The Road, No. 23: Best Gyros [Eating Our Way Down Nolensville Pike]

Welcome to The Road, my column in which I'm going to attempt — key word: attempt — to eat at every non-chain restaurant on Nolensville Pike between I-440 and the county line. I'll readily admit that even though I live right off Nolensville — Paragon Mills represent! — and revel in the diversity and quantity of its eateries, I have barely scratched the surface of what the strip has to offer. But now I'm going to rectify that, and hopefully you'll join for what's likely to be a wild ride.

Episode 23: Best Gyros

Address: 5814 Nolensville Pike

Phone: 331-7792

I'm gonna be straight with you: I have no idea if Best Gyros actually has the best gyros. They smelled delicious and looked scrumptious on the plates of my fellow diners, but I walked into this little shop on the southeast side of the Nolensville-Old Hickory intersection and instantly got the "falafel vibes." It's a sixth-sense sort of thing, the falafel vibes, and I'm not one to argue with them. So yeah, whether or not Best Gyros does in fact have the best gyros is still up for debate, but they've got really good falafel — a far more persnickety dish — and I'm willing to take them at their word.

I have never been to Best Gyro before and honestly had no idea it existed until I pulled in the parking lot. Clearly I missed a memo, because when I walked in at the tail end of the lunch rush the place was packed. I was worried I wouldn't get a seat, but the turnover was quick — I think the whole place swapped out while I ate. The restaurant is simple — a couple of tables, a row of booths, an open kitchen — without much in the way of decoration beyond those awesome Kurdish (I think) picture-rug wall hangings I see all around town. It's a clean, efficient setup that doesn't offer much in the way of bells and whistles. Then again, bells and whistles aren't terribly tasty.