Jimmie James Blue Goose

Was looking for restaurants in Mt .Vernon and this one caught our eye. It did not disappoint. Gyros were loaded with meat, large pita and plenty of fixings. The taste was wonderful.Hot fries complemented our Gyros on the side. A fast,easy worth it stop on our way to Kentucky . As a reminder they only take cash ❤️

Authentic Greek atmosphere in downtown Mt Vernon! The best gyro in the area. Great food , great service, great prices!

Gyros are great, must stop in Mt vernon il, bring cash

Very delicious and filling hole in the wall.. which are the BEST places to eat. Gyro (pronounced YEE RO) sandwiches and stew are spectacular! The meat is beef and lamb. Place opened in 1977 and had way more food options. But the menu now is simple, which makes it easy for indecisive people. Even though this place is ran by a man and a woman, which at times sound like they are married, they are not, lol. Service is super, very friendly and helpful! Now GO EAT!

Stopped in yesterday... Our motocycle group rode in from Alton, IL... The Best Gyros anywhere !!! Lots of Great Meat, Great Fries and service too... Will make the trip again very soon...

If you like gyros you need to give them a try. They only have gyros, Greek salad & fries. At lunch time they are crazy busy so plan ahead or avoid that rush.

A great low key place that does one thing really well. Had a great gyro and the feta on the salad was wonderful.

Friends at work have been bugging me to try this local place for lunch but I never have a cash (cash only I'm afraid). Finally did the other day and my goodness was it delicious! Very generous slices of Gyro meat with yumy sauce and vegetables... Definitely hit the spot! Will be back!

Great gyros! Lovely customer service & a small family business No salt on the fries- which we appreciated

This is a hole in the wall, one of a kind local restaurant that serves 3 things: gyros, kalamata salads, and fries. Fortunately, they do all three really well: the gyros and fries are freshly made and the portions generous. We split a small salad and the fries which was perfect given that we probably could have also split the gyro. The owner and his wife operate this small restaurant and were friendly and attentive. They seem to do a brisk business - eat in and carry out - and had to turn away a 10 top while we were there as they didn't have room for another large party. It's not fancy, and the restroom is small, but if you're in the mood for a good, thick sliced gyro, go here!

Great service and gyros! Best gyro joint in Southern Illinois, and it's not even close.

Great food very small menu but the gyros are packed full of meat and you always get a large helping of fries and the staff is very friendly

Great gyro and fries. Limited menu keeps it simple. If your looking for a great lunch of these items, look no further. Cash only business, so make sure you stop by the atm beforehand

My family who is originally from Mt. V has been coming here for over 40 years. This place hasn't changed much but that's certainly part of its charm. Thoughtful and caring owners, simple menu, great food!

Ok, sorry, I'm a fan, just "not as good as it gets". This is a gyro dive, with really nice food, and very nice owners. The gyros are great, the baklava, when available, is magnificent. The history (his parents founded the place in the 1970s) is discussable and fascinating. It's small, the decor is 70s with dark wood paneling, so you walk in and say "hmmm - why is everyone giving this five stars?" The tastes of the food, the friendliness of the owner, make the difference. So, yes, bypass the fast food joints, come on into downtown Mt. Vernon, IL - and have a great meal. Much better than the standard items you normally get. Just realize it's not heaven.... well except for the baklava.

Authentic Gyros for a decent price. The hours of operation could be more but a good gyro none the less

Best gyro ever! Meat so tender & flavorful. Very generous portion. Taziki sauce delicious. Pita was soft & also really good. Baklava was huge & looked delicious but we were too full to try it. Menu limited to gyro, Greek salad, fries & baklava. Found this place via Yelp while on road trip. Just 5 min off Interstate 57 in Mt Vernon, I'll. It's a hole in the wall - don't let that deter you. Nice folks & great food. Cash only. Will go back on our return trip.

Basic doesn't do the menu justice. It's simple and that's what makes it great. Service is great. People are friendly. Food is great. Plenty of meat in the gyros. Ready now for food coma. Note that the address is listed incorrectly on Yelp. It is 1014 Main, NOT 1014 N. Main.

You get a lot of fries and the gyros are delicious but that's the only options here. They have different ways of serving it but if your looking for gyros this place hits the spot.

I really hope this little treasure can outlast COVID. We ate in for lunch, both of us having a lamb gyro. Out of this world good! A couple (no idea if they are family) runs the place, and very efficiently. If you are a baklava fan, be sure to get an order--SOO good!

