King of Donair invented Halifax's iconic meat goodie in 1972.
For this 10th anniversary edition of the Best of food survey, we are taking a look back at some restaurants that won in 2002 and are still winning awards today. King of Donair is in this exclusive group, so we went back to the 2002 print archives (since older issues of The Coast aren't currently online) to see what the King credits his success to. It came as no surprise to discover, since we're talking about longevity here, that the King---Leo Gamoulakos---went looking back a lot more than 10 years. “My father came to Halifax in 1959," Gamoulakos said. "In 1972 he invented the donair as we now know it, which is a variation on the Greek gyro. If only I had patented it, I'd be living down south right now.” As much as we wish the King success, we are thankful he stayed focused on our city. His efforts have turned the humble donair into one of Halifax's crown jewels. First Runner-up: Tony's Donair & Pizza
Second Runner-up: Venus Pizza
