Gyros House Mediterranean Grill, A True Family-Owned And Operated Business

Dad oversees the food. Daughter Diana takes your order behind the counter. Mom is the inspiration.

Eight-year-old, Danny? Well, he's the "owner and manager," and was present greeting customers the day of the grand opening of Gyros Mediterranean Grill at The Landing last week. Danny is now on hiatus at summer camp.

This is a family operation in every step of the way.

The menu is tasty. 

They offer gyros sandwiches made to order (wrapped in fresh pita bread) with beef, lamb, or chicken, as well as shish kabab of shrimp, chicken, or beef. 

The sandwiches are served with the traditional tzatziki sauce (zaa-zee-kee) sauce, which is a concoction of yogurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and mint. (I seriously could eat this for breakfast).

The lentil soup is a mediterranean staple, as are the dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), and falafel (yummy!), and the spanakopita (phyllo or filo — depending upon your preferred spelling — is stuffed with spinach and feta cheese).

A recent trip found a well-known restaurant owner ordering out the falafel salad to take home to his wife. A sign? I think so.

For Greek novices that is pronounced "yee-ros", and spanakopita, I learned after 20-plus years of pronouncing it incorrectly is span-a-ko-PITA as in pita bread.

The prices are inexpensive, making it suitable for family dining.

This is the second Greek restaurant that Moussa El Moussa has opened (the first, in Federal Way, continues to operate under another manager). But outside of the two restaurants El Moussa has a rich and interesting business and personal history.

Born the last of 11 children, Moussa laughs that his parents "just ran out of names" hence, Moussa El Moussa. "It means Moses," he said.  His wife, Delal, is also one of nine children. And, with family in mind is how they operate their restaurant.

Delal, who just graduated with her Masters Degree in social work, was there  "every step of the way" as the restaurant was being designed, said her daughter, Diana, who clearly was proud of her mother and wanted to make sure she received due credit for her role in the business.

"Without her support, we wouldn't have the restaurant," Diana said.

Diana, 18, also just graduated from High School and with her AA Degree from Highline Community College. She plans to enroll in UW-Tacoma in the fall and major in Business Administration. She envisions a future in business and law.

Delal missed the opening and wished she was here, her daughter said, because she was visiting a sick relative in Lebanon.

In 2008, when El Moussa was out with a ruptured disk in his back for 6 and a half months, he envisioned the first restaurant. The Renton restaurant came about after the location, previously owned by the restaurant chain Daphne's, closed its doors.

El Moussa hails from Saudia Arabia, where he was actually in the newspaper business. He was the head of the design department. When he moved to Washington state in 1991, he wasn't able to find that type of work, so he reinvented himself.

He managed a Dunkin Donuts for a while. Then, he took classes at the Art Institute of Seattle in culinary arts. He apprenticed — slave labor actually — at a Greek restaurant where he worked for free for 12 hours a day, while envisioning opening and operating his own business.

The El Moussa's purchased the Federal Way location and had it up and operating in 3 weeks while they worked 7 days a week.

In addition to the restaurant offerings Gyros offers an impressive catering and Grab & Go menu. You can get their tasty breads in packages of 10 as well as the tzatziki, salad dressings, gyro meat, and baklava.

El Moussa is proud that all of the spices used in the menu are imported from Greece and Lebanon.

He has been delighted with the help he has received from the , the  and The Landing in opening the restaurant, and looks forward to settling into his new Renton location.