Mr. Gyro's
5522 20th Ave. N.W.
206.782.7777
Hours: still in flux, call ahead

Reviewing newly established restaurants can be a tricky affair, but Mr. Gyro's, recently opened in its second location just north of Market Street on 20th Avenue, has been around long enough in their Greenwood spot to stand up to a timely review. And, as expected, the logistics and procedural details are a bit rough after the recent debut, but the food still shines.

The straightforward menu features a varied selection of sandwiches and plates. The Gyros Plate ($7.99) and Chicken Shawarma Plate ($9.99) are action packed, complex and bountiful medleys of some of the freshest and most life-affirming cooking to be found anywhere.

Fresh and minty cucumber, tomato and lettuce salad crowds one side of the plate, with sliced and pungent onions squaring off with the tart dressing. The chicken is moist, succulent and unabashedly brimming with the almost sweet flavor of cardamom, garlic and lemon.

Plates also include white rice, and trepidation was quickly set aside after wading into these fluffy and fragrant kernels. This is rice at the opposite end of the spectrum from Asian-style sticky rice. Certainly both can be winning flag carriers for the starch family, but the Mr. Gyro's version serves as a fitting accompaniment.

Smooth and creamy hummus takes up more space on the large paper place, smeared with a dab of red hot sauce. Garlicky sauces crowd the meat and rice, giving us plenty to do with our pitas.

There was little disagreement in our camp when one of use noted that this was some of the best Mediterranean fare we’ve ever had. We hearkened back to rich experiences at some of our previous favorites, including the old Ali Baba on Capitol Hill, Kamalco just across the street and the lamented Mediterranean Kitchen on Queen Anne.

The victuals at Mr. Gyro's deserve to be in that exalted company, at least as far as the food goes.

Logistically and ambiance-wise, the Ballard Mr. Gyro's has more than its share of bizarreness, and while some will certainly be worked out, some seems more related to choices made in setting up the room and business model.

Good luck figuring the hours out, you’ll need a calculator to get it. Having read of the late hours, we arrived for dinner at just after 8 p.m. on a Friday to find most of the stools turned upside down and placed on top of the tables.

We ordered and ate at a window counter, and while the nice fellow running the show sensed our distress at the rushed and strange setting and came and spoke in a comforting tone to us a couple of times, it was not a pleasant setting in which to savor such wonderful cuisine.

Maybe we need to do a little good, old-fashioned reframing, and see Mr. Gyro's as a take-out place, which it turned into after we left. But, with the large space and numerous tables not being taken advantage of, they’re not sure quite what they are at this point.

As they figure that out, and we figure it out as well, we’ll look forward to the next encounter with the moist meat, garlicky sauces, warm and grilled pita, crunchy onion salad and friendly staff.

The Ballard Food Police visit all establishments anonymously and pay for all food and drink in full. Know anything we should know? Tell the Ballard Food Police at ballardfoodpolice@gmail.com.