It’s Always Tzatziki Time at Austin’s New Greek Sandwich Truck

A new food truck in town is Greek through and through. Atlas Sandwich Company is owned by Joey Polychronis, who has been in Austin since 2018 after growing up in Salt Lake City. But, he tells Eater Austin, his family hails from Sparta, and his great-grandparents immigrated to the U.S. and opened a butcher shop and restaurant after arriving. It runs in the family — Polychronis’s father also owned a brewpub and restaurant in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Brewing Company, which is still operating and spawning new locations today.

“I moved to Austin to be with my now-wife and to do technology sales at Uber, [on the] UberEats side of the business,” Polychronis says. He got into sandwich making after a few jobs in food-oriented tech start-ups.

“Last summer, I hit a classic case of career burnout and honestly just grew really tired of the whole corporate scene,” Polychronis says. “After talking things over with my wife and family and with their support behind me, I decided that whatever I wanted to do next, I wanted to be my own boss and I wanted to build a business. Following in my father and grandfather’s footsteps felt like a natural calling, and coupled with my background on the tech side of the industry, taking the leap to be a restaurant owner/operator just felt like the right thing to do.”

Polychronis set out to create something that would let him blend his family’s heritage and culture with food — sandwiches, specifically. He blended Greek and Mediterranean cuisines with classic sandwiches and some modern flare. “I want my customers to feel like they are getting the same flavors they would in my Yiayia’s house or any small-town Greek Taverna,” he says.

Slow-roasted lamb made using the family recipe is the main ingredient in many of Atlas’s sandwiches. There is the Atlas, which Polychronis describes as his take on a gyro with slow-roasted lamb, smashed lemon potatoes, tzatziki, tomato, and red onion. The Spartan also features lamb, spicy whipped feta, shredded green cabbage, and tomato. And the Greek Freak is a take on grilled cheese, with Greek Saganaki cheese melted with Calabrian chili-infused honey and topped with — you guessed it — slow-roasted lamb.

Atlas also serves hoagies using Italian cold cuts along with Mediterranean ingredients. There is the Corleone, featuring soppressata, mortadella di pistacchi, prosciutto di parma, provolone, shredded lettuce, tomato, extra virgin olive oil, and balsamic or the Soprano with soppressata, mortadella di pistacchi, hot capocollo, manouri cheese, roasted red peppers, and caper chimichurri — among other offerings.

The truck also carries vegetarian options, with the Athena ringing in as its most popular. It has whipped ricotta, grilled eggplant, roasted red peppers, and arugula.

Polychronis says he plans to expand to breakfast, which will be Greek-inspired grab-and-go style sammies.

Currently, the Atlas Sandwich Company can be found by following its Instagram, but starting in early July, the sandwiches will be at 916 West 23rd, right behind Cain & Able bar.