Daphne's is probably one of the more interesting fast food places in the market today. Unlike most fast food restaurants, you order at the counter, then you are served by a waitress/waiter with your food. The utensils are not plastic, but instead metal. I haven't eaten at Daphne's until about two years ago, and routinely I still go there.
This post is almost directly a year ago, when my dining companion and his friend went out with me after class. His friend had a Daphne's coupon, so why not Daphne's for lunch? But which location? The Pasadena one or the Monrovia one? We decided on the Pasadena location.
( click for a larger view on flickr)
Ordering should be simple, don't you think? And since it was lunch, we would most certainly get the lunch combo specials, correct? Well, we ordered exactly just like that, and gave the person the coupon. And the person apparently charged us for the full price menus, meaning the fountain drinks were not free plus there would be an additional cost for my friend's plate compared to ordering a Steak Kabob Lunch. She saved us money on the gyros with drinks added separately (5.59 + 1.79=7.38 vs 7.59), but how about the kabob lunch? We told her that she clicked the wrong item for the kabob plate, and what did she reply?
"Oh, it's the same thing."
Really? So shouldn't the price go back down? Well, she acted as if she did not understand a word we said and left us alone. What's even more silly about this type of situation is that I just encountered that at Universal Studios just last weekend. The person wouldn't give me the 15 dollar discount for SoCal residents although I showed her two examples that I was most certainly a SoCal resident. Unlike at Daphne's, the lady at Universal Studios did ended up understanding me and gave me a nice 15 dollar discount. :)
Waiting for our items, I randomly decided to take a picture of the kitchen. Unlike the Chipotle on Lake however (not Foothill), the employees laughed at my photo taking instead of being angry. I didn't get to see much carving of the gyros either. As you can see in the photo, there was not too much gyro meat left. That could be bad or good, but for our case it was nice since the gyro meat shreds would not be ultra long- easy to pick up and eat.
As for the steak kabob and gyro plate (8.79 USD) that my friend ordered, he seemed quite happy with it. One steak kabob, some gyro meat, slices of pita bread, rice, salad with feta,olive and tomato, and tzatziki sauce. Yum.
My dining companion and I ordered the Fresh Carved Gyros under the Pita Sandwich section (5.59 USD), as we typically order this when we visit Daphne's. You can pick between a mound of of tasty thick cut french fries or rice pilaf with a salad with olives, salty feta cheese, and a very acidic tasting vinaigrette. The gyro itself is very flavorful, so the rice pilaf and salad kind of balances it out. The gyro meat was very flavorful with plenty of lamb flavor and hints of cumin. Coupled with a crispy warmed pita, tzatiki sauce, and crisp veggies like red onion and lettuce, it was very enjoyable and delicious.
Conclusion? Daphne's does taste quite good for fast food or even as a restaurant. However, things can get a bit pricey versus other Mediterranean style restaurants especially with Daphne's being a large chain. Do look for coupons when they are available! The Monrovia location personally I like better due to less customer service issues and more gyro meat availability (never have I seen it become depleted or nearly finished), but the Pasadena location is an OK location if you are nearby.
Ordering should be simple, don't you think? And since it was lunch, we would most certainly get the lunch combo specials, correct? Well, we ordered exactly just like that, and gave the person the coupon. And the person apparently charged us for the full price menus, meaning the fountain drinks were not free plus there would be an additional cost for my friend's plate compared to ordering a Steak Kabob Lunch. She saved us money on the gyros with drinks added separately (5.59 + 1.79=7.38 vs 7.59), but how about the kabob lunch? We told her that she clicked the wrong item for the kabob plate, and what did she reply?
"Oh, it's the same thing."
Really? So shouldn't the price go back down? Well, she acted as if she did not understand a word we said and left us alone. What's even more silly about this type of situation is that I just encountered that at Universal Studios just last weekend. The person wouldn't give me the 15 dollar discount for SoCal residents although I showed her two examples that I was most certainly a SoCal resident. Unlike at Daphne's, the lady at Universal Studios did ended up understanding me and gave me a nice 15 dollar discount. :)
Waiting for our items, I randomly decided to take a picture of the kitchen. Unlike the Chipotle on Lake however (not Foothill), the employees laughed at my photo taking instead of being angry. I didn't get to see much carving of the gyros either. As you can see in the photo, there was not too much gyro meat left. That could be bad or good, but for our case it was nice since the gyro meat shreds would not be ultra long- easy to pick up and eat.
My dining companion and I ordered the Fresh Carved Gyros under the Pita Sandwich section (5.59 USD), as we typically order this when we visit Daphne's. You can pick between a mound of of tasty thick cut french fries or rice pilaf with a salad with olives, salty feta cheese, and a very acidic tasting vinaigrette. The gyro itself is very flavorful, so the rice pilaf and salad kind of balances it out. The gyro meat was very flavorful with plenty of lamb flavor and hints of cumin. Coupled with a crispy warmed pita, tzatiki sauce, and crisp veggies like red onion and lettuce, it was very enjoyable and delicious.
Conclusion? Daphne's does taste quite good for fast food or even as a restaurant. However, things can get a bit pricey versus other Mediterranean style restaurants especially with Daphne's being a large chain. Do look for coupons when they are available! The Monrovia location personally I like better due to less customer service issues and more gyro meat availability (never have I seen it become depleted or nearly finished), but the Pasadena location is an OK location if you are nearby.
Daphne's Greek Cafe
3573 E. Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91199
Tel: (626) 351-2316
3573 E. Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91199
Tel: (626) 351-2316
Comments
Agree, those fries are tasty! Haven't tried their hummus yet though.