Closings

RIP CND: The Gyros Staple Closes After 37 Years

The gyros melt: a memorial.
The gyros melt: a memorial. Photo: Gary Wiviott

It may not be the greatest restaurant in Chicago, or even the greatest restaurant on its block of Chicago, but CND Gyros and Lounge is a much beloved local institution, and it’s closing on Saturday after 37 years, reports The Stew. The subterranean joint just off Michigan Avenue — slightly dingy, laminate-filled, with cheap, greasy, meaty food — brings to mind something Nelson Algren said about loving Chicago: “Like loving a woman with a broken nose, you may well find lovelier lovelies. But never a lovely so real.” CND had its faults, sure, but now that its demise is ordained, we’re only remembering the good times. The dish we’ll miss most is the concoction that CND became famous for: the gyros melt, buttered white toast with gyros, American cheese, and a blanket of griddled onions and tzitziki, topped (in the classic version) with an over-easy egg. It’s a sandwich that will undeniably become the stuff of legend — you’ve got two more days to try it before it’s gone forever.

RIP CND: The Gyros Staple Closes After 37 Years