GUIDE · GREEK FOOD
Gyro vs Souvlaki: What’s the Difference, and What to Order at Our Counter
We carve one off the spit and grill the other on a skewer, a few feet apart, every day since 1984. Here is how to tell them apart and how to order.
A gyro is meat roasted on a vertical spit, carved off in thin slices and folded into a pita with tzatziki, tomato and onion. Souvlaki is small pieces of meat grilled on a skewer, eaten off the stick or in a pita. Both are Greek, and both are on the menu at our counter in Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia.
That is the whole gyro vs souvlaki answer in two sentences, and it is the one we give at the counter a dozen times a day. The longer version is worth five minutes, because the two dishes are cooked differently, cut differently and eaten differently, and once you know which is which you will order better anywhere that serves Greek food. Here is how we explain it to the person in front of us.
What a gyro is
A gyro is meat roasted on a vertical spit and carved off in thin slices as the outside cooks. Encyclopaedia Britannica describes it as a Greek dish of roasted meat served in a pita, usually with tomato, onion and tzatziki, the cold yogurt sauce made with cucumber and garlic, and notes that many variations exist. The name tells you how it is cooked: Merriam-Webster traces gyro to the Greek word for “turn,” from the rotation of the meat on the spit.
At our counter, two cones turn on the spits from open: one beef and lamb, one chicken. We also pan-fry salmon fillets to order. The gyro meat is roasted and sliced Greek-style; it comes off the spit and is sliced fresh to order, which is why the edges are a little crisp and the inside stays soft. Watching it is half the point: the spit turns all day, and the person carving takes only what is ready on the outside, so every slice carries a bit of that edge. The classic way to eat it is in a warm pita with tzatziki, tomato and onion, and that is how our gyros and platters come unless you tell us otherwise. We add fries to a sandwich only if you ask for them. If you want the short version of the meat question, what kind of meat is in our gyro is on our FAQ page.
What souvlaki is
Souvlaki is small pieces of marinated meat, skewered and grilled. Britannica calls it essentially a shish kebab: pork, lamb, chicken or beef, marinated, skewered and grilled, and often served in a pita with toppings like tomato and onion. The word is the clue again. Merriam-Webster traces souvlaki to the Greek for “skewer,” and dates its first known use in English to 1942.
At our counter, souvlaki goes on the grill when you order it, not before. A skewer takes a few minutes over the fire, which is the trade: a short wait for meat that is hot off the grill when it reaches your hands. You can have chicken or pork skewers, lamb souvlaki, and two house variations we are a little proud of, the Buffalo chicken souvlaki and the chicken Caesar souvlaki. As for what souvlaki tastes like: you get char from the grill on the outside, the marinade underneath, and the bite of a whole piece of meat instead of a shaved slice. It is a different kind of eating. The spit and the grill have been running here since 1984, a few feet apart, which is the reason we can answer this question with some authority.
Gyro vs souvlaki, side by side
The difference between gyro and souvlaki comes down to how the meat is cooked and how it is cut. Everything else, the pita, the tzatziki, the fries, the salad on a platter, is shared ground. Here is the whole thing in one table, with our prices as of the autumn 2026 menu (check the menu for the current list).
| Question | Gyro | Souvlaki |
|---|---|---|
| How it is cooked | Roasted on a vertical spit, carved as it turns | Grilled on a skewer, to order |
| The cut | Thin slices carved off the outside | Whole small pieces of meat |
| Meat at our counter | Beef and lamb, or chicken, off the spit; salmon pan-fried to order | Chicken, pork or lamb skewers |
| How it is served | Pita with tzatziki, tomato and onion, or a platter | On the stick, in a pita, or a platter |
| Texture | Soft inside, a little crisp at the edges | Charred outside, juicy inside |
| Price at our counter | Sandwich $13.00, platter $14.50 | Chicken or pork sandwich $13.00, platter $14.50; lamb sandwich $14.00, platter $16.50 |
Is gyro or souvlaki healthier?
It depends on the cut, the sauce and the portion more than on the name. Souvlaki is whole grilled pieces of meat; gyro is carved spit meat. Both usually come in a pita with tzatziki, and fries are an extra you ask for rather than part of the sandwich, so the sandwich versions land closer together than people expect. A platter with salad changes the picture in either direction, and so does how much sauce you ask for.
We are cooks, not dietitians, so we will not hand you numbers we cannot stand behind. What we can tell you is what is in each dish and how it is made, and we are happy to. If you have an allergen or preparation question, call us at 215-629-9775 before you order and we will walk you through it.
What do Greeks call a gyro, and is souvlaki the same as shawarma?
In Greece the dish is gyros, with the s, pronounced closer to “YEE-ros” than the way most Americans say it, and it means the same thing it means here. The naming gets more interesting around souvlaki. In our family’s experience, and in most of Athens, a single skewer is often called a kalamaki, and “souvlaki” can mean the whole pita wrap with everything in it. Ask for souvlaki in two different Greek cities and you may get two slightly different things. In Philadelphia, at our counter, souvlaki means the skewer, served however you like it.
Souvlaki and shawarma are not the same. Shawarma is cooked on a vertical spit, like gyro, with different spicing and a different origin, which makes gyro and shawarma the closer cousins; souvlaki is grilled on a skewer and belongs to a different branch of the family. That comparison deserves its own post, and it will get one. Until then, more of our guides to Greek food and the market are collected in one place.
How to order at Olympia Gyro
Here is how the two dishes look on our board, with prices from the autumn 2026 menu. A beef and lamb gyro sandwich is $13.00, and so is a chicken gyro or a crispy chicken gyro; the gyro platter is $14.50; the salmon gyro, pan-fried, is $13.75. A souvlaki sandwich, chicken or pork, is $13.00 and the platter is $14.50; the lamb souvlaki sandwich is $14.00 and its platter is $16.50. The Buffalo chicken souvlaki and the chicken Caesar souvlaki are $13.00 each. If you want the gyro shape without the meat, the Veggie Fritter Gyro is $11.50 and vegetarian. Platters swap the pita-and-go format for a plate you sit down with, which is the better choice if you are sharing: a gyro platter and a souvlaki platter between two people is the comparison this whole post is about, done at a table.
What we see from the counter: most first-timers land on the gyro, because it is the dish they came for. People who want something off the grill go souvlaki, and regulars switch between the two depending on the day. If you cannot decide, the Olympia Special above is the easy answer. You can also order ahead for pickup or delivery through Mercato or DoorDash; ordering in person at the counter is always the lowest price. We are open 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, every day, and if you have never been in the building before, find us inside the market, and see our guide to what else is there.
Come find us at the spit and the grill
George and Despina Voulgaridis took over this counter in 1984, and the spit and the grill have been turning and firing ever since. Athens runs the counter today, and the question in this post is still the one we get asked most. Come ask it in person. Our address and a map are on the contact page. Find us at the spit, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, every day.
Athens Voulgaridis
Athens is the second-generation owner of Olympia Gyro at Reading Terminal Market. The Voulgaridis family has run the counter since 1984.