I have been here multiple times and it is truly the best place for food on Green Street. I have gone with the gyros both times and have not been disappointed. The food is delicious and the prices are very reasonable. On top of it, the atmosphere gives you a feel to what our culture at U of I is like. Pass up the chains and go to Zorba's. Take it from an ILLINI - you won't be disappointed.
Review Source:Welcome back Zorbas! Green Street didn't feel the same without you since you burned down.
Zorba's new space is much more roomy with the cashier on the right and near the back, directly opposite from where it was located before. Although the ambiance is much improved, my gyro lacked taste. Sure it had all of the fixings without me asking: yogurt sauce, cucumber, tomato, onion...but the meat was bland.
My expectations for food quality are high even though this restaurant is located in the midst of collegiate-drunken-food-ville where food in this area is generally bland.
it's good food,nice worker,the reasons of the 3 stars and not 4 or 5 are :
expensive comparing to the size of the meal,you must eat 2 or 3 to fill you up, we were 3 and we paid about 24$ and we were not even 75% full,the tables are not organized,I saw ppl playing cards and the place is sooo small for that !!
I only went to Zorba's a couple times before it closed, and I remember being disappointed with it because I could get much better gyros back home. Â I had given up on gyros on campus (until I went to niro's but that's another review) but I was willing to give Zorba's another chance when it reopened. Â Many of my friends thought I was crazy for preferring niro's, so maybe I just remembered wrong?
Well, it was pretty much the same as I remembered. Â The meat is mediocre, and I feel like you definitely get more for your money at niro's. Â I do like that they have different sizes so you don't have to get a giant gyro if you're not particularly hungry.
Had I rated Zorba's before coming back, I would have given them four stars. Â The food isn't bad; I've just had better. Â But my favorite part of a gyro is the cucumber sauce, and it just wasn't right here. Â Correct me if I'm mistaken, but isn't it supposed to be thick, white, and yogurty? Â And nice and cold so you get that contrast between the cold sauce and the warm gyro meat? Â Well, the sauce here was runny, warm, and almost clear. Â I don't know, maybe something was just weird when I went, but with Niro's in my backyard (where I know they have the right sauce) and graduation in a month, I doubt I'll be back.
One word. Â Disappointed.
Good looking interior, and even had some of the old tables from the original Zorbas.
I ordered my food and waited to pay. Â The cashier left to take orders, and the line started backing up. Â The fifteen minute wait time would be forgivable if the fries weren't old, overcooked, and the portions of meat, small. Â There was literally 30-40 people crammed into this place ordering food and still got bad french fries...
Green St. never really had good quality food, but there is a disturbing trend of places like Beef Stand and Sliders charging EXPENSIVE prices for college students and making subpar food. Â Nero's on university charges about the same price for what I got, and their fries are fresh and hot, give you huge portions on gyro meat and have it cooked well. Â The only thing I paid for was the convenience of eating on Green St. Â
As a college student, and someone who works summers and breaks to pay for food during the year, I'm looking for a DEAL or at the very least, willing to pay the price for good food. Â All I got was something overpriced and meh.
Currently closed due a fire above them. Â :( Â I always look forward to eating here and was so sad when I came home in May and couldn't have any. Â I wish them a speedy recovery. Â I'll be back for the holidays and hope they have re-opened by then.
My parents used to come here when they were dating back in the day. Â They started taking me and my brother as kids. Â The whole family enjoy the food. Â It's the only place my dad will eat fries. Â I, on the other hand, love fries, and while their fries are good, they aren't THAT good. Â The gyros on the other hand are! Â We get the lamb ones. Â It's always a tough decision trying to figure out what size to get- sometimes your eyes are bigger than your stomach. Â The food is consistent good and served quickly. Â And I love the Illini memorabilia. Â Hopefully, they will still have some to post when they re-open.
Parking is an issue as they have no dedicated lot. Â The best plan for when school is in session (if you don't live on campus) is to drop off someone, let the other person circle around to find parking, and take it with you. Â Otherwise, be very patient with finding parking- especially during lunch time.
This was my favorite place to get Gyros in town. Despite the heated debate over who had the best gyros (Zorba's vs. Niro's Gyros), I always sided with Zorba's, the 'fixins' added to the gyro (tomato, onions and whatever else you wanted) were always fresh and great quality, something that NIro's seemed to lack on more than one occasion.
Zorba's had daily specials (like Groovy Tuesdays: one dollar off classic gyro meals) which kept me coming back every Tuesday I attended classes at the University of Illinois.
However, on Wednesday March 23, 2011 Zorba's was affected by the fire that started in the apartments above the business. As of now, I don't know when, if ever they'll re-open their shop on Green St. But here's to hoping!
