The Spartan Grill has been on the move over the years, having three different locations on Monument Square.

But the quality of Spartan’s Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine has stayed the same: top-notch.

Mike Roylos started his business as a cart in Monument Square about seven years ago, then moved to an indoor space in the Public Market House with other food vendors. About a year ago, he moved next door to the Public Market House in the longtime home of Zarra’s coffee shop.

So now the place has been re-christened Spartan Grill and Coffee, combining Roylos Greek treats with coffee, smoothies, cookies and other sweets.

But what drew me the other day for lunch was Roylos’ Greek and Middle Eastern specialties. He makes them fast, and caters to a lunch crowd by making a lot of foil-covered wraps that travel easily.

Most of the wraps are Greek gyros, meaning they come in a warm, grilled pita bread and usually have a generous helping of tzatziki sauce — a Greek creation made with yogurt, cucumber and other flavors.

The gyros at Spartan include the Classic with a lamb and beef mixture, yogurt sauce, lettuce, onion and tomato for $6.25; grilled chicken with all the classic fixings plus marinated chicken for $6.75; chicken Caesar for $6.75; roast lamb with feta cheese for $7.75; Locanico sausage with red wine, orange zest and the classic fixings for $6.75; and a Greek salad wrap for $6.25.

I opted for the falafel sandwich ($6.25) in a grilled pita with a tahinni sauce, lettuce, tomatoes and onions. But the stars of this sandwich are the plump, golden-fried falafel nuggets made with ground chickpeas and spices. Just a little crunchy on the outside, warm and creamy on the inside. They satisfy several different cravings all at the same time.

My sandwich was wrapped in paper, then foil, so it stayed warm. Plus, it was wrapped in such a way that I could peel just a little bit of foil and paper off at a time and keep my hand protected from drips while I ate.

This is an especially good feature for people who want to eat the gyros and wraps outside on a bench. You can easily eat it one-handed. Because of Spartan Grill’s location on Monument Square, there are lots of benches and park areas nearby for outside eating. And the warm outdoor-eating weather is coming. (We think.)

The place also has its own indoor seating with several small tables and some stools at a counter along one wall. There’s a big front window for good people-watching on Monument Square.

When I got take-out lunch there the other day, I also got an order of stuffed grape leaves for $2. I got three pieces, and each was a flavorful, dark-green leaf hosting a large clump of rice and spices inside. The order comes with lettuce, tomatoes and tzatziki sauce, so it’s almost like a salad.

Speaking of which, Spartan has Greek salads, which come with stuffed grape leaves. It’s $4.50 for a personal size and $7 for a large, which feeds two. You can add falafel or chicken to a salad for $2 extra. There are Caesar salads as well.

There are various specials from day to day, such as a falafel burger, and hamburgers and french fries were also on the menu.

Spartan Grill and Coffee is currently only open on weekdays, but Roylos said he is planning to add weekend hours sometime in the summer.

The Features staff of The Portland Press Herald anonymously samples meals for about $7.

 

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