Habanero Grill - Baltimore

We came here because of the great Yelp reviews, and they also happened to be open on Sunday. Yelp is normally a great resource that we frequently use, and it is rare that we are steered in the wrong direction. This was one of those rare cases. We expected and were looking forward to great Greek food. We really wanted gyros since we love the combination of the meat with the spices, cooked on a rotisserie. We know not many places use the traditional lamb, and since this place offered chicken or pork that was fine. We ordered two pork gyros. We also ordered the appetizer of sliced zucchini, and a couple of beers. When we got our beers, mine tasted fine, but I am not really a beer expert. My partner started drinking his, and then he asked to look at my bottle. I didn 't ask why. I later found out that his bottle had expired it was past the date and he could taste it. Considering that they have NO beer on tap, the fact that we got an expired bottle makes even less sense. He didn 't tell me at the time because he didn 't want to sour my experience at this place. We got our zucchini app and although it was technically sliced , they were huge, cross wise slices not really sliced in a normal way. They were hot, and we dug in. Salt. All I was thinking when I took my first bite is that they forgot to season the flour, or the zucchini or anything. Bland was an understatement. Even with the accompanying lemon wedge, it was so bland that it seemed to be a mistake. All they had to do was sprinkle some salt when it came out of the deep fryer. It was disappointing, but when we added salt, it was better. Then our gyro stuffed pitas came out. At first glance they looked appetizing. Then we took a bite. There was nothing even vaguely resembling gyro meat in those pitas. We knew we ordered pork, but the chunks of meat in there didn 't look or taste like any pork we have ever encountered. Hidden by the tzatziki sauce, there were pieces of meat that were so fatty, so flavorless, and so disgusting that I actually pulled them out of my pita and just ate some of the pita with the salad that was in there. We clearly left food on our plates because our waitress asked if we wanted to wrap it. I then told her that this wasn 't a gyro . She then said that they don 't make lamb (we knew that it wasn 't on the menu , and that 's why she asked if we wanted chicken or pork. She said they call it gyro because most people expect chunks of meat not really gyro meat. In other words, they believe that most people have no clue, so they can throw whatever they want into a pita, and customers won 't know any better. Sorry, but that 's a pathetic excuse for what was served. Not all customers who are not Greek are that clueless. We 're from NYC we know what a gyro is SUPPOSED to be and we expected it to be authentic or at least CLOSE. Here is the official definition: A gyro or gyros[a] (Greek: , gyros [iros], literally 'turn ' is a Greek dish made from meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Like shawarma and tacos al pastor, it is derived from the lamb based doner kebab.[1][2] In Greece it is now most often pork, or chicken, while a mixture of beef and lamb is common in the U.S. and other countries. It is usually served wrapped or stuffed in a flatbread such as pita, with tomato, onion, tzatziki sauce, and sometimes french fries. When she offered pork or chicken , we still presumed it would be gyro and not some tourist trap sandwich. I 'll be honest I love grilled shish kababs of meat almost any kind of meat including pork. This was nothing like that. I was even considering that the pork might have been spoiled because of the gray color and weird texture. Thankfully I didn 't eat enough to test that theory and get sick. After a lovely 4 day weekend vacation in Baltimore, we were expecting an authentic, enjoyable and great Greek meal. Unfortunately, it turned out the be one of the worst meals we have had in many, many years. Perhaps their other food is better. Perhaps they simply forgot to rotate their beer stock. Maybe the chef thought he salted the food. There is NO excuse for using one word on the menu, and then substituting a completely different product and making excuses when they are called out on it. Never again.

Flew back on a plane today with a couple from Greece and they said this is the best Greek food in the area.

The food is delicious—truly a highlight—which is why I'm eager for them to resolve these problems so I can return. However, on my last visit, I ordered a spanakopita and discovered multiple strands of hair throughout it after I had already begun eating. I found a total of seven hairs!! Ultimately, it turned out to be several strands from a pastry brush. It was extremely unsanitary and off-putting, and I can't even imagine how many pieces of plastic I might have ingested before realizing what was happening! As for the ambiance, I appreciate a casual diner vibe, but let's be honest; it's become quite dirty. It hasn't been updated in what seems like ages, giving it an old and grimy feel. It desperately needs a thorough cleaning and some renovations. There's so much potential here, but it feels like no one is putting in the effort. Every time I visit, I notice that the dirty baseboards remain untouched. The bar itself is crumbling, and they don’t even keep their liquor displayed on the shelves anymore. After experiencing these consecutive disappointing visits, it may be some time before I try again. However, I genuinely hope the owner takes note of this review and implements some positive changes because I want to love Zorba's again.

Ate there last night. Great place with delicious Greek food. I recommend Zorba's and will return soon and often.

We got tons of recommendations to come here from friends, and boy am I glad we did. For starters, the place was cute and the waitress was very nice. Before our food came, we got bread and that bread was out of this world. Personally, I usually don't even like bread but this was something else. We ordered lamb chops and a chicken gyro wrap (it was for 3 hungry people), and they were spectacular. The lamb chops were fully cooked, but still so tender and juicy. The chicken gyro wrap was so wholesome and fresh if it had been any fresher we would be in a farm! All in all, a bit pricey but definite my favorite Greek restaurant and one of my favorites in general.