Mid-Michigan Dining

• 1007 W. University Avenue
• Urbana, IL 61801
• (217) 328-6476
• No Known Website
• Menu

Niro's Gyros on University Avenue in Urbana.

The Italian beef craving set in again.  I’m just not going to go back to Illinois and not get one.  I left Illinois Field on my lunch break and headed towards Green Street to get lunch like I always do.  Problem is, when I got there, everything was closed.  U of I is on spring break and everything closed up with them.  I panicked a little.  Where else was I going to go?  I was driving around and I came up to University Avenue.  Then it clicked.  There was a little Greek place up the road where I could get my Italian beef.

Niro’s Gyros is located on University near Lincoln in Urbana.  Niro’s has several locations in the Champaign/Urbana area and there are even stores that I know of in Bloomington, IL.  I have no idea why Greek places tend to have Italian beef in Illinois, but it’s fairly common.  Places like Niro’s are almost cookie-cutter to the extent that you know what’s on the menu before you get there.

There’s not much to this Niro’s location.  There’s a drive thru which I should have used and a walk up window.  There’s no seating inside.  They have some concrete tables outside, but that’s it.  When you walk in, there’s just enough room for a menu board and a window.

Niro's Gyros near the University of Illinois in Urbana

I put in my order for an Italian beef and fries then waited.  It didn’t take long and I watched them put the sandwich in the microwave and nuke it.  Since there were no tables, I headed back towards Illinois Field, but not before I stopped at a Circle K to get a Polar Pop.

I ate the fries along they way.  They were actually pretty good and not the crinkle cut, over salted fries I was expecting.  They were thin and crispy.  There wasn’t a lot, but enough to keep me busy until I could dig into the sandwich.

When I parked my truck and pulled the sandwich out of the bag, it was hot.  Really hot.  It was wrapped in wax paper and two layers of foil and I still couldn’t hold it in my hand.  I used the paper bag it came in to hold on then, for the first time ever, I reached for a fork and ate my sandwich that way.  It was just too damn hot and I didn’t want to end up with gravy all over my shirt again.  The sandwich was delicious, but could have used some cheese.  Other than that, it was a sloppy, gooey Italian beef.  Just what I crave.

Niro’s Gyro’s isn’t the most inviting place you’ll find in C/U, but if you’re looking for good, greasy food at a decent price, it’s worth a look.