Istanbul Kebab

Unless I’m mistaken this restaurant appears to have gone out of business.

Excellent service and food, the owner is a really caring and friendly person.

Food is standard shawarma/​falafels, but service is TERRIBLE! I ordered a falafel and was told it would be 5 minutes because they were just making a fresh batch. I must have waited 15 or 20 minutes like a sucker before I finally told the staff that it was taking much too long, and I just changed my order to a shawarma. I understand sometimes you have to wait but at least tell your customers the truth so they can make their decision accordingly!

Excellent meal we had on Saturday night. Had the kafta combo for $ 7.25 that includes the kafta wrap and a drink. Staff were very friendly and held a few conversations with us about their kafta and turkish cuisine. Ate their scrumptious baklava and was delighted that it wasn’t overly sweet and just right.

Friendly service, fast preparation, and clean dining area. Chicken Doner Kebab was awesome, fresh veggies and chicken grilled perfectly. My boyfriend and I will both be returning.

You know how they say «don’t judge a book by its cover?» Well, similarly, don’t let this restaurant’s aesthetic fool you – this is actually really great food. I had the beef kabab and was pleased with the portion. I was also pleasantly surprised by the excellent customer service; the woman behind the counter was incredibly kind and helpful. I will say, if ambiance is important to you, this is definitely not the place for you. Overall, 4-​star rating for quality service and tasty food.

Contrary to what other people have been saying, this place is EXACTLY as terrible as it looks. ‘Eek! Methinks not.’ x 100 — I would actually give it less than 1 star if I could.
This place was dead empty when I came yesterday. Like the empty sauna in your old grungy apartment building that nobody uses. Actually, exactly like said sauna because it was SO STIFLINGLY HOT here. Not to mention that they ‘don’t have tap water’ and charge you for bottled — I had serious doubts about whether or not my stay at this place would turn into a Hanzel and Gretel type situation…
I ordered the adana kebab as per fellow Unilocalers’ recommendations. The food was very boring — nothing on my plate was seasoned asides from the kebab and their yogurt sauce was severely lacking in flavor. I would be embarrassed recommending this place to ANYONE under any circumstance whatsoever.
By the way, Mr. Owner: maybe you should refrain from using the TV in the dining area to watch personal YouTube videos.

With a 4.5 star rating from 12 reviews, that would imply that this place is awesome right?. definitely NOT. I feel like I’ve been let down by the people of Unilocal.
For starters, I ordered the lamb kebob (~$ 12ish) and at that price, not only was the portion size small, the lamb was also so tough that I couldn’t chew through it. How embarrassing! The side vegetables were just mediocre and really, not worth mentioning.
The atmosphere: absolutely TERRIBLE. Today’s already a hot summer day and then coming here was like stepping into a sauna. This restaurant clearly cheaped out and tried to save money by completely neglecting to turn on either the air con OR the fan that was collecting dust in the corner. I was so tempted to leave but my generosity compelled me to look past it. Wrong call.
The service: ALSO terrible. When seated, the waitress asked what we wanted to drink and we replied «water». She came back with two cold bottled waters as if it were a strategy to suffocate us in that restaurant so that we would spend extra money on the water. At her next nearest convenience, we politely caught her attention and asked if we could have tap water instead. She replied, «oh sorry, we don’t have tap water»… EXCUSE ME?!? Are you for real right now?! What do you wash your dishes with and what do you wash your hands with? Oh God, please tell me you wash your hands.
Unacceptable. Bad experience. Highly do NOT recommend.

I ate here when my hubby and I went to Toronto. We had lamb kebab wrap. It was pretty good. Only thing is they offered garlic and yogurt sauce, but Turkish kebab is not supposed to have garlic or yogurt sauce (arabic kebabs have it) so I only put salt to taste the rich grilled lamb flavor, juices running down my hand, and if you are feeling litte adventurous put a little hot sauce…
They lost the star because it was way too hot inside and the interior looked old and uninviting. They just need to upgrade but the food is a must try.

We were kicked out for asking to have the onions removed and for asking to try one of the falafel horrible customer service specially from the night staff

