At this new breed of a street food Greek eatery, you’ll eat like Zeus himself

Amongst the many contributions in the world invented by Greece – democracy, philosophy, coin money, tragedies, the odd custom of spitting at somebody to ward off evil spirits – the Gyros has to be the best (we know how much scoffing this will induce, but we’re prepared to defend our claim).

And it’s been hard to locate a fresh, fat and flavoursome one in Vienna… until now. Marcos has reinvented the Greek restaurant experience in an appealing way. And their gyros is gorgeous.

Rather than waving the kitsch of the Greek flag when it comes to the interior decor, Marcos puts Greek cuisine into a casual, self-service eatery setup filled with a fun, trendy vibe – and loud Greek pop music.

Marcos is a place that feels familiar as soon as you walk in. It’s obeyed the restaurant design trends with its minimal design – except the street art of Zeus on the wall – and this plays a large part in what makes Marcos a different experience to other Greek restaurants in Vienna. If you’re Greek you may notice the food isn’t your traditional Greek recipes, yet a fusion with Oriental and current food trend touches.

When looking at the breakfast menu (served up from 8am) you won’t get what we’re talking about when we tell you that they’re serving up a refreshingly original and brilliant breakfast.

You can be forgiven if you conclude like us when considering the tomato and feta omelette in the breakfast menu – ‘we can make that at home, buddy – you got us out of our pyjamas for this?!’ But trust us, when you dig into one of the omelette variations served up in a pan, or the quinoa and granola porridge combo, the flavours will slap you straight. The omelette is alive with thyme explosions and the pita, like everything in the menu, is made fresh when ordered.

And while in many places quinoa is synonym for ‘tasteless and kinda’ weird texture,’ at Marcos, its combination with granola, blueberries and Greek honey, is a delicious option for when you feel guilty for all the drinking the night before and you want to give your body something healthy back.

And you’d be well advised to kick things off with a Greek coffee, which is the real deal, and is made in the variety of ways Greek coffee comes in, so you can dictate the sweet and bitter factor upon ordering. Plus, you get a side of Greek yoghurt peppered with cinnamon – nice touch.

As of 11am, the rotisseries behind the counter – on which meat marinated inhouse – starts turning, and things start to look more like a street food eatery kind of deal.

And, abiding by their own winning formula – prepare everything fresh, and with superior ingredients – the Marcos team put together one of the tastiest Gyros we’ve had in this city, packed with tzatziki and whatever else you want, and if that’s not enough, you can add a side of fries for 2€. There’s also a falafel-filled vegan gyros alternative for those not turned on by meat. Whatever you choose, you can allow your mouth to start watering when they yell out your name to pick up your food. However, once again, if you’Re Greek, or know your Greek kitchen, you’ll notice a few deviations from tradition when it comes to what’s in your Gyros, eg. the Humuus and the red cabbage. Plus, there’s no pork on offer. But while you might not hear much Greek being spoken here (Marcos grandfather was Greek, but Marcos was born and raised in Vienna) this doesn’t take away from how tasty the food is.

The strong flavour factor is consistent throughout the menu, whether you go for one of the baked potatoes filled with feta (sourced straight out of Greece – the feta, not the potatoes) and yoghurt, or the deep fried calamari. According to Marco himself, it’s all about serving up fresh and homemade fast food. And he’s right, you’re never left waiting long.

While it was still finding its feet upon our visit (meaning not too many people were in there), we can imagine when this place is discovered, it will become a lively addition to the eatery scene in Vienna. The gyros and the surprisingly awesome breakfast are already strong drawcards, not to mention the chilled and lively friendly Mediterranean vibe it emits.