The Yiros Shop has come to town, bringing us the flavours of Greece, and we couldn’t be happier.
Besides gorgeous landscapes, amiable people and lots of history, one of the beauties of visiting Greece is that you know there’s always a great feed around the corner.
Greeks know how to prepare food. It’s fresh, full of goodness and it always tastes great. To Greeks, food is about bringing people together. No matter how humble, somehow a Greek meal always seems like an occasion.
That’s just what we find when we visit The Yiros Shop. Begun six years ago with their first shop in James St, Fortitude Valley, James St Burleigh is the eighth shop belonging to the Mitrossilis family, the other seven in Brisbane.
It has been a speedy five-week turnaround since The Coffee Club closed and The Yiros Shop opened, yet this prime corner location in Burleigh is hardly recognisable. It’s as if the beach has moved a little closer, reflected in the venue’s new blue and white hues. Fresh and approachable, two sides of the restaurant are open to catch the sea breezes and view, some people-watching also on the cards.
We’re greeted by Nick (who owns the restaurant with his father James) and Nick’s fiancée Maddie, who’s running front of house. Nick tells us a little about his grandparents who moved to Australia in the 1960s. He’s come out of the kitchen to meet us, saying that he’s pumped with the amazing response from Gold Coast customers eager for a taste of Greece.
Despite the ‘franchise’ denotation, it’s actually an asset, the team’s professional approach showing on every front. Service is swift, the food is fresh and (breathe a sigh of relief) even the tomatoes in our Greek salad are sparklingly crisp. (There’s nothing worse than a sloppy tomato in a salad or salsa.)
We can taste the quality: no fatty aftertaste on the lamb shoulder and the beef yiros is Wagyu. Who could ask for more!
Focussed on quality, “It’s about sticking to core values and staying on task,” Nick tells us, adding that his personal favourite is lamb yiros with feta, reflecting special occasions when his family does lamb on the spit at home.
Yiros, of course, is the main food item, and the centrepiece of the menu, available in three sizes ranging from $8 – $19.80. Wrapped in a fluffy fresh pita bread (with low-carb and GF pita options), you choose your own filling of 12-hour marinated meat (fish, beef, pork, chicken or lamb shoulder), haloumi or vegetarian. (Vegan options are on the way.) With tzatziki, tomato, onion and hot chips loaded in as well, it’s a ready-made ‘meal in a blanket’, the most popular street food in Greece. Only difference is that at The Yiros Shop it’s true Greek flavours from the marinades and sauces all made in house mixed in with top Aussie produce – the best of both worlds. Winner, winner!
Other menu options gather around the Yiros. A ‘Snack Box’ lets you load your choice of meat onto a box of crispy chips, ‘Plates’ (think deconstructed yiros) are arranged on a platter, and our ‘Build a Salad’ bowl is a delicious meal in itself. ‘Sides’ and ‘Desserts’ round out the menu, with Haloumi Chips an item not to be missed. (Ignore me at your peril!)
What’s on our plate is perfect beachside fare. With barista coffee from 6am – 4pm, breakfast on the way and takeaway as strong as dining in, The Yiros Shop has a strong foundation. We may not be gazing across whitewashed walls to the aquamarine waters of Santorini, but yiros are just as much at home after a day on Burleigh Beach looking out over a green park to our blue waters beyond as they are in Greece.
The Yiros Shop, 5/27 Connor St, Burleigh Heads Ph: 07 5655 4501
Open: Sun – Thurs 6am – 9pm; Fri – Sat 6am – 10pm
NOTE: Check out The Yiros Shop’s daily deals. Download The Yiros Shop’s app for delivery or Skip the Queue pickup.
Good Food Gold Coast dined as a guest of The Yiros Shop.