Istanbul Mediterranean Grill and Market serves Tampa's best gyro

Hey there. It's Ben, your gyro hero.

I've been eating around Tampa Bay on Axios' dime for a year now and I want you to know that this is the most thrilled I've been so far to tell you about food.

What's happening: I have found a shockingly delicious lamb gyro at a place called Istanbul Mediterranean Grill and Market in Tampa's Lowry Park North neighborhood, across N Florida Avenue from the Home Depot.

• I enjoyed it so hard that people at other tables craned their necks to see what was going on. I just lifted the foil-wrapped gyro with both hands and smiled.

Why it matters: If they do the gyro this well, I can't wait to try the beyti (lamb grilled on a skewer, wrapped in lavash and topped with tomato sauce and yogurt) and the kusbasili ksarli pide (flatbread topped with cubed meat and cheese).

What we know: Istanbul Mediterranean Grill and Market opened two years ago, just as the pandemic set in, and has weathered the storm. At lunchtime Saturday, half the tables in the dining room were occupied and there was a fair amount of foot traffic in the adjacent market.

Yes, but: What makes this gyro so good?

• Everything about it was quality, from the warm homemade pita with char marks, to the succulent and tender shaved lamb, to the cool mint yogurt. Seriously, $12 feels like too little for this gyro.