Cuisine: Greek
Hipster Jr. had a friend when he was in daycare named Efi. I’m not sure it was spelled this way. And he was a boy. An orthodox boy. Whereas this Efi is a young Greek-American woman. So, basically, they have nothing in common other than the same name that is most likely spelled differently. Also, that kid definitely didn’t own a restaurant or make gyros. In fact, he wasn’t even potty trained.
Now that we’ve established the food here wasn’t cooked by a kosher three-year-old, we can focus on what is actually on the menu at Efi’s. And I’m sure you’ll be shocked to know that it’s gyros. Yes, those Greek tacos that you see in trucks all around NYC. Because as Americans everything is a [fill-in-the-blank] taco. A kati roll is an Indian taco. A bao bun is a Japanese taco, Moo shu is a Chinese taco. And on and on. Because we judge all of our food based on specific shapes, I guess. But, hey, a Greek taco sounds pretty good to me. And, turns out, it is pretty good.
Now, I’ve had a bunch of this exact recipe over the years. And it’s a winner. If you get all the ingredients right, of course. I’ve had gyros where the pita is too crusty around the edges. I’ve had tzatziki that is too chunky or too runny. And I’ve especially had grilled chicken skewer cubes that are drier than than an old sponge at the bottom of your basement utility closet. Efi’s goes classic with a terrific hand made pita, tomato, onion, lettuce and something they call “Efi’s sauce,” which is pretty much a white sauce that resembles tzatziki enough that I’m just going to label it tzatziki. Also included was something that I only started seeing in my souvlaki pitas the past few years: fries. Efi claims to include “a couple fries,” but mine was jam-packed. And, boy, am I not complaining. It’s like the Greek fat sandwich version of a gyro. But between the char on the chicken, the salt of the fries and the tang of the tzatziki, it made for a really delightful experience. It’s no wonder that this joint — which I’ve walked by a thousand times in my journeys and have never heard anyone mention it — was actually bustling with people ordering at the counter and delivery dudes just shoving their way to through the locals on a Friday evening. Damn, I’d fight an Uber Eats dude for one of these things. Efi, you got a man all heated about your gyros. Good work.
521 Bloomfield Ave. – Montclair
973/783-0005
efisgyro.com