I was hot off an anxious trip to O’Reilly’s Auto parts, attempting to remedy some burned out taillights when I realized it was approaching dinnertime and neither me nor the misses had defrosted any meats or otherwise planned for dinner. Spurred-on by my millennial parent guilt, I attempted to locate a fast and easy option while refraining from the usual suspects of quick and greasy drive-through. Does such a unicorn exist in Bellevue, Nebraska?

As I sat, scouring the local surroundings on Google Maps, an unfamiliar name met my gaze. Izmir Gyro House? Isn’t that where Valentino’s used to be? Not for many years it turns out. Greek food is typically fresh. Less heavy than a burger or fried chicken sandwich. Certainly, my daughters would smash on chicken and fries.

Izmir stands alone at 1507 Galvin Road and as I stepped into their familiar building, I was struck by how much brighter and open it felt compared to the awkward, congested ambience of Valentino’s all those years ago. Ample seating filled a well-lit dining room, and a friendly, patient, and helpful hostess greeted me from behind the counter. Bright photos of each plate made up the extensive menu overhead. The sort of colorful Mediterranean Restaurant guide that politely says, “Here stupid, this is what comes on this plate.”

I ordered a chicken kebab platter which came with rice pilaf and a side salad and a gyro supreme platter. This had the same sides but instead of typical gyro toppings it had grilled peppers and onions. I got my daughters each quesadilla plates with fries.

After ordering – again the hostess was super helpful as I stumbled through an easy process that I was clearly over complicating – I sat and waited while more customers came and went with multi-bagged to-go orders. It was then that I spotted the case of tantalizing squares of baklava. The gracious hostess rung me a second time and waited to serve the sticky dessert so that it could be bagged up with the rest of my wares.

The group of women working the kitchen made brief appearances to grab this or that before providing my multiple bag banquet. Would I characterize it as fast? It was no grab and go drive through, but that wasn’t what I was paying for here. Fresh, lean, flavorful food cooked to order is something I’m willing to wait for.

When I arrived home, my wife went for the gyro and I had the chicken kebab. The most stunning thing of this entire experience was driving home 15 minutes and still biting into hot, moist chicken and rice. I was wholly bracing for slightly dried out food, but each bite was soft and succulent. The second surprise was how my daughters turned down quesadillas made of chopped gyro meat and some benign white cheese. They were delicious, but what do kids know? They did devour the fries – those crispy crunchy battered fries you’d expect from a Greek-adjacent place. I brought my girls back with the baklava. Sticky sweet layers of flaky pastry and chopped nuts? They didn’t stand a chance.

Overall, I found the service and food of Izmir Gyro House to be excellent. The meat was delicious. The rice was very good and the salad was simple but effective. For my own gluttonous reasons, I will probably opt for more of those fries next time. Bottom line: if you’re looking for fresh and relatively healthy in Bellevue but don’t want to sacrifice flavor, go to Izmir Gyro House. It travels well too!

Matt Hebert is an engineer and self-published author. His dopamine-fueled creative pursuits have spanned from chicken keeping, sand sculpture, acting, and public speaking, but writing is nearest and dearest to his heart. He lives in Bellevue with his wife and two daughters. You can find him on Instagram at @jerkofalltradeshebert or email him at matt.hebert.books@gmail.com

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