to their businesses, they had another restaurant, Christina’s Grill which was also located in Pompano Beach. Christina’s Grill is now closed, but they tried to incorporate the elements of Christina’s Grill into the Gyro Joint. Between both businesses, the Rapis has served the local community for over 14 years.

The food is phenomenal! Since that first visit, we went back another time and ordered slightly different items, and honestly, everything was just as amazing as our first visit. Everything was flavorful and fresh, in my opinion, their Tzatziki sauce is the best I’ve ever tried. In our most recent visit, we tried the hummus (although not traditionally Greek, but Turkish) and this too was excellent!

Every detail of our meal was exceptional, the warm pita, the salad that came with just the right amount of dressing, the golden crisp fries that came with our platter, and of course the tender and juicy chicken from my chicken pita platter. All were magnificent. Christina told us that most of the herbs used in cooking their food were grown in her home garden and it does make a world of difference.

Family's Journey Portrayed on Art Mural

As previously mentioned, upon entering the restaurant you can see the family’s journey and this is told by an art mural that highlights portions of their journey which started with Paskal and Christina traveling with their young daughter from Greece until they ultimately arrived in Florida and eventually launched their restaurant business.

While the business has slowed down for the restaurant they do still see a lot of to-go orders. We witnessed first-hand as repeat customers picked up their orders and they were not shy to share with us their love for Gyro Joint’s food.

So even though it is not in Oakland Park, if you’re looking for a home-cooked meal with quality ingredients and friendly service, check out Gyro Joint! You won’t be disappointed that you wandered beyond the confines of our wonderful little City. 

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About the Author

Maria Scudella-Beltran

Maria Scudella-Beltran

Maria Scudella-Beltran was born and raised in Bergen County, New Jersey, right outside of New York City. She moved to South Florida in 2004 and graduated from Florida International University with a bachelors’ degree in Marketing and Communications.

In 2010, she purchased her first home in the North Andrews Gardens area in Oakland Park. After several years of working in the retail industry, Maria took on a part-time internship at a marketing agency and continued her education through Walden University where she earned her Master’s degree in Marketing and Communications.

Currently, she works in Marketing and during her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband and traveling.

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