While you're sitting in your car while in the drive-thru at Nick's Gyro in Mentor, Ohio, you can look across the street at the McDonald's, with it's line wrapped around the building at lunch time, and wonder the same thing I did:
Why can't these people drive across the street, get some decent food and help support a local business rather than a fast-food chain they can find anywhere?
Anyone who's lived in Mentor long enough, knows that Nick's occupies what used to be a Burger King, and when they originally opened, the interior looked like one. They have since remodeled, and the new dining area is very modern, comfortable with stools near the window where you can watch the world go by.
The gyro's at Nick's are always generous and the Tzatziki (cucumber) sauce is really good. The ingredients are fresh, the meat tender and flavorful, and there's nothing to complain about the service. I have found that the quality of the gyros can be hit or miss sometimes, but more often I've been pleased than disappointed.
I've not sampled their corned-beef, but was told by one of the owners that it usually out-sells the gyros, so if that floats your boat, give it a try. They also have a large selection of smoothies, fries and other sides.
Nick's is what it is: I really good Gyro place, so if the fast-food feel of the place is a little bit of turn-off, I say give them chance, and be pleasantly surprised.
If I had only one suggestion, it would be that they held, "I'm drunk and need food" hours. There are so few places in Mentor open past 2100, they might make a killing selling gyros to idiots like me.