‘Empire Gyro’ Readies 24-Hour Allen Street Eatery for Christmastime Debut
The tradition of 24-hour eateries at the southeast corner of Allen and East Houston continues with Empire Gyro.
The new fast food Mediterranean spot, which takes over from the utilitarian Sugar Cafe, has been building out 200 Allen Street since early October. The menu is somewhat predictable, featuring soups, salads, kebabs, and shawarma.
Empire Gyro recently signed a ten-year lease on the 500 square-foot corner space. Estimated annual rent here is $180,000; that’s a lot of kebabs.
Owner Orhan Albayrak tells us that the restaurant should debut sometime around Christmas. It’ll be 24-hours to feed the party hordes in Hell Square.
The no-frills, 24/7 Sugar formerly served the neighborhood for over a decade before its closure almost two years ago. It had weathered the winds of gentrification and more than five years of roadwork at its doorstep. But an exorbitant rent increase was too much to foot.
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