Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Gyros Magic: Poppi's Anatolia


So, there's a place to get a great New York gyro here in town. I love Albee's for their New York gyros, but when I am craving something a little more Greek, I go to Poppi's Anatolia.

Poppi's has the strangest menu of just about any place in town that I can think of. They're a combination of Greek/Mediterranean and Indian food. I confess I cannot really tell you how the Indian food is. Every time we come here, I want their gyros (they say "yiros") sandwiches. They're really good: tomato slices (always passably ripe or better), good flavorful tzatziki sauce, thinly sliced onions, and a dusting of cayenne that really works for these. I almost always go with the traditional yiros, though G's been brave and branched out to try the kotta, which is also delicious. They're both really affordable choices for lunch at 5.75.

Other standouts on the menu so far are adorable little loaves of bread they call Greek Peasant bread; it's whole-wheat with whole fennel seeds for flavor, and it's amazingly tasty. They sell it as a side for a whopping forty cents, and they could easily charge more. It's delicious with cold butter. I would also recommend the Potato and Onion Bhajias, spicy garbanzo flour fritters, which come with a dressing of what we think was chopped coconut and mint. It was really different, and so, so good.

Special note: the service at Poppi's stands out among downtown restaurants. They're always pleasant, knowledgeable, and unobstrusive.



Location: 992 Willamette

Hours: Monday - Thursday: 11:30 - 9:30; Friday 11:30 - 10:00; Saturday 11:30 - 3:00, 5:00 - 10:00; Sunday 5:00 - 9:30


Poppi's Anatolia on Urbanspoon

5 comments:

  1. I have so many Poppi's stories. When they were over by campus, and always packed, Poppi herself would circulate among waiting patrons and serve little glasses of wine, thanking us for our patience.

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  2. The yiros plate for dinner is a major ripoff at $13. It's the same pressed meat and the same serving size I used to get from street vendors in Manhattan for $5. Granted, the pita's are better. The lunch price is fair. If they served a more traditional, less street-vendor-y meat it might be worth the $13.

    Their Indian food is actually pretty good, and their rice for both cuisines is fantastic. Seems like a medium grain basmati, but they spend extra here for quality rice and it shows. Also, Sunday they have a special menu with Greek food only, including items not on the regular menu.

    My favorite Papi's offering is the sesame butter based halva dessert. It's simply wonderful.

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  3. Clayton, I have to confess we've never been for dinner. We're much more likely to pop in here at 3:30 for a late lunch, and the value for the sandwiches is hard to quibble with.

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  4. Between the two of you, though, you've made me want to try it. I think I've only been there once, and that was a while ago.

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