Aside from sausage/bun,the gyros is my favorite meat /bread combination. I have tried almost every gyros in the area. Pita Hut,Pita Delights,Omars Gyros, Chicago Gyros,Istanbul Palace,Lonnies,Its All Greek to me,Aj's,Al Waton,Bosna-Mak,J&R Bakery,Zaytuns...I know theres a few more but I just cant seem to remember right now.
Out of the lot, I used to say Bosna Mak had the best in town. They feature a home made bread/pita thats just awesome. It is light and fluffy while still offering just the right amount of pull and structural integrity that you need for a good gyros. They make them on site so its not uncommon to get one thats still warm from the oven,or if not warm, still retaining that freshly baked aroma. I also appreciated the fact that they cut meat off the "kone" instead of the precut portion control slices many places in the area use(usually Kronos or Olympia brands). The tzatiki sauce is well balanced, packing just the right amount of garlic for me. The other aspect of Bosna-Mak we often enjoyed was eating in the back of the store(small eastern European goods) while watching the TV that was showing Mexican soap operas that were overdubbed in Serbian.
That said, due to an irreconcilable issue that cropped up on visit a couple months ago I will not go back. The second on my list(I guess now my first) is the J&R bakery 6917 Southside Dr
Louisville, KY 40214 (502) 409-9433. This place is near the Kenwood Drive Inn in the back of a little shopping center. At first glance you might not think they serve food,even after you walk in you still might not know. They are primarily a bakery, and they sell out early, so when you walk in you are often greeted by the large empty glass case. Like Bosna, they also make their own unique type of pita/bread thing. Its almost more like a bun than a pita,but not in a bad way. J&R also cuts meat from the kone here,and they dont skimp on the portions.These folks make a huge gyros. This thing is giant. I can easily eat two gyros at most joints,but not here. Good sauce here as well. You can order at the counter and the lady(always super nice,seems like the stereotype Eastern European grandmother) will bring them out to you. But if you feel cool enough, you can step through the door on the left side of the small store, and go into the "pool" room. We often find guys who look like something out the Russian mob hanging out drinking beer and playing pool. Dont get me wrong this isn't a dark smokey hole, its a brightly lit large room with big windows looking out onto the parking lot. A couple of tvs are playing soccer. You go to a small side window that looks into the kitchen and place your gyros order there. Grab a Heineken(sorry its the best they got) and enjoy. Dont forget to pick up some bread if they still have any(the loaf that looks like a giant 24" pretzel is always good).
After that I would go with Al Waton and then probably Zaytun. Most of the others in town dont really do it for me,mostly due to the use of precut slices. They just dont taste right to me. Its all Greek and Chicago cut from the kone but I dont care for either. Its All Greek (at least the last,and only time I was there) had the kone cut meat piled in a lucite box and then reheated in the microwave,truly bogus. Chicago is just inconsistent. If the owner guy is not making it,it can be really poor. I also dont care for the tzatiki there. Not sure how you feel about it,but lettuce is a regional thing on gyros and this area almost always uses it. So if you dont want it, make sure to mention that when ordering.
