Best Kebabs in Sydney - Victoria Yeeros: the Greek remix
So I’ve been back on the hunt for the best Kebab spots in Sydney, trying to work out what it is that makes a great Kebab and to try and get an understanding of why they are seemingly adored across the nation.
The next take-away restaurant that I had to check out was Victoria Yeeros, located in the heavily-multicultural Marickville, in the Inner West of Sydney. Yeeros, or Gyros/Yiros, is the Greek remix of the Turkish Donner Kebab - there are similarities, of course, but a few key differences which set this particular dish apart.
Victoria Yeeros has been an integral part of the Sydney Kebab scene for a quarter of a century. I sat down with Paul Moumouzaikas, the restaurant’s owner, who has operated the spot since 1974. In between him repeatedly asking me whether I’m Greek, we had a great discussion about the art of the Greek Yeeros and how the local area has changed since he opened up shop.
Like most Kebab places, the interior design of the shop, which is located on a busy corner, doesn’t exactly blow you away. It’s old, very plastic, with photos of Greece (including a framed photo of the Greek soccer team from the Euro 2004 championships - “GREECE: CONQUERORS OF EUROPE”) and lots of lights. They offer all three types of Yeeros at Victoria Yeeros - chicken, beef and lamb. The main differences between a Donner Kebab and the Greek Yeeros is, as Moumouzaikas tells me, “all in the quality of the meat.”
“We use different spices, we use fresh meat. [It’s of] Very high Quality. We also use Tzatziki, Greek yoghurt” says Moumouzaikas.
Marickville has always been a multicultural hub of Sydney, having vibrant Vietnamese, Greek and Pacific Islander communities over the past half-century. I ask Moumouzaikas how the local area has changed and he explains: “A lot has changed, a lot. When I first come to this area and open this restaurant, there were a lot more Greeks. Now, not as much.”
That doesn’t seem to have affected the roaring trade that Victoria Yeeros does, cementing it’s monster reputation as one of Sydney’s best Kebab spots. Like most take-away Kebab shops, it is open until very late, which makes it a popular late-night haunt.
“All the countries, from all the Sydney” says Moumouzaikas, when I ask him what Victoria Yeeros’ customer base is made up of.
I ordered myself a lamb yeeros, with all the trimmings: tabouli, hummus, tzatziki (which I’m a huge fan of on any sort of dish - but a lamb kebab? fuck yeah), and some sort of chilli powder which the man making my Yeeros insists I have, which costs $8. The Yeeros is prepared on a roll of pita bread, the marinated lamb is shaved off a huge slap of rotating meat and the ingredients and sauces are added. Same same, but different.
The chef asks me to make sure I take a photo of his hands, jokingly telling me that he has them insured for $10 million.
As soon as I tuck into the Yeeros, it’s pretty clear that he’s not that far off the mark. The roll is not grilled, which I initially thought would be a negative, but Mr $10 million knows how to wrap a Yeeros: it’s very tight, and while it’s a pretty messy Kebab, it doesn’t fall apart on me.
The Yeeros is very saucy - but the sauces are not too overpowering; instead, they work together, combining beautifully. But what really blew me away was the quality of the meat - it tastes fresh, it’s succulent and, most of all, it’s marinated with these amazing spices and flavours. The lamb is a little bit on the salty side but it doesn’t bother me too much, I was too focused on the spices in the meat. It was delicious, absolutely delicious.
My Yeeros gets a bit messy towards the end but, at that stage, I couldn’t give less of a shit: I was floored. Strangely, this Greek remixed Kebab has filled me up more than any other Kebab I’ve eaten in my time.
After I finish, I approach Moumouzaikas and press him about the art to the perfect Yeeros. He smiles, digs into his pocket for some keys and leads me outside. Two doors down from the restauraunt, Victoria Yeeros own a factory, where they process, marinate and prepare the Yeeros meat - chicken, beef and lamb - on the large rotating slabs.
They opened the factory fifteen years ago, and it allows them to sell the large rolls of processed meat (for functions, catering, big fat Greek weddings, etc), but most importantly, it gives the restauraunt an edge over their competitors: how much fresher can you get than meat which is prepared and served on a daily basis?’
I’m definitely coming back. Shit, I might even order me one of those massive lamb slabs.
Restaurant name: Victoria Yeeros
Address:Corner of Victoria and Marickville Roads, Marickville
Menu recommendation: Lamb Yeeros.
All You Can Eat Tip: Get lots of Tzatziki, and a sprinkling of the chilli powder. Also, insist that the man with the $10 million hands makes it for you.