I have been going to this place for a couple of years now. It has undergone new management and changed its name a few times now. I used to really like this place, but recently it has been letting me down. And it’s is not the food, but the customer service itself.
Pro: The food here is great, no questions asked. Everything is made fresh, in small batches, you can usually see the owner cutting up fresh veggies and changing the pans of the food. And the taste reflects that. They alway cut you Fresh meat right from the spit. The doner plate is my go to staple. I like to keep it simple with just the salad, rice and chicken and hot sauce. The chicken is so tasty.
Con: Besides the fact that the staff that work there smoke right in front of their business instead of in the back or around the corner. The people that work there do not seem genuine in terms of caring for your continued service. They talk a big game about fresh food, and keeping existing customers loyal and coming back. Last night I was in there ordering and the owner didn’t seem to recognize me (which is fine, I don’t expect to be remembered everywhere I go) but it was the way he kept treating me as if I had never been there before. Even after he asked me if it was my first time there and I told him,“No, I come here all the time.” He kept talking to me as if I had no idea what I was doing. I have had specific and long conversations with him before so I thought that was a bit strange.
On top of that he kept giving me his spiel about fresh food and how that attains loyal customers. Last night (and this isn’t the only occasion this has happened) he seemed to to have purposely given me the wrong change. The total came out to about $ 11.50 at the register, I handed him a $ 20.00 bill and he only handed me back $ 4.50 in change. At that moment I didn’t say anything, I was so taken back that he had actually tipped himself for me, even though I would’ve tipped him more than he scammed me. This is no way to maintain loyalty.
At the end of the day, the food was great, the service was hypocritical to say the least, it sucks because I really enjoy this place but I feel taken advantage of with that kind of experience. Don’t get me wrong a few bucks is not a big deal for good food, but as someone who also works in the industry, to steal money from a customer is no way to run a business. I understand that Tacorrito next door opened up and might be taking some business but if they really have to resort to stealing change, then maybe their run is up.
My advice: If you ever get a chance I would definitely try this place, it’s great food, just crappy service. Just make sure you watch your change, and possibly your wallet.

Horrible food, ordered kebabs, did not taste like kebabs, more like dried piece of meat that you wouldnt even feed to your dog. Overpriced, the plate was filled with some rice, no veggies, no nothing. salad is weak and meh.
I messaged the restaurant to let them know how bad the food tasted and how overpriced it was especially for the plate that i COULD NOT FINISH it was that bad. Never got a reply.
Never again…
There are much better shawarma places in the same area, with bigger plates that they will put stuff on top of stuff on top of stuff and not even close to those prices.

Where do i start. I usually just get the kabob plate but that is enough to say that probably everything else taste great too. I also love how everything is freshly made and served freshly made and hot. Its a shame that there isn’t any more locations near where i live.

Very friendly owner. Good food, clean place and big portion (we ordered the mixed plate for 2)

As someone said before, don’t let the looks fool you. The place is unassuming, but the food is amazing. The beef kabab is the best I’ve had, the adana kebab is tasty also, if you like lamb. The salads and appetizers are to die for, kjopoolu — the eggplant and pepper salad is my favorite. Nick is a very attentive host, if you mention that something looks good he will bring a small tasting plate to your table to try.
There are many options for the vegetarians, last time he grilled an excellent piece of salmon for my friend. The turkish falafel is not my favorite, I prefer the Lebanon falafel so I haven’t tasted the falafel at Istambul. The sweets with tea are great to finish the meal off.

Excellent experience every time I step inside. Lots of authentic Turkish foods and beverages. Clean dining room. The owner is one of the most friendly and welcoming guys around. Definitely a go-​to for a quick bite or a sit-​down meal.

Love this place its close to work, I place my order and pick it up after work and I have a great dinner ready for friends and family, like it were my own and always a friendly service with lots of extras if your a regular, I count on this place for my entertainment parties at home you should try them

By far the BEST MOST FLAVORFUL Turkish kababs (or any other for that matter) you will ever have! Trust me!
I met Nick the owner at another establishment many years back and am familiar with his cuisine. I still remember his taste from many years ago. I was in this area and was checking out restaurants open till late. Went inside and he was there! I told my wife to just wait till she tries the food. We ordered the Adana kabab and shawerma. As soon as we sat down, we were served a complimentary eggplant dish with warm pita and black tea. Nick added a kefta kabab in the platter. Both the kebabs were bursting with flavor. My wife is a sauce addict and eats Tahini or Garlic sauce more than the dish. For the first time ever, she didn’t even touch the sauce as the kababs were bursting in flavor.
He adds 10 different spices in the Adana kabab. Had to take the shawerma/​Donèr to go so as the eggplant dish filled us up. Trust me… give it a shot. It’s weird to read «the best Turkish or kabab place ever» as it’s a small/​medium sized restaurant. But just give it a shot once! And if u have eaten these type of cuisines and kababs, you will know the difference even more.
Open till 1 – 2 am on the weekdays and till 4am on the weekends.

At this great joint, I can Always count on getting a delicious shawarma sandwich, whether day or night. Good prices and warm and welcoming service!

I was almost going to miss out on the opportunity to try this place out. Don’t let the looks fool you. Although pretty small and not too fancy looking this place is great. The owner is the sweetest man who was very friendly and very welcoming. We ordered two chicken shawerma sandwiches and two canned drinks… the owner made sure we had a taste of the chicken first… and it was spiced right and not dry at all… Then he proceeded to give us dessert and tea on the house. It’s such a small gesture but it’s service and hospitality like this that makes a person turn to a regular.

Ok, seems this place has definitely changed hands.
The owner/​guy behind the counter is a bit eccentric, but definitely no more old doner. The meat was sliced fresh from the spit, and damn it was delicious.
Seems like they’re on an upswing.