Grab convenient food without the guilt at this venerable Atlanta chain

The densely-packed falafel wrap at Grecian Gyro will only cost you $6. CONTRIBUTED BY HENRI HOLLIS

Credit: Henri Hollis

Credit: Henri Hollis

The densely-packed falafel wrap at Grecian Gyro will only cost you $6. CONTRIBUTED BY HENRI HOLLIS

Dish of the Week: Falafel wrap at Grecian Gyro

Fast food's powerful grip on American appetites has as much to do with convenience and price as it does with the food. People with busy lives and tight budgets often are forced to choose between an unhealthy meal or going hungry. Luckily, Atlanta has Grecian Gyro, a 30-year-old local chain that provides the economic benefits of fast food without all the unhealthy downsides.

Take the falafel wrap, for example: a dense, satisfying vegetarian entree that starts at $6. You'll have the choice of regular or spicy (I chose spicy), and you can make it a meal by adding Greek potatoes. It won't be the world's healthiest meal: The falafel is on the salty side, though it's balanced by Nick's Special Grecian Sauce, and the full meal is certainly carb-heavy. But, it's still a far cry from the comparably priced offerings at global fast-food chains.

Grecian Gyro and its tasty, inexpensive falafel wrap provide a sorely needed reprieve from those omnipresent chains. It is tough to find a place with meals in the $10 range that are prepared fresh and provide solid nutrition in an unpretentious, everyman environment. The food might not change your life, but you'd have a hard time getting a better meal at a drive-through window.

Multiple locations. 404-363-4000, greciangyro.com.

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