Since 1972, Springfield has been blessed with gyro recipes that go all the way back to the old country.
While Chicago is known as the American birthplace of the best, most authentic Greek items known as gyros (that's pronounced "Yee-rows"), Springfield has always been on the map for discerning enthusiasts of the pita-pocketed sandwich.
That can largely be attributed to Pete Pappas, who first started selling gyros at Ninth and North Grand – Gyros Stop – and later from food trucks in Sherman and at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. When Mel-O-Cream abandoned its Laketown Shopping Center location on Stevenson Drive in 2007, Pappas moved in and named his new restaurant Yanni's Gyros in honor of his son, John (Yanni is Greek for John).
Choosing not to mess with success, John Pappas has kept the place looking pretty much the same the last 18 years, with paintings of the Greek Parthenon on the walls and blue, lunch-counter stools in the dining area square that invite face-to-face, convivial conversation.
The gyros, topped by a secret sauce that is more sour-cream-based than the conventional yogurt, lend to two-handed, lip-dripping bites of authentic Kronos-sourced beef, on warm, aromatic pita bread.
The price for a basic gyro ($8) is a deal in itself, but for $5 more, one can order extra beef and not need any more food until the following day.
