I discovered "Cal Gyros Mediterranean Cuisine" on Uber Eats. My wife and I were in North Oakland, near Berkeley, and wanted food delivered for a late-night dinner. Cal Gyros was featured near the top of the app, under the section "Healthy options to explore," based on our location and what was open at the time (a Thursday at 10:09pm). We were hungry and the menu and pictures of the food looked good enough to me. I ordered the following for us (descriptions from menu): * Lamb and Beef Gyros Sandwich ($14.95) - slow-cooked, thin-sliced, marinated lamb and beef gyros * Chicken Gyros Sandwich ($14.95) - slow-cooked, thin-sliced, marinated chicken * Cacik Appetizer ($8.95) - homemade yogurt with diced cucumbers, oregano, fresh dill and a hint of garlic After the cost of food ($38.85), I paid a $6.97 service fee, $3.99 tax, $2.00 for California driver benefits, and a $7.62 tip. The $0.99 delivery fee was waived because of a promotion. The total cost was $59.43. Roughly a third of that was due to Uber Eats. There were multiple delays. It took about an hour for the food to be delivered. To get to us from Cal Gyros was an 11-minute drive under usual traffic. I think the delay was with the restaurant and not caused by the driver because I saw the driver had to wait at the restaurant for an extended period of time. I know the driver has nothing to do with Cal Gyros, the business, but I just want to mention here that he (Axel) was super nice when handing off the order to me outside. As for the food itself, it was disappointing. The sandwiches (wraps) were filling, but that was about it. The quality of the ingredients wasn't great, especially the pita. The pita for the wraps was thin, hard, and bland. At least they were grilled. The cacik also came with pita. There were five, maybe six, Kronos-brand pita triangles in a Kronos bag. I think that pita may have been grilled too; it was hard for me to tell. The lamb, beef, and chicken gyros were flavorful enough, but they were far from the best gyros I've had from many similar hole-in-the-wall joints over the years. The Chicken Gyros Sandwich was very watery and messy to eat. The Lamb and Beef Gyros Sandwich was definitely the better of the two. I don't remember the other ingredients inside the wraps except for lettuce and perhaps onion and tomato. The cacik was fine. Cacik is the Turkish version of Greek tzatziki. Cal Gyro's cacik was cold, creamy, and refreshing. It was noticeably stronger tasting and more sour than tzatziki. Cal Gyros is located at Durant Center, colloquially referred to as the "Asian Ghetto," just south of UC Berkeley's main campus and surrounded by many of the school's buildings. It's one of several small restaurants, most of which are Asian, located in a U-shaped building with communal outdoor picnic-table seating in the middle. Some of the restaurants have their own dedicated seating inside, including Cal Gyros. The storefront sign says: "Best California Gyros." This place is open until 2am daily, so that's a plus. read more

See all

The food was horrendous. I ordered a "lamb pizza" which took over ten minutes to make. The meat was stale and not fresh. My stomach started hurting after eating it so I couldn't even finish the food I ordered. This is probably the worst restaurant I've tried in Berkeley so far. For how long I waited, the food doesn't match the time it took to make the food. It definitely wasn't worth $15. The lady was gracious enough to offer free salad as compensation for the long wait, but the wilted salad looked unappealing. I was worried that the salad would make me even more sick so I didn't touch it. For a restaurant charging $15 for a meal, it should at least be safe to eat. I'm very disappointed and definitely won't be coming back. read more

Food was HORRIBLE! Not fresh whatsoever. Ordered 2 specialty plates gyro and beef meat and garlic fries. Garlic fries weren't cooked thoroughly no care of presentation no garlic just salt. The rice wasn't authentic basmati rice. Owner stated it's Japanese mixed with basmati. The humus is definitely packaged not made in the restaurant. Salad had no taste and lettuce was flimsy. My husband called the restaurant, the owner was rude when explaining that our food was not good. The owner did not want/didn't give us a refund for the lack of fresh food. Please stay away from this place, this place isn't authentic Mediterranean food. Very disappointed in the lack of quality food and service. Zero stars from me if possible. The inside is very old and dingy. Dirty trash can sitting on top of new sodas, waters, and other drinks, very unsanitary. Food made us sick. read more

Truly a no-frills Mediterranean restaurant: you order at the counter, receive your food in a little under 10 minutes, and chow down on pretty decent gyros. I had the lamb and gyros plate which also comes with white sauce, spicy sauce, rice, pita, and a side salad at a pretty decent price. It's pretty comparable to Halal Guys with the exception of the less generous and less flavorful portion of meat Cal Gyro dishes out. read more