Wow. What a great find while passing through Mt Vernon. It's just a quick side trip off 64 and so so so worth it. My wife and I had Greek salads with gyro slices on the side with pita bread. Everything was fresh and delicious. We left with full bellies and huge smiles. Locals were kind and we felt welcome. Its cash-only, easy to find. Easy to park right in front. Demetrius is the owner and chef--- drop by and enjoy a relaxing meal and get back on the road.

I'd bet you could put these gyros against any in the country. The meat is sliced thick and the sauce is excellent. This is a must if you're in Mt Vernon.

Businesses like this should run forever. Its a great family run place. The gyro I had is flavor packed. Every bite made me happy. The lamb is sliced thick and the tzatziki sauce is amazing. And with fries it cost me less than ten bucks. That's pretty unbeatable to me. I don't think they take cards so bring cash and an appetite

Simple menu, simple place, absolutely delightful food! Fresh, huge portions. Everyone is friendly, and it's got small town charm. I wish more places used this business model. Come with cash!

OK, so we see a trend here and are going with the flow! Very nice family. Gyro meat cooked on a spit. Nothing fancy here and limited menu ... just good food and great service. Close your eyes and savor the deliciousness! Tip: iPhone map app guides you to the wrong spot. The restaurant is on Main, downtown, a block or so from the appellate court house.

We came with a large group of eight, and the wait staff was less than thrilled to seat us. The food was good and portions were generous, but the service disappointed.

What an opportunity...my one hundredth review and such a great restaurant to review. This restaurant in Mt. Vernon, IL is a great example of Greek food. I first had lamb many years ago by eating a Gyro sandwich. Oh My...love at first bite! Well, although now many restaurants use a combination of beef and lamb...my sandwich was fabulous. Of course, being a low carb eater, I opted to forgo the pita bread. My husband said his was fabulous. They gave ample portions of meat, lots of lettuce, tomato, onions, and tzatziki sauce to compliment. It was a gyro salad for me. In addition I ordered the small Greek salad with calamata olives. Yum. But to top it all off we had to try their Baklava. I've had comparable, but not better. It is made by the owner, using a recipe passed down from Momma. What a joy to use Yelp to find such a lovely restaurant during our travels. It became even more special as we followed the Yelp instructions to the restaurant and passed all the major fast food places as we left the highway. Right in the middle of down town Mt. Vernon, parallel parking in front, and just maybe five minutes from the highway. I will visit again when I am in the area.

The food was good, super small salad and not a lot of options to have with it. Cash only. They have a good amount of people there.

If you like confusing menus - this place isn't 4 U. Kalamata salad, gyros, gyro stew, French fries and baklava. Stew is great and comes with a cornbread that will beat grandmas - moist and hast a crust that tastes like honey. Basically beef stew with 1/4 the broth unlike most stews that are all broth. Gyros are great, order one with 2 sandwiches and you'll get more than U need. Owner is great and makes sure everybody is taken care of-asking if everything is good and talking to people when not busy. DID I SAY BEST DAMN CORNBREAD EVER - even without butter or honey and you cannot find that anywhere. Most cornbread is dry hard crumbly crap.

Definition of a true local joint. Tucked away downtown, this little Greek restaurant has a limited but perfected menu. Delicious gyros, stew, greek salad, cornbread, crinkle fries, and baklava. Perfect stop for lunch.

Come for the gyros...and keep coming back for the baklava (again and again)! I highly recommend this place to anyone that likes Greek food. While the menu is limited, they focus on perfecting the dishes they serve.

The very definition of a whole in the wall a very small drop in restaurant more appropriate for take way then for eating in at the handful of tables. The reason you want to eat in is the owners they are typically Greek. Robust in there greeting and customer care. You come in as strangers and leave as family. The food is exquisite reminded me of being back in the Greece. With limited hours and menus selection you don't get to embrace the full Greek cuisine but is a treasure nevertheless. With its tucked away location it's almost exclusively locals who get to enjoy the food. Which is ok ever town needs it's hidden treasure we have the Blue Goose.

This was an unplanned stop but this was one of the best lunches we have had on our 14 state road trip. Truly worth going out of your way to stop. Your choice is a gyros sand, greek salad or a greek stew. Their baklava is outstanding. The owner learned to cook from his mom. He keeps the menu successfully simple. Support our mom and pop businesses. Make America great by supporting small business.

GREAT authentic food. Simple place- nothing to look at but the stew, gyro & baklava are all fresh made and are delicious!

