The owner of Ikonos Real Greek Souvlaki in Gig Harbor has opened a new location.
Gyro Real Kabob opened in February at 11814 Pacific Ave. S. in Parkland with a similar menu of affordable Mediterranean dishes. Although it’s counter-service, the dining room offers several tables to enjoy on site.
The gyros (most $8.49) have been a leading seller, said Saeed Saleh, starting with the traditional beef and lamb. The meat is sliced off a spit and grilled to order, then wrapped in a soft pita with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and a zesty tzatziki. The super version adds extra meat ($9.99). You can also opt for just lamb or chicken (Greek or shawarma-style).
Gyro Real Kabob is a new fast-casual Greek and Middle Eastern restaurant at 11814 Pacific Ave. S. in Tacoma, Wash. On left: chicken kabob with rice, salad and housemade hummus. On right: falafel with tahini sauce and pita.
(Kristine Sherred/ksherred@thenewstribune.com)
Plates ($13.99-$16.99) include similar proteins but served over turmeric and garlic rice, creamy homemade hummus (they cook down chickpeas for several hours, said Saleh), a fresh garlic sauce and a small crunchy lettuce salad on the side. Where this kind of chicken is often dry, the marinated and grilled kabab here uses all breast meat for a surprisingly juicy result, and they make dozens of falafel on site.
Vegetarian options (most $7.99, plates with rice and sides $13.99-$15.99) include falafel, baba ganouj, fried cauliflower, spanakopita and Greek nachos ($10.95) — crispy pita topped with sundried tomatoes, pepperoncini, chopped cucumber, onions, olives, feta and Ikonos’ signature “green sauce.”
Mediterranean food around Tacoma
Saleh is not Greek, he told The News Tribune in February, but neither was the original Ikonos owner. Saleh’s family emigrated from Yemen when he was a child, many years after his father had moved to the United States in the 1990s. He graduated from Fife High School and considers Tacoma his home. After marrying, he purchased the Gig Harbor restaurant in 2021 when he was in his early 20s.
“It was always something I wanted to do,” he said of owning his own business.
The restaurant industry wasn’t necessarily a guarantee, but after several years managing Ikonos, he felt confident that a second location could work. He saw a void on the Tacoma side of the bridge for satisfying gyro, homemade hummus and plates of turmeric rice with chicken shawarma.
The menu includes a variety of affordable gyros, most around $8.49.
(Kristine Sherred/ksherred@thenewstribune.com)
It’s not that there aren’t such restaurants, but they are concentrated on the north side of town. Narrows Gyro and Gyro Bites are within a few blocks of one another on Sixth Ave near Tacoma Community College, while Gyro Zone and Beirut Bites (formerly Mediterranean Gyro Grill) are both in University Place. The Palace Kebab serves a Persian-inspired menu at Freighthouse Square, while Tacoma Shawarma landed next to Side Piece Kitchen and Al Bacha opened downtown in 2024.
Saleh specifically sought to separate from that pack. Heading south, he found this ready-to-go commercial kitchen in a short-lived seafood boil restaurant called Krab Kingz.
The chicken kabob was juicy and served over a generous portion of turmeric rice with garlic sauce, homemade hummus, salad and pita.
(Kristine Sherred/ksherred@thenewstribune.com)
Late afternoon on a recent Thursday, various tablets chimed with orders rolling in from DoorDash and UberEats. A few customers stopped in to retrieve their pickup order or place one to-go. Ikonos in Gig Harbor offers catering, and Saleh hopes to fulfill similar large-order requests from Pthe new restaurant in Parkland.
Gyro Real Kabob
Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Wednesday 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday noon-6 p.m.
Details: new Parkland restaurant from owner of Ikonos in Gig Harbor; parking in back off 119th Street
Ordering: dine-in available, order online or by phone for pickup; delivery available via Uber Eats, DoorDash and Postmates
Dining and Cooking