One of the regular spots on Green street, every time I make the painful decision not to eat at Antonio's and instead eat here, I'm a little surprised as how much I like Zorba's. I see a review saying Niro's is better and cheaper - Zorba's isn't that expensive - but I've never been to Niro's, so I can't compare. I will say that Zorba's has great fries - crinkle cut.
Not much else to say - it's standard gyro stuff, for a pretty reasonable price (huge portion, fries and drink for like $7), and it's definitely one of the few places on that first block of Green that hasn't changes in I think 35+ years.
I am going to be the dissenting voice on this place, but I don't think it isn very good. Â Everything it does, Niro's Gyros does both better and cheaper. Â I honestly think Zorba's has kind of a privileged place due to nostalgia - it is an institution and one of the few places on Green Street that hasn't changed in the last decade (and beyond).
So maybe I am not the target audience. Â But the thing is, I love gyros! Â They're greasy enough that I don't get them too often, but I do love them. Â This brings us to the main problem: Zorba's gyros are not very good. Â I have been used to the gyros in my hometown (gigantic), the ones in Naperville (huge), and the ones from Niro's (also huge). Â The ones at Zorba's are comparatively small. Â This is not a deal-breaker - I don't need the mountains of meat all the time. Â The problem is that the meat is not very good. Â It has kind of a gritty texture and an off flavor. Â It reminds me of the frozen gyro meat you can get at grocery stores. Â They offer an array of sauces, but the tzatziki is key and it's not very good either. Â
I see rave reviews of the fries, and while they are good, they aren't exceptional. Â Even on a discount day, the fry and gyro meal is more than other places in town and I just did not like it as much. Â I thought the first time might've been an unfair representation, but on the next visit I could not finish the gyro - the texture of the meat got to me. Â
Decor is old-fashioned as fits a local institution. Â There is sort of a grease-haze that hangs in the air.
I think it says something that my friend has searched far and wide throughout all of Chicago and failed at finding another gyro place as good as Zorba's in Champaign.
Throughout my 4.5 years in Chambana, never once did I have a less than spectacular meal here. Both their chicken and original (I believe it is a mix between beef and lamb) gyros are mouth-watering. I was afraid that the lamb would have that weird gamey taste, but it only made for a more complex flavor, which I totally didn't expect.
They have a great selection of sauces that I am guilty of drowning my gyros in. Their fries are made to order and come out piping hot and are even more delectable with a dipping sauce concoction of my own (made by combining their honey mustard and cucumber sauces - must try). What I found surprising is that no one knew about their unlimited and FREE toppings list. You can get a whole assortment of other toppings on your gyro all at no charge!
Two years ago, they started catering to the drunk, after-bars crowd on Fridays and Saturdays. However, those gyros are a fraction of the size and a fraction of the goodness of their regular ones. So I'd stick to One World to fulfill that drunken craving if I were you...
*Also, I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but I always come out of the restaurant smelling like I've dipped myself in frying oil. I'm thinking that their made to order fries has something to do with it.
Based solely on their gyros: 5 stars. Â Absolutely delicious. Â Not too much sauce, succulent meat, crisp onions, tomatoes, all on fluffy, chewa pita bread. Â I am wowed by the fact that you can choose your size of gyro. Â I think a medium gyro (4oz) is perfect for filling you up without overwhelming your stomach. Â AND, it's under $5. Â Yum, yum, yum.
Review Source:This place was delicious!
My roommate and I came here on default because the other place we were trying to go to was already closed!
But good thing the gyros & fries here were delicious and made-to-order! Â And the gyro meat tasted super fresh! Â I loved how you can get extra cucumber sauce and the "hot sauce" obviously was mixed with the cucumber sauce...all delicious!
The establishment has been open for awhile and I can see why college students would come here after partying!
I was trying to think of places I would miss when I finish my Master's program here in Champaign-Urbana and the top three are Murphy's, Canopy Club and Zorba's.
I've always been a fan of gyros and I have to say that these are right up there with the ones I get in Chicago. In fact, Zorba's is better than some of the gyros I've gotten in Chicago before.
This is my favorite place to eat on Green Street. Besides Antonio's, it's probably the only one that not a chain and I unequivocally love the Large Gyro combo plain with a Cherry Pepsi.
Ah Zorba's, makes me feel young again. Â I frequented this place all the time when I was a student at UofI. Â YUM their gyros are some of the best. Â I like that they have different sizes of gyros. Â Definitely get the fried mushrooms, you won't be disapointed. Â Pass on the spinach pie though, it's not very good. Â They aren't the cheapest if you're a poor student, it can add up if you get fries and mushrooms and everything. Â Cheap beers. Â They used to have free jazz on Tuesdays, I think, not sure if they still do.