Cal Gyros Mediterranean - Lamb and Beef Gyros - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

I ordered a lamb/beef plate to-go and it didn't disappoint! Although she forgot to include the spicy red sauce, the white sauce was more than adequate and enough. The taste of the food is tantalizing to the palette and there is even enough for a light lunch today. The owner is so sweet and nice. It wasn't busy test around 3:30p, so we talked about her culture, hometown and family in Türkiye. The place itself is small, no-frills and a bit short on restaurant supply storage space, but the congestion added to the homey feel of the place. The outdoor seating is a great space to eat and gather because it's surrounded by many other eating places. This will be *my* meal go-to when I'm in the area getting my husband's IBs Sub. read more

Worst meal I've ever ordered. Seriously. $61 down the drain. Gyro saturated with red sauce, not white sauce. Hummus is almost brown. So bad. Baklava is decent store bought from Costco or similar. Do Not Order Here read more

Delishhh I really liked my gyro. I also really like the outdoor seating and how there are a lot of restaurants to pick from in the area, something for everyone in your group! read more

See all

This place deserves its love. Best Mediterranean food I've had in the Berkeley area. Amazing food, let alone for food open until 2 AM!! It's ran by the sweetest husband and wife, with the wife working the first half of the day and the husband working until 2 AM during the second half of the day. Food is so fresh, I HIGHLY recommend the specialty plates over the wraps, particularly the kofte kebab or lamb and beef gyros. Berkeley students, if you drunk after a night out, skip the Taco Bell, skip the Artichokes, come here and have the best drunk meal of your life read more

My son moved to Berkeley a few months ago and he discovered what he says locals refer to as the "Asian Ghetto" with amazing food from all over Asia. He has taken the time to get to know some of the owners here and this place is one of those. We visited from San Jose and this place (and the Sushi place) were at the top of his list. The owner is quiet and humble and let's his food speak for itself. Great portions and tons of flavor. Between the three of us, we had the Gyro plate, the Adana Kebob Plate, the gyro wrap, and the dolmas appetizers. Everything was delicious. We were full and had leftovers to boot. We will be back to sample more of the menu (and to try the sushi place too!) read more

This spot is an underrated gem. No frills, just straight up good food. Walking in at lunch time, it's surprisingly not busy. Which is perfect because there isn't competition to get a tasty meal. Entering Cal Gyro, you can smell the beef and lamb cooking as it rotates on a rotisserie. The menu is straightforward, and they offer non-beef and lamb options as well. Most importantly the food is delicious, and they make sure to ask what you want and don't (like how spicy, onions or not). Hailing from the east coast, Cal Gyro is nostalgic for the spots I used to frequent in Upstate New York and Boston. Except, the flavor and balance of salt at Cal Gyro is better. read more

Underrated spot. They make the food quick and it was a savory late night dinner. The man serving me tonight was very friendly and made my dinner on the spot because there was no line and I paid afterwards. I got the beef and lamb wrap and it had enough of everything and was meat heavy which I personally loved. Definitely will be coming here again. read more

My favorite place for mediterranean food in berkeley!! The beef gyro wraps are amazing and there's usually no wait for this. The portion is large and generous, it's very worth it!! read more

WHEN: 01-11-22 So this was an interesting experience. It was night time and I hadn't eaten all day. For some reason I was craving a gyro, and this was the first place I thought of. I came to the restaurant, and there was an incident that needed police attention right next to the restaurant! So when it was my turn to order, I was being interrupted by constant screaming. Luckily the staff was patient with me and the situation. But, definitely not the restaurant's fault! I ordered a lamb and beef gyro wrap and a can of Sprite. When I opened my wrap, it looked like a burrito! Burrito was okay, although a little cold. Some parts of the lamb and beef were tough and dry. Can of Sprite to wash it down was refreshing. Interesting day to say the least! read more

Cal Gyros Mediterranean - Sprite. - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Best service! Excellent gyro. Made with lavassh bread and not a pita. Great switch up

My friend brought me here, absolutely delicious. Gyro made quick and seats outside to eat!

best baklava everrr the veggie mediterranean wrap is so good too :) you should definitely go! read more

I don't leave allot of reviews but this place really deserves a very bad review! They need to close ASAP! This place is absolutely disgusting, the owner served us expired food which caused my stomach to be upset. The food was completely disgusting to the point where the chicken tasted like fish. read more

Can't really tell you how it is. I walked in and stood there for a good 2 minutes while the guy in the kitchen ignored me. Place was empty while every other place was busy. All I wanted was a Greek salad with gyro. I ended up getting what I wanted at a place next door. Oh well! read more

