Just don’t call it a chicken kebab 🥙
Christ, since the days when I first started writing here and street food meant, well Fat Hippo and not a lot else, it’s safe to say we’ve possibly hit peak street food. And I mean that in the loosest sense of ‘pay ÂŁ8-10 for something that may or may not be bang average’.
Don’t get me wrong, some of it is great. There’s a lot out there at the moment; stellar tacos, bang-average Indonesian curries, awful cheesesteaks, and single dish concepts aplenty. Some are good and go on to bigger and better things. Some don’t.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 4 or 5 years, you’ll likely have spied the familiar blue and white pop-up tent signifying that the Acropolis Street Food team are about. From the Quayside Market, to the Grainger Market, via Stack, By the River Brew Co. and seemingly everywhere in between via the food delivery companies, these guys are everywhere in 2021. Good for them!
Really, the small item revolves around chicken gyros. Vertical spit roast, assertively spiced, fast throughput so 95% of the time, it’s succulent and well-marinated chicken. Sure, there’s veggies and halloumi but the chicken is undoubtedly the star here, and you only need to pick one of two things.
Are you:
— eating alone, or with someone who has seen you at your very worst already?
— hungover?
— eating out of pure gluttony?
If so, get the wrap. It’s comically-proportioned, like all the best kebabs should be.
It goes all over. All over your face, all over your hands, and all over your desk, in this instance. For the beard-blessed among you, good luck. You will need it. It’s admittedly a silly overstuffed eat, but that doesn’t diminish the enjoyment whatsoever.
Pillowy Greek-style pita bread enrobes chicken meat that manages to be a little gnarly and charred as well as juicy and tender. Lots of garlic. Few chips, a fistful of salad, and some sauces to lubricate. Then somehow the whole thing meets an unlikely meld with your face. For ÂŁ7, you’ll be done for the day. It’s not exactly tweezers and micro herbs, but it does the job.
I’ve had these dozens of times now as a lazy lunch, and always felt well served.
On the flipside, if you’re going to be eating in the presence of other people? Or are a serial knife-and-forker?
Get the platter. It’s a marginally more civilised affair. You could set the table and plate it up, if you wanted. Those breads are great though, made for shovelling. This was at the sit-down, cafe-vibe Grainger Market unit. There is also, hilariously, a double-sized version of this dubbed ‘Helen of Troy‘.
There’s a few other bits like feta, obligatory fried halloumi bites, and even some house-made baklava. The Greek imported Loux sour cherry drink is my recommended, slightly eye-wateringly hit of refreshment too.
But my favourite Acropolis experience has got to be at HWKRMRKT at the moment. When it all starts getting a bit bleary-eyed, and you can order a double fistful of chicken gyros via your phone, and it shows up at your table with a pint of HeedHunter… If that’s not a good thing to come out of this whole pandemic then I don’t know what is. And that’s really what Acropolis‘ yee-ros is all about.
It’s fairly simple, and sure, if you had a spare couple of hours you could knock it up from start to finish and end up with a fairly close approximation. But for the tenner it’ll cost you, you rarely go wrong with Acropolis Street Food. The clue is in the name, it’s meant to be enjoyed out of home. There when you need the carbs.
Acropolis manages to take the dirty kebab, and bring it into the boujee world of Newcastle in 2021. Kinda. And like everyone else seems to, I love it for it. Do you?
Contact: acropolis-street-food.co.uk
Food hygiene rating: 5/5
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