Gyro my hero
Halal gyro chain from St. Louis opens first Dallas restaurant in Plano
Soulard gyro sandwich and fries
A new restaurant specializing in gyro sandwiches has made its Texas debut: Called Soulard Gyro, it’s a fast-casual concept founded in St. Louis opening its first Texas location in Plano in a former Rockfish space at 4701 W. Park Blvd #105, where it opened on February 17.
Soulard Gyro first opened in St. Louis in 2009, and has four locations in Missouri; Plano is only the fifth. The concept, named after a neighborhood in St. Louis, is from owner Vedad Becirovic, who wanted a choice of gyros and döner kebab like the ones from Germany where he grew up.
Franchisee Senad "Sam" Cavka is bringing the concept to Plano because he saw what he perceived as a lack of gyro spots in Dallas.
“I had friends that moved here years ago in 2018, so when I visited Dallas, I noticed there was a small gap,” he says. "So, I always figured our concept would do great here."
Gyro sandwiches — with meat cooked on a rotating spit, sliced thinly, and wrapped in pita bread -- are popular in Dallas, especially since 2016, following the arrival of then-buzzy The Halal Guys, who drew long waits when they first debuted. Other chains followed and then the trend leveled off, but there are currently Halal Guys in Dallas, Irving, Richardson, and Arlington.
Exclusively at Soulard's Dallas location, their gyros use halal meats, and no pork. They do have a bacon option but it's made from beef.
"We use real meat, there are no fillers, no soybeans, breadcrumbs, or preservatives," Cavka says. "We marinate our chicken and our vegetables are freshly cut and we pickle our cabbage in-house. When you taste it, you know the difference."
The menu has a dozen sandwiches served on pita bread, including beef-lamb gyro, chicken gyro, and a veggie with peppers, onions, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, feta, red cabbage, Greek dressing, and tzatziki sauce.
They also do a doner kebab, the Turkish-German sandwich with beef/lamb, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, red cabbage, tzatziki sauce on a ciabatta bun.
Not all of their sandwiches are traditional, including a Philly cheesesteak with provolone cheese, peppers, onions, and mushrooms; and the Cali, with avocado, beef bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and spicy tzatziki sauce on pita.
They also do bowl versions with the same ingredients — shaved beef/lamb or chicken or falafel, with lettuce, tomato, and onions, but over rice instead of on pita bread; and wrap versions, with the same ingredients rolled into a tortilla.
There are also fries which you can get in a "Greek" version with tzatziki and feta cheese. Gyros and wraps average $13, and bowls and salads cost $13-$15.
Chef Shirley Chung.Photo by Samantha Marie Photography
Chef Shirley Chung is known as the "Dumpling Queen of Los Angeles."Photo by Samantha Marie Photography