Kindest owner on the planet and best Mediterranean food in Berkeley. I typically eat here after big exercise days, for flavor and substantial protein rich meals. This place can be overlooked because of how deep it is in the food court, but I promise it's worth your time to give it a try. I strongly recommend the Kebab combo listed in the picture!! read more

Cal Gyros Mediterranean - Kebab combo: 5 different meats, salad, hummus, pita - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

BEST WRAPS!! I've brought several friends here and they all love it. Cal gyro is my go to spot when I'm in the area. If you're lucky and it's not too busy you'll get to have great convo with the man behind the yummy food. Worth the money, huge wraps but they're too good I never have leftovers lol read more

What a gem of a place to find at 11 pm on a Friday night, with everything closing, but an owner who stays open to feed the hungry masses with delicious, gorgeous food and a winning personality! My friend and I were still riding the Mastodon/Primus concert high as we walked back through campus in search of tasty treats. Every place seemed to be closing in minutes, but the Cal Gyro owner was gracious. I asked him when he closed and he replied, "When people stop coming in!" We each had a platter - one chicken gyro, one lamb and beef gyro - and each came up with a huge portion of rice, hummus, pita, and salad. And the two sauces - a creamy, yogurt based one and a spicy, chipotle one - made everything even better. They do Halal Guys Better than Halal Guys! Can't wait to return! read more

Cal Gyros Mediterranean - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

The food was awesome!! Tasted super yummy and was very fresh. Will be back again for sure! read more

Cal Gyros Mediterranean - Falafel plate - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

Love the easy location, menu selection, and the restaurant experience. Can be quick for an in between studying snack, or a sit down meal with a pleasant restaurant ambiance. read more

Everyone I know absolutely loves this place. Just bought a lamb and beef gyro and I'm absolutely impressed with these flavors. The ambiance is amazing too, the mural is really gorgeous. Service is also unmatched as the owner is as wonderful of a person as it gets. He really knows how to make some good food and has always been very kind to my family and I whenever we've come in. Would share a photo but unfortunately devoured half of it too quickly! Saving the rest for later, great portions. This place is definitely the bomb!!! Check it out for yourselves read more

I really hate to leave reviews like this one but if I'm honest with my 4 and 5 star reviews then I have to be honest with places that are much less than what they put out to be. To be short, this restaurants food was terrible and was such a disappointment... And I'm very sorry to put it that way but it's my honest opinion. For starters, they claim to sell Mediterranean food but use tortilla to wrap their food, instead of using the usual Arabic or Mediterranean wraps seen at other restaurants. Anyways, the tortilla did not bother me all that much. What bothered me was the filling. I ordered a chicken shawarma wrap and it contained only chicken and a blend of lettuce and tomato with what I believe was sour cream. I believe that's all that was inside of it because I watched her make it. The chicken literally had no taste. There was no seasoning on it at all. It was SOO bland. As I was eating it, I began to taste and smell lamb. If anyone has ever had lamb or goat meat, you know what I'm talking about. It has a very strong distinctive smell that just cannot be missed. Well, I didn't order lamb but I know they have it on their menu. While eating this, I kept tasting it in my chicken shawarma wrap and kept smelling the strong smell of it. I'm guessing maybe she uses the same spoon/scoop for both meat items? Or maybe some pieces of lamb meat ended up in my chicken shawarma wrap? I don't know... But I kept tasting and smelling lamb. I ended up throwing the rest away. This entire wrap was such a disappointment. I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone. The food was truly gross and this should not be categorized as Mediterranean food. read more

See all

Browsing through the many choices of food on Durant and I see this place and think to myself I haven't had Mediterranean food in a while so lets give it a shot. First off it may not look like much, but I could get a whiff of the meat that was turning behind the counter and could tell it had potential. I proceeded to order a combo Gyro, which was lamb, beef and chicken then added falafel (I wanted to get the full experience of the place lol) as well as an order of dolmas. The dolmas were really good and the gyro was spot on. It was packed with a ton of meat and nothing was dry. The flavors were great and the cucumber salad tasted fresh. For the price, I found it a really good deal considering my girlfriend and I shared one and we were both full at the end of it. Great spot and would love to return to try something different. read more

Food was absolutely amazing!!! Definitely a slept on spot as there was no line really. Family owned & you can taste that in the food. read more

