History

Greek Orthodox immigrants arrived in Utah in waves from the late 1800s, building Holy Trinity Cathedral in 1925 and the annual Salt Lake Greek Festival since 1976. Greek-American burger counters including Crown Burgers (1978) and Apollo Burger (1980s) brought the gyro spit to Utah burger culture, blending it with the pastrami burger and fry sauce into a distinctive local Greek-American counter idiom.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 90 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 500g ground lamb
  • 300g ground beef
  • 1 small onion, finely grated
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 200g sliced hot pastrami
  • 4 pita breads
  • 200g tzatziki (Greek yogurt with cucumber, garlic, lemon, dill)
  • 1 tomato, sliced
  • 1 cucumber, sliced
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced

Method

  1. Mix ground lamb and beef with grated onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, paprika and salt. Knead 5 minutes until cohesive and slightly tacky.
  2. Form the mixture into a tight log on aluminum foil. Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
  3. Heat oven to 200C (400F). Place the log on a rack over a roasting pan. Bake 45 minutes until cooked through.
  4. Let rest 10 minutes. Slice thinly with a sharp knife.
  5. Warm pita breads. Spread tzatziki on each pita.
  6. Layer with hot sliced gyro meat, then a layer of warm pastrami slices.
  7. Top with tomato, cucumber and red onion. Roll tightly and serve immediately.

Tip from the editors. Sliced thin is the gyro signature; chill the cooked log briefly for cleaner slices. Pastrami warmed in the pan fat is the Salt Lake addition that distinguishes the Utah version.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat greek pastrami gyro

Greek pastrami gyro in Salt Lake City

Crown Burgers ★ 4.5

downtownMon-Sat 10:00-21:00; closed SunUntil Mon-Sat 10:00-22:00; Sun 11:00-21:00

Crown Burgers on East 200 South runs until 22:00 Monday through Saturday, anchoring late-night counter service for the pastrami-burger crowd downtown.

Try: Pastrami burger and gyros at the late-night counter

377 E 200 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111

Apollo Burger ★ 4.0

north-templeMon-Wed 7:00-22:00; Thu-Sat 7:00-24:00; closed Sun

Apollo Burger on Redwood Road, the local Utah burger chain since the 1980s, runs charbroiled pastrami burgers and Greek-American sides for under $11.

Try: Pastrami burger and souvlaki combo

143 N Redwood Rd, Salt Lake City, UT 84116

Manoli's ★ 4.5

Greek brunch small plates$20-35ninth-and-ninthTue-Sun 17:00-22:00; Sat-Sun brunch 10:00-14:30; closed MonReservations recommended

Manoli's weekend brunch on Harvey Milk Boulevard runs Greek mezze and small plates on Saturday and Sunday mornings alongside the dinner-only weekday menu.

Order: Spanakopita, halloumi and a Greek pour at brunch.

402 E Harvey Milk Blvd, Salt Lake City, UT 84111

More cities are in research. Want greek pastrami gyro covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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