What’s in a cheeseburger gyro? Take one beef patty and wrap it up in soft pita bread with American cheese and bacon. And because it’s Greek, add a load of crumbled feta. You’ll find it at Niko’s Kitchen in Dulwich Hills. Its reopening was rejoiced by locals after the first venue closed in Kingsgrove. And if the pork belly baklava sounds familiar, that’s because Niko’s Kitchen took over Kefi Kingsgrove, initially helmed by David Tsirekas (ex-Perama and Xanthi). It's like Greek musical chairs.
Kefi’s signature pork belly baklava gyro lives on, a sweet and salty combo of crackling pork belly, flaky filo pastry, apple mastic mayonnaise and date and pistachio paste. So too does the soft shell crab gyro, the deep fried crustacean paired with Greekslaw and coriander in a round of warm pita.
Relax. The traditional gyro still reigns superme. And better yet, there’s a choice of four proteins, each spinning slowly on a vertical spit. Take your pick from beef, pork, chicken or lamb, either piled into fluffy pita bread with salad, tzatziki and chips or served deconstructed as a souvla pack.
A thorough burger menu runs from a double beef burger through to pulled pork, crispy chicken, and barbecue lamb. Vegetarians don’t miss out either. The Dully Burger comes with a veggie patty, baby spinach, fried tofu, fried mushrooms and tomato relish. Gluten-free buns are available too.
Let’s not forget the all important side of chips. Get them plain or drenched in gravy, crumbled feta or molten cheese with bacon. Also on offer: sweet potato fries and strips of haloumi deep fried into chips.
Desserts include vanilla bougatsa – semolina custard in filo pastry – and loukoumades donuts. For maximum fun, get them with a syringe injector of white chocolate, chocolate, salted caramel or peanut butter.
You’ll find a happy hubbub of families and hungry blokes traipsing through this casual eatery all day. Much of the interior has been retained from former resident, Psari fish shop, including a very cool feature wall of original newspaper pages from the 1970s, but behind the grill it's all Greek now.