The first Greek immigrants came to the Utah Territory in 1870. Thousands more would journey to Utah over the following decades. Many worked as laborers in the mining industry and other similar undertakings. As they married and had families, Greek culture influenced Utah and became an indelible part of our state.
An undeniable benefit of this is the broad range of Greek-owned restaurants in Utah. From gyros to pastrami burgers, some of Utah’s best comfort food is here thanks to the Greek community. (Seriously, Greek domination of Utah’s burger scene could be an article on its own – think Crown Burger, Apollo Burger, Astro Burger, and many others – all owned and operated by Greek families).
Growing up in Utah, it seemed commonplace that the same restaurant that offered a great pastrami burger also had a spinning spit, providing thinly shaved, heavily seasoned meat for gyros. It wasn’t until moving away that I realized that intoxicating combo was fairly unique. Now, decades later, I still regularly crave pastrami burgers and gyros. Today, I decided to search out the latter.
Craving a gyro, I decided to try Provo’s Greek-n-Go, a truck that has staked out a relatively permanent position on Canyon Road, just south of the BYU football stadium. The truck has been there for 7 years, serving happy students, football fans, and anyone else craving a gyro or kabob.
I learned that the original owner had two trucks – one in Provo and one in Lindon. About a year ago, they sold the Provo truck to a wonderful family from Argentina. The menus at both trucks are very similar, but it should be noted that the Provo location makes their own hummus. Everything is made-to-order and I was pleasantly surprised, upon popping my head in the window, to see a spit, laden with the traditional combo of beef and lamb, spinning away in the rear of the truck. No pre-cooked, warmed on the griddle, “gyro meat strips” here – this was the real deal.
I went with the original gyro combo – warm pita stuffed with sliced beef and lamb from the spit, tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, red onions, and feta. For a side, I cobbled together a personal favorite by ordering the fried pita strips, but instead of the tzatziki sauce for dipping, I requested the house-made hummus – a pairing I first encountered at Spitz in downtown SLC. Being a completist, I also had to order baklava for dessert.
I could immediately see why this truck has been successful in this location for so many years. All of the flavors were on point. I dove into the fried pita strips first – crispy and seasoned on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside. If I’m being nitpicky, maybe a little crispier on the outside than I think is ideal, but still delicious in the hummus. The gyro pita was warm and soft and I enjoyed the flavor of the thick tzatziki. The tomatoes were too large though, difficult to bite without making a mess. The baklava was flaky and sweet, and a good end to the meal. While I enjoyed the food, the competition in Utah for best gyro is intense and, if I’m being honest, there are other places that do it better. Greek-n-Go is a fantastic option both for its location and its convenience. The food is satisfying and I left happy, but I still think it could be executed better. I give them a solid 3 stars out of 5. You won’t be disappointed, but you won’t be wowed either. That said, you could do a lot worse and it’s a great option if you find yourself hungry near BYU.
Know Before You Go: Greek-n-Go is located at 1523 N Canyon Road in Provo and is open Monday-Saturday from 11:00 am (12:00 on Saturdays) to 9:00 pm. This was the first food location I’ve been to in the pandemic era where no one working in the truck was wearing masks, so keep that in mind if that’s important to you. They have a few tables and awnings set up nearby if you want to sit and eat, though a gyro lends itself perfectly to eating on the go. A gyro, pita strips with hummus, drink, and baklava came out to $14.
