THE DISH: Gyros will give you motivation to leave your house

The pollo pizza at Gyros 2 Go restaurant, Nairobi. PHOTO | ABIGAIL ARUNGA

What you need to know:

  • The seating area for Gyros 2 Go is outside. I apologise for your ice-cold toes and fingers in advance. But, it's totally worth it.
  • The service is great, the pizza sizeable and its thin crust was perfect.
  • I was pleased to see that during this Nairobi winter, Gyros offers mulled wine. I liked the taste, but I didn't like the fact that it was offered to me in a paper cup.

You haven't left your bed in a while, have you? Because winter has come? That isn't healthy, you know. I'm here to give you motivation to leave your bed – or while we're overachieving, your entire house – before you develop conditions related to stagnation (more on that later).

This is a new place to try if you're trying to not let your joints fall into complacent atrophy in this ridiculous weather. Here's a cute little spot that might just taunt you out of your hobbit hole if you're trying to remember how to be human and associate with other living things.

Mulled wine at Gyros 2 Go restaurant. PHOTO | ABIGAIL ARUNGA

Here's the thing, I know I said not trying to freeze, but the seating area for Gyros 2 Go is outside. I apologise for your ice-cold toes and fingers in advance. But, it's totally worth it.

You see, I've been meaning to come check out this little cranny towards the back of Valley Arcade since I got back from Greece last year, but I've never gotten back to it. Reason being, I'm not in this area a lot, and I'm usually distracted by the other eateries like Java, which I've sworn off of until I'm craving a quesadilla again, and Monikos, which can never redeem itself with me, if I'm being honest.

Seating area at Gyros 2 Go restaurant, Nairobi, with flags of countries in the 2018 World Cup. The area has pretty lights and the entire place is done up in colours of the Greek flag. PHOTO | ABIGAIL ARUNGA

On this day, however, I was meeting my friend Amina, and she wanted a beer, and a pizza, When I drove into the parking lot, I noticed that Gyros 2 Go had put up a pizza menu, so we followed her craving for cheese into the back parking lot, next to the Aga Khan Hospital and The Arena.

As I've mentioned, the cons include that the seating area is outside. Come with socks and gloves. You've been warned, not warmed. The area is cute though.

The menu outside Gyros 2 Go at Valley Arcade. PHOTO | ABIGAIL ARUNGA

GREAT AMBIENCE

In true World Cup season fashion, there are flags hanging from the four corners of the open section, but also, there are little Christmas-like lights strung across the ceiling, which made me feel like I wasn't just turning into a popsicle and suffering from bad ambience. I was dying, but dying surrounded by quaint beauty, if you know what I mean.

They also have mini jikos next to the sides of a few tables, so when you walk in, target those tables. I say mini because they're about the size of my man-hand, too big to fit into your bag (not that I had any ideas whatsoever, I promise) but small enough to move easily.

The meat that goes into the gyros at the gyro 2 Go restaurant, Nairobi. This was the only source of warmth in the whole place. PHOTO | ABIGAIL ARUNGA

I was pleased to see that during this Nairobi winter, Gyros offers mulled wine. Now, I liked the taste, personally – it was a bit sweet, but still tangy. I just didn't like the fact that it was offered to me in a paper cup. I'm probably being picky here, though – everything comes in a paper cup, including other hot beverages, and they aren't necessarily big on cutlery.

Amina ordered the pollo pizza, which came in about 15 minutes, and it was a sizeable amount. I wouldn't have been able to finish a whole one by myself.

But as we were eating, what appeared to be the kitchen and washing area was suddenly overpowered by the smell of dirty water running out from under the door, spilling directly onto the parking and the entrance space.

Mulled wine at Gyros 2 Go restaurant, Nairobi. PHOTO | ABIGAIL ARUNGA

I thought this was nasty – not only does the smell take away from the eating experience, but no one seemed concerned about the fact that stagnant water was there waiting to welcome anyone coming in for a gyro. (A gyro is a Greek dish made of meat, traditionally pork, chicken, or lamb, and outside Greece with beef and veal, cooked on a vertical rotisserie, and usually served wrapped in a flatbread.)

A notice at Gyros 2 Go restaurant in Nairobi. In case you didn't know...now you know...PHOTO | ABIGAIL ARUNGA

After about seven minutes, a lady came out to brush the water away – not in the opposite direction, but to now fully cover the entrance. This logic, as well as their waste water disposal methods, completely defeated me.

Outside of that eyesore, the service was great and the thin pizza crust was perfect. I wonder if the water thing is a usual practice, though, or just one of those things that happens when the...sink is broken? Is there a sink? Is there a plan? I hope so. And here's hoping they see this...

***

Wondering where to get the 411 on what's happening in Nairobi's foodie scene? There's a lot of places you could go, but here's where we want you to be – getting the dish on the dish. Get it? We knew you would.