Go for the Pakistani gyro and fill up your gas tank

Syed Shirazi, 41, opened this stand in March. He leases the space near the cash register and cigarette display and picked the location because it’s centrally located and a good way to ease into the food business.

“Owning a restaurant is a risky business,” he said. “I wanted to try it out before I jump into something bigger and open up a full-service restaurant. And so far, it’s going well.”

Syed is a self-taught cook. He and his wife created their own mix of spices and marinade to use on fresh chicken and beef-lamb mix. He marinates chicken for two days before he cooks it on skewers, using a mix of Pakistani spices and paprika, turmeric and cumin powder.

His yogurt-based white that tops the gyros resembles a tzatziki sauce, but without cucumber. This gyro tastes completely different from traditional Greek gyros.

The menu contains four items: Gyro with naan, gyro over rice, gyro over salad or the gyro special combo. All are made to order.

Don’t miss:

Gyro with Naan ($6.99): Start with choice of meat: the beef/lamb mix or chicken on a warm naan flatbread. Then pick your toppings of lettuce, pickled onions, tomato and cilantro.

Gyro over Salad ($7.99): A carb-free version of the gyro on naan begins with a bed of lettuce. Next add the meat and other toppings and finish it off with the white sauce.

This salad is big enough for two.

Savor the Pakistani sauces– they’re a great alternative to regular salad dressing.

The Details

The restaurant: Naani’s, 416 Oswego St., Liverpool, 315-870-9505.

Credit cards? Yes

Access to disabled? Yes

Inside seating: No. We used the hood of my car as a table.

Parking: You can park up front or on the side, across from the gas pumps.

Hours: Seven days a week 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.