Mikey’s Gyros is a Greek restaurant located at 527 South Main St. that opened in 1983, according to co-owner Bert Harvey. This year, the restaurant was named Best of Quick Bites because of its delicious food and welcoming vibe.
Harvey has been working at Mikey’s since 1985, when he was a University of Idaho student. He’s continued working there because of the positive environment.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is “fast, fun and friendly,” said Harvey. To ensure a pleasant dining experience, the employees at Mikey’s always make sure to be polite and patient and get customers’ food out quickly.
Plus, the prices of the food are affordable with gyros costing between $5.50 and $6.50. Some popular menu items include the Greek gyro and deluxe gyro. They also have vegetarian options such as the falafel pita and hummus pita.
Harvey’s favorite thing about Mikey’s is the restaurant’s sense of community.
“There are many kinds of people who come in here,” Harvey said. “We see a lot of students and athletes, and there are a lot of people who come here with their families.”
Mikey’s owners work to get the Moscow community involved with their business. The artwork on the restaurant’s walls is a prime example.
“Sometimes, we have artists who come in asking for their work to be hung on the walls,” Harvey said. “Paintings are usually up for about three months or so, though some of them last longer than others.”
On one of the walls, there are four paintings by a student at Moscow High School. Each of the four paintings has a Greek symbol for each of the letters in the word “gyro,” which fits in perfectly with the Greek theme of the restaurant. .
Mikey’s has also hosted live music inside the restaurant.
“If bands come in and ask to perform here, then we allow them to play,” Harvey said. “Sometimes, we’ll even have a smoke machine running while they perform.”
However, many of these live shows happened before the pandemic, and Mikey’s hasn’t had as many bands come in since it started. Nonetheless, seeing a band perform live is a great way to socialize and meet new people.
Harvey also likes working at Mikey’s because of the relationships he has built with his coworkers.
“There was a guy who used to work here, and he just worked a few hours a week to earn some extra money,” Harvey said. “He became my best friend.”
His friend’s daughter worked at Mikey’s for a while, and her kid eventually worked there as well. Harvey liked seeing different generations of the same family work at the same restaurant.
With delicious food and a friendly staff, Mikey’s Gyros is a community-based restaurant with a charming and welcoming atmosphere for everyone to enjoy.
Check out the Best of Moscow here!
Vanessa Werner can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @VanessaRWerner