New Kabob Joint Fills Hole in the Vast Culinary Landscape of Norcross

Baba’s Gyro & Kabob is a new Greek and Middle Eastern joint in the Flying Biscuit and Dream Land Barbeque shopping center off Peachtree Parkway—and it’s a crowd pleaser with its fresh, authentic dishes and snappy service.

Though the restaurant is new, the staff and management seem to be old hats: They already have one location in Cumming off Ronald Reagan Boulevard. Even on a hopping lunch shift, we were lavished with attention. Hey, I saw the servers take the time to kiss two babies during a lunch rush.

The food is good, darn good actually, but the true advantage of this restaurant is that it fills a culinary hole in Norcross. Indian, Vietnamese, Korean, Mexican and Japanese, we have in droves. There just aren’t any authentic places in the ‘hood to pick up gyro, kabobs and falafel, the staples of Middle Eastern and Greek cuisine in this country.  (Stand by for a review of the Pakistani joint Agha’s in the future.)

And authentic it is.  You’ll find Persian dishes like Mirza Ghasemi (eggplant dip made with tomato, onion and fresh garlic) and Cherry Polo (sour cherries sautéed with pistachios, almonds and carrots on a chicken breast). You’ll also find Greek Spanakopita (a delectable spinach pie in flaky phyllo dough) and Dolmatos (grape leaves stuffed with rice, spices and mint, topped with a pomegranate sauce).

The rich hummus is flecked with sweet, slightly smoky roasted red peppers. The falafel appetizer is crispy, browned oval patties of mashed chickpeas and spices, topped with the hummus and tangy Tzatziki, a sauce they say is their claim to fame. 

If you’ve never had a Tzatziki, you are missing out. You know the Greek yogurt craze that’s going around? (For good reason, in my opinion.) I’m hoping this Greek yogurt-based sauce will be the next frontier. Lemon, garlic and dill is added to the thick yogurt to make a rich, creamy sauce that feels too delectable to be healthy.  

I’ve noticed that Baba’s ladles that Tzatziki on just about everything, including the heafty gyro platters. While we found the gryo meat a little underwhelming, slap some yogurt sauce on it, and you’ll forget all about it.

The platters, including Gyro, Souvlaki, Grilled Chicken and Chipotle Lamb, come with a standard Greek salad and delectable “Greek potatoes,” which are rounds of crinkle-cut, heavily seasoned spuds. They are the perfect intersection of a potato chip and a french fry. 

Of course you wouldn’t want to leave without sampling the house baklava. Might I recommend sharing a piece? The honeyed, saccharine dessert, thick with its walnut filling, is heavenly, but you might feel like giving up after two bites.