Wow! I'm full! Jimmy James stuff the Gyros to overfill capacity! Fresh and so tasty! The staff here are great. So friendly and personable. Definitely recommend this place. Downtown Mt.Vernon for over 40 years for a reason. Sit down order a Gyro and bowl of stew and some baklava and you won't be hungry for the rest of the day! You will tell everyone you know about your meal.

Good food and friendly staff. Gyro meat was tasty as was the salad with two nice slabs of feta. Definitely worth the stop.

An exceptional gyro and salad place... Clean, owner is very nice... what more can you ask for :-) Want to embarrass him?? Tell him his place is the highest rated place in town (which it is), for for it to be a small mom and pop Gyro place speaks well of the place lololol Thanks Jimmie...

Always great food! If you like gyros, this is the place to go! Remember they do not take card. Cash only! Well worth that small inconvenience.

I love Jimmy Blue Goose food and atmosphere such great food for little hole in the wall literally only 25 feet well this is the only place for gyros in southern Illinois

Yelp comes through again! This rating is a combination of the food, the investment, the ambiance, and the hospitality. Jimmy keeps it simple and serves up a killer gyro!! The baklava is one of the best I've had. Keep up the great work! See you next time I'm in Mount Vernon.

Fabulous food!! Can't say enough good things about the food. Small menu but what they have is perfect!!! Great gyros & baklava!

Wow! What a treat! Thank you! 11.00 and I'm stuffed full of one of the best gyros I've had in a long time. Meat was tender and flavorful. The cucumber sauce was perfect and piled high with fresh tomatoes and lettuce. The fries were hot and crunchy. So dang satisfying. I'm happy I stopped here. Good people and great lunch.

We stopped through Mt. Vernon on a road trip and found this place using Yelp. The reviews are spot on - it's a great little place. One of the best gyros I've ever had and the owners are really cool people. Really glad we stopped by - certainly recommend it if you're in the area.

Lamb and beef gyro is amazing! Great service and really nice people. Thanks for making our family feel welcome on our cross country trip.

Our family of 8 was traveling cross country and wanted to find a locally owned place to eat lunch. This place was a small 'hole in the wall' family run Greek restaurant. The menu is simple: gyros, stew, salad and fries. We had everything on the menu and it was all delicious! Everyone was so nice and attentive and we're so glad we didn't have to stop at yet another chain restaurant!

Friendly folks with gyros, salad and stew. Not fancy, just good local folks and food.

We found this place thanks to Yelp when we were on our way to Chicago. Best Greek food ever!!! Only a few things are on the menu but that's all you need when they are done to perfection!!!!! On top of the great food the couple who own it are so sweet! I would give 10 stars if I could!

Good food. Fast service. Open for lunch til 5 pm. Cash only.

If you thought you have had the best Greek food ever try this place. WOW is all I can say

Gyros, fries and greek salad only. All good. Save room for the killer baclava. Too bad momma's health took a bad turn and her dishes are gone with her, but her son does this place well. Friendly staff. Worth a trip downtown.

Just ate there today. The menu is very small with Gyro sandwitch, gyro stew, and a salad. It was great! I ate the gyro sandwitch with some baklava for dessert. I highly recommend this restaurant. It's a small place with polite service. Love it!!

I always try to patronize locally owned restaurants when traveling. Reviews looked promising... The menu is very limited but food was very tasty! The building/decor was lacking anything resembling an inviting establishment. Staff was very friendly so if you want good food served by nice folks you won't be disappointed

Ya gotta stop here. And if you do, i hope you like gyros!! Nothing else on the menu. Great taste, fun stop and great owner.... Ya gotta stop here!!! Its an experience you wont want to miss!!

The best gyros this side of the Atlantic, great baklava, and excellent customer service.

We stopped here for lunch on a road trip. Limited menu but the food was good and fresh. I had their Gyro sandwich, my wife the kalamata salad - fresh greens, good dressing and 3 large slices of feta. Fry order was big enough to share worth the trip in town.

Awesome food. Basic menu, gyros, gyro stew, salads, fries, and Baklava, reasonable prices, great place all around. Definitely a nice alternative to all the fast food chains.

Drove 16 miles out of my way on a road trip because I had to try a 5 star rated Greek restaurant. As soon as I walked in I was nervous I made a poor choice due to the outdated wood paneling & decor. The menu only contained 5 items. I ordered the kalamata salad and gyro sandwich. The salad had really great quality feta cheese. Now the best part, the gyro sandwich. The meat was cooked perfectly, the taziki sauce was definitely homemade and the pita it was served on was fresh & delicious. In all, great hidden gem!