The authentic Greek restaurant that made its name on Pensacola Beach is now in East Pensacola Heights, and its owners are certain it's better than ever.
The former Spyros' Gyro's on Via De Luna Drive is now Spyros' Authentic Greek Restaurant & Bar, and while many changes have been made, there are still plenty of constants. Most notably, the ownership team, and its insistence on authentic Greek cuisine.
Spyros' is still a family-owned restaurant, belonging to Spyros Petrovits, his wife, Kelley, and his mother, Sandy.
"We had amazing customers, in fact, our restaurant has been filled up here every day with our customers from the previous restaurant that we had," Sandy Petrovits said about the new restaurant, which opened Monday. "We just had to expand."
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The new location on 3005 E. Cervantes St. is five times bigger than the previous strip mall location, teetering on about 4,000 square feet of property. Spyros' moved away from the beach in late September, and the owners have since been renovating the former Habana Jacks building space to their liking.
The menu includes everything it featured before and more, as previously recurring specials are now daily staples.
And Spyros' now comes equipped with a full bar, as opposed to the former operation's restricted options of just beer and wine. That means Ouzo, anise-flavored alcohol that's popular in Greece, will be prominently featured at Spyros'.
"It tastes like black licorice, kind of like Sambuca, but not so sweet," Spyros said. "So we'll be doing Ouzo spritzers."
The food is made from scratch, save for the pitas, and you'll be hard pressed to find a more authentic Greek gyro anywhere else in the country, according to the Petrovits, let alone in Pensacola.
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"We have traveled all over the United States, and we have not found anyone that serves original gyros," Sandy said. "We slice the meat, we spice it, we stack it."
"Our gyro cones are stacked here, if not daily, every other day," Spyros added.
Americanized gyro cones are typically made up of a ground lamb, beef and filler mixture, cooked on a vertical rotisserie, then compressed, shaved off and stuffed inside of a pita. That's the style of Greek gyro one might buy from a vendor in the U.S., the Petrovits said.
"Our cones are chicken breasts, and the other ones are pork butt," Spyros said. "Both are sliced, seasoned and cooked on a vertical spit."
Sandy added that the restaurant has succumbed to the pressures of lamb and beef gyros, but instead of a ground style, the meat is sliced and it's stacked and will be served only during special occasions.
Baked cod, calamari, rib eye steak, spaghetti, lamb chops and moussaka, an eggplant and minced-meat combination dish, are all a part of the new Spyros' menu full-time. They serve dessert and have vegan and gluten-free options available.
Happy hour is from 4-7 p.m. on weekdays, and the restaurant will do a weekly Sunday brunch.
"We do a breakfast gyro with sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs and gyro meat on them," Sandy said. "Wrapped in a pita."
Seating about 150, white tablecloths cover the tables, which are each set with a bottle of Greek water imported from the island of Crete. There's a subtle fine dining vibe when you walk in, but the owners say customers aren't required to adhere to any kind of dress code.
"People come in and say, 'Wow, I'm sorry I came dressed like this, next time I'll dress up,'" Sandy said. "Although it's not necessary. Workers come in here at lunchtime and they eat, and that's fine, but at least it's a place where you feel like you can dress up if you want to."
The restaurant is open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. until at least 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, it's open from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Spyros' plans on going above and beyond right out of the gate on either Fridays or Saturdays for "Greek Night," when they'll have a belly dancer, live music and lamb roasts on a spit in front of the restaurant's entrance.
A stone's throw away from longtime Pensacola favorites like Jerry's Drive In and Georgio's Pizza, as well as newer eateries like Calvert's In the Heights, Sandy Petrovits said the East Pensacola Heights area is home to a thriving restaurant hub that she's excited to help grow.
"We're coming to an area where people come to eat, it's a go-to place," she said. "And there's a variety, we've got the British, we've got the Italian, we've got the New York, the cafe and diner with Scenic (90). We have a variety of choices for customers and we just wanted to offer something new."
Jake Newby can be reached at jnewby@pnj.com or 850-435-8538.
https://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/2019/02/22/spyros-authentic-greek-restaurant-bar-opens-pensacola/2931106002/ 2019-02-22 12:00:00Z
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