Olympia GyroReading Terminal MarketPhiladelphiaEst. 1982
Olympia Gyro has been part of Reading Terminal Market since 1982. The Voulgaridis family has owned and run it since 1984. We’re a family-owned Greek restaurant in Philadelphia, not a chain, not a franchise. Today the same family still cooks the food by hand: the baklava, the spanakopita, the gyros. It’s how George and Despina did it when they took over the stall. And it’s how we still do it now.
The Family
The stall opened in 1982 under the name Olympic Gyro. Two years later, George and Despina Voulgaridis emigrated from Prosotsani — a village just outside Drama, in northern Greece — and took over the business. They brought their recipes from home and got to work.
The family’s story goes further back than that. They came to mainland Greece from Asia Minor during the Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922, when more than a million Greeks were forced from their homes. Two generations later, that same family ended up here, at a counter inside Reading Terminal Market.
Olympia Gyro opened at Reading Terminal Market in 1982. The Voulgaridis family took over the stall in 1984, after George and Despina emigrated from Prosotsani, near Drama in northern Greece. The same family still runs it today. Athens Voulgaridis is the current owner, and the stall has stayed in the family for more than 40 years.
Over four decades, a lot at the market has changed. Our family hasn’t. We’ve stayed in the same spot and kept serving the same Greek food at Reading Terminal Market. If you want Greek food in Philadelphia made by the people who emigrated to cook it, this is the place.
The Name Change · 2012
For its first 30 years, the stall was called Olympic Gyro. Then in 2012, that changed — and not by choice.
In 2012, the US Olympic Committee required the stall to change its name. The word “Olympic” is legally protected under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, which restricts its commercial use. So Olympic Gyro became Olympia Gyro. The food and the family stayed exactly the same — only the name changed.
We didn’t love being told to rename a 30-year-old business. But the recipes didn’t change, and neither did the people making them. Olympia still points to the same thing: Greek food, made by hand, by the same family. If anything, the name fits. Olympia is the home of the ancient Games, and a real place in Greece. That’s closer to who we are anyway.
Made by Hand
Despina makes the baklava and the spanakopita from scratch every morning. She’s been doing it for decades, and she still does it by hand, before the market fills up.
That’s the standard for everything we serve. Our gyros come off the spit — chicken, pork, and lamb. We grill souvlaki to order and serve it on a platter or in a sandwich. We build Greek salads, fry our own veggie fritters, and roll stuffed grape leaves by the half-dozen. The tzatziki is ours. The Old Bay fries are a Philadelphia touch.
This is authentic Greek food, made the way George and Despina learned it at home. It’s not a corporate menu from a test kitchen. Despina’s baklava cheesecake is worth saving room for. Want the full list, with prices? See our full menu.
Reading Terminal Market
In April 2026, USA Today 10Best readers named Reading Terminal Market the Best Public Market in America. It was the market’s third win, after 2021 and 2022. Olympia Gyro is one of the longest-running vendors here, and the only authentic Greek vendor inside.
Come Find Us
You’ll find us inside Reading Terminal Market at 1136 Arch Street, Unit 463, Philadelphia, PA 19107. We’re on the 12th Street side of the market — right by Door #4, between Avenue 8 and Avenue 9.
Open 8am–6pm, every day.
We’ve fed market regulars, downtown workers, and first-time visitors here for more than 40 years. We’d love to feed you too.
“Olympia Gyro is a reflection of our proud heritage and our desire to share it with our neighbors. We try to express our passion through our food.” — Athens Voulgaridis, Owner
Stop by, or call us at 215-629-9775. Have a question first? Check our frequently asked questions, or contact us.