Super tasty gyro wraps!! [Atmosphere] Super low key, and kinda hard to find. It's off the road in this small like "shopping alley" next to a bunch of other small take-out kinda spots. Can seats about 12 comfortably before things get tight. [Food] Get the lamb and beef gyro wrap! That is all you need to know. It's really juicy and full of flavor, I loved it. My wife got the chicken gyro wrap but the chicken was dry unfortunately :/ but adding the white and red sauces made it quite nice. [Overall] Definitely recommend this spot. I could myself coming here for takeout 1-2x a week. I really enjoyed it. read more

Cal Gyros Mediterranean - Chicken gyro wrap - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

We ordered a beef and lamb wrap and the Adana gyro wrap. The guy who was cooking our food did not mask up properly, it wasn't covering his nose. He told me the food was going to take five minutes but I glance over and see he's preparing trays for us. I ask him, "is that our wraps?" He goes, "no. We're out of those. You'll like the special plate better anyway". I don't understand why he didn't tell us that there were no wraps when we ordered in the first place ... this forced us to buy a 4 dollar more special plate to avoid the confrontation and the hassle. Super frustrating that we had to buy two 12.95 because he didn't bother to let us know that he was out of the food we ordered It was extremely disappointing-- the food was super dry and bland, the special plates were a huge let down. TLDR: purposely gave us the wrong order, did not tell us he was out of the food we ordered, he wasn't wearing a mask correctly, and the food was mediocre. read more

Mmmmh! Best lamb kabobs served hot off the grill, medium. The pita brad also grilled - everything fresh and delicious. Great find in a college town. Nice tables outside too. Try something new. read more

Worst food ever! They are not not halal ! Please be careful all my friends got sick after eating here

Been going to this spot for years and it never fails to satisfy. Just fresh and simple chicken and lamb schwarma roasted on the vertical rotisserries behind the counter. Get a gyro sandwich on super fresh pita bread or my favorite--on a rice plate drizzled with yogurt sauce and hot sauce with a refreshing side salad, hummus and aforementioned pillowy pita. So good! read more

Since I'm not very familiar with Mediterranean food (had it only twice), I asked for a recommendation. They suggested that I order the Combo Gyros. The owner of the store was so sure that I would love it that he let me eat it first before I paid. And if I didn't like it, it would've been on the house. Oh, and I paid because it was good! It's delicious, filling, and has the right amount of spice. I think there's a discount for Cal students... The one downside is the lack of indoor seating. read more

Cal Gyros Mediterranean - Combo Gyros (: Yum! - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

EXCELLENT FOOD, I highly recommend and the Owner is the Nicest Gentleman. He provides the best customer service there is out there and his fresh organic ingredients make out for a delicious meal. read more

Well what can i say.. Found this place on a search because i was craving a gyro, and my co-worker wanted to try it, so being it is her first time i insisted it would be good... Well My gyro arrived like a burrito, not in the traditional pita bread, i was actually embarrased as my co-workers first time trying it and gets a burrito, I also ordered Baklava, and jesus, soo damn greasy, smelled like it was made of cardboard, and the garlic frys were super cold ann too damn hard to eat, I even called the restaurant as i ordered through uber eats and informed them its false advertisement when you have pictures of real gyros on your main page, and customers see that, and receive a burrito is sooo wrong on so many levels, why would i want to eat mediterraneean food out a damn tortilla???? Be mindful when you order a gyro.....you wont get what you expect... read more

See all

This is my go-to spot. I've been a customer for over 15 years. Great place. Good food. They are open late. Very filling.

The second I walked in I was greeted with hostility. Any question I had regarding what was available for purchase was returned with short answers and annoyance. When I asked for a container to go I was told it was an additional $2 and so I said can I have some napkins and I was given a single napkin, accompanied with sass and anger. I was really excited to try the food but in all honesty, the owner was rude and irritable the entire time and I will never go back even if it was the best food I ever tasted (it was not). read more

Pretty bad. Falafel was undercooked yet kind of burnt on the outside (not to mention the chickpeas were barely ground). Lettuce was wilted. Barely any sauce. All for $16. read more

Stumbled into this tucked-away business ran by a single individual from morning until past midnight. Owner has a tough exterior but he's very nice and kind. Food is great! Amazing portions and flavor for the right price. Make sure you get the spicy AND the white sauce - it gives a nice smokey kick and rounds flavors off with the cream. read more

The owner here is a really nice guy. He has a great sense of humor and gives solid recommendations. Their spicy sauce is made in-house and worth trying. I typically get a combo plate. Their salad is pretty good as well. I do think the hummus could be better. I would also recommend getting the white sauce as an addition. The location is convenient and next to other spots nearby if you want variety. I would recommend getting a donut at kingpin after eating here. Seating is limited so if you're with a big group, plan accordingly. read more