Costa's Mediterranean Cafe - Birmingham

Best gyros in Birmingham!. I think most Costa's regulars are so in lust with the baked ziti that they've never thought to try their gyros... which is the mistake of a lifetime. Now, I'll give it to you that the baked ziti is pretty amazing. But if you take meat and pasta, drown it in cheese, and bake it to bubbly golden perfection, you'll always have a winner. It's not even fair. A gyro, however, is something that too many Birmingham diners have given up on after disappointing trips to Al's and Purple Onion. Costa's gyro is enormous... big enough to use as a pillow while you slip into a sweet, dreamless slumber. The pita is thick and fluffy, and tastes homemade. The slices of gyro are huge and plentiful, seasoned perfectly and paired with just enough lettuce, tomato, and tzatziki sauce for perfect balance of flavors. It comes with fries, but if you're smart, you'll sub those out for a side salad and try out their famous homemade bleu cheese dressing, which is the nectar of the gods even if you hate bleu cheese. To sum this all up without being overly dramatic, if I was deathly allergic to lamb, yogurt, and bleu cheese dressing, I would willingly drive to Costa's immediately and have the best last meal of my life.<br/ <br/ Unfortunately, service here is consistently terrible, the decor is in desperate need of an update, and there is no real ambiance. Fortunately, you can get your food to-go. There is even a drive-through window.

Excellent food! Great atmosphere and incredibly large portions.

I've always really enjoyed the food here. The lamb is delicious and the portions are generous. The homemade dressings are second to none.

Ask for the take out box when you place the order. I had lunch here last week with a Friend. I also eat dinner here once every couple of months. I admit I'm in a rut and always order the same things. It's either the Greek chicken (I get it with rice but you can get it with potatoes, too) or the baked spaghetti. When I had lunch with my friend I got the chicken. It didn't disappoint. It's half a baked chicken. The skin is nice and crisp and seasoned nicely without being overpowering. Cooking a half chicken is a challenge because the dark meat and white meat are done at different temperatures. Too often the white meat is overcooked and dried out because the the dark meat takes longer to finish cooking. I guess this is better than having the white meat cooked perfectly, only to bite into a raw chicken leg. The baked Greek chicken at Costas is always cooked perfectly. both the dark and white meat are juicy--not dried out at all and cooked through. They serve the chicken with a little container of clarified butter. I don't know if other places do this or not--I've only seen it done at Costas. The chicken is fine without the butter but hey--what doesn't taste better dipped in melted butter? I usually dunk every other bite. When the chicken is gone I dip any leftover bread in the remaining butter so that it doesn't go to waste.<br/ <br/ The baked spaghetti is almost enough for 3 people. I've never been able to finish it all at the restaurant. At least half of it (sometimes more) always goes home with me and is enough for another meal. As a rule I don't like spaghetti that I don't cook myself. I'm not talking about the sauce but the pasta. It's either over cooked, under cooked, or been sitting in water all day. I love the baked spaghetti here, although I need a bib when I eat it. When I eat spaghetti no matter how hard I try I don't do half as neat a job of it as Lady and the Tramp.<br/ <br/ One final note about Costas. They make all of their salad dressings in house and they are all fabulous! The hardest part of any meal here is choosing which dressing I want on my salad. Regardless of which one I get I never leave without first buying a pint of their Ranch dressing to take home with me. Their blue cheese is good, their honey mustard is good, the Italian is good but the Ranch is the best I've ever had anywhere and they are happy to sell you some (of any of the dressings) to take home with you.

Good food and friendly staff. I have to say that this place has the best food. Really authentic Greek dishes. The staff is alway friendly and willing to make our experience a super one!