YUM their cucumber sauce is awesome. They also have a wonderful honey dijon for the chicken gyros. Â My bf sometimes has to go down to UofI for career fairs, I always make him to go Zorbas and get me a gyro with extra cucumber sauce. Â I will eat it 3 hours later and cold, and it's still delicious.
They call out your name when your order is ready, my friends and I would give them funny names like Shaft and one time I was Captain, and my friend was Tennille, but they called Tennille first, that blew.
Came to Zorba's on the suggestion by a cousin who has, and I quote, "never given a bad food recommendation".
And it was another hit! Â Chicken gyros and fried mushrooms for dinner hit the spot. Â
At other Greek spots, I'm used to having a humongous foil wrapped hunk of a mess of gyro served to me that I inevitably finish... and end up feeling like a blob because I didn't want to waste food. Â But Zorba's is here to help you with portion control! Â I like how they offer their gyros in 4 different sizes. Â Oh, and try the cucumber sauce. Â
You know you're in for a treat when it takes 9.8 seconds for the grease in your meal to seep through the bottom of the paper bag.
I usually eat healthy, well-balanced meals. Â However, I occasionally indulge with something less health-friendly. Â When I indulge, I go to Zorba's. Â I order an enormous gyro with mountains of onion, tomato, cucumber sauce, and feta cheese. Â A Zorba's gyro is heaven for the tastebuds. Â
Unfortunately, I usually get massive amounts of heartburn after eating at Zorba's, but it's totally worth it.
I've been told that Zorba's has live music some nights, but I've never actually seen it.
Hands down the most underrated place on campus. Everything they offer is at least good, while their gyros are nothing short of amazing (for Chambana, at least). The jazz shows are a nice touch, the prices are very reasonable, and the staff is always friendly. One of my favorite places to spend a break, whether it's between classes or during work.
It doesn't offer enough food on the level of their gyros to warrant a five-star rating, but it deserves a strong four.
Great restaurant! Being that I was hanging out in Everitt for most of my stay in Chambana - I got very familiar with Zorba's!
What to say about it... Service is always great. The people that work there always seem happy and treat you well. Prices are totally reasonable. I went almost every Tuesday as it was cheaper on Tuesday. Their gyros are great - though if you get a normal gyro you will be left smelling, well, like a gyro. The chicken gyro never had that effect for whatever reason. So good.
I went almost every Tuesday and I'd get a large normal gyro with a side of fries. I'd bring a textbook and study for an hour or two while enjoying my amazing food. Great place to study ( at least for me) as there was always enough noise to keep my mind from wandering - but little enough noise so that I could concentrate.
Never eat here before a test. You'll go into a food coma and not do well on your test. I learned this the hard way. The very, very hard way.
This past weekend, my bf and I did a quick trip to Champaign, because we just needed to get out of Chicago for a couple of days. Â When we parked our car and walked down Green St., there were a whole bunch of NEW restaurants compared to when I went to college years ago. Â One familiar restaurant was Zorba's. Â Got two med. gyros, fries, and drinks to go. Â When we sat outside on the quad, we upwrapped a tightly rolled gyro. Â So eating it outside on a windy day was not a problem at all! Â Really good and the pita seemed fresh and light, not super greasy like the joints here in Chicago. Â Don't think I'll go back to Champaign for a long time, but it's a great lunch/dinner option.
Review Source:Cool place for lunch on campus... It's right next door to Za's, where I've going a bit too often, so I'm glad I finally gave it a try. They're specialty is gyros sandwiches (on pita bread): pick your meat (lamb or chicken), size (small, medium, large), and sides (get the combo which comes with fries and a drink). I tried the chicken, and it was good, although I wish the meat had been a little more grilled (it wasn't crispy at all). Their fries are great! They also have a few other things on the menu (regular sandwiches etc), and they're open late most nights. I'll be back for sure.
Review Source:Back in the day, this is the place where I would go on campus if I wanted "ethnic" food. Yes, having a gyro is ethnic enough when your main options are otherwise pizza and burgers. Still, even after my exposure to other places, I still had my Zorba's craving. They were one of the few places I found that served chicken gyros with shaved chicken as opposed to chunks. I also ordered fries and, as they always have, they freshly fried them up for my order.
Review Source:I love the gyros here.
I love their cucumber sauce even more :)
You can pick the size of gyro you want, so you can load up on as much as as little meat as you please.
Service is good and there is plenty of room to eat right in the restaurant. Â The only "problem" is that you'll smell like gyro, onion, and grease when you leave.
I can't believe I walked past this place for three years. Â What is more sad is that many of those times were likely while I walked into Subway across the street on a Tuesday afternoon to drop $5 on a Veggie Delight. Â Little did I know I could get a delicious, warm, and fresh vegetable hummus pita across the street for a little over a dollar. Â At least I have many more Tuesdays ahead to take advantage!
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