Döner Kebab

Warning: If you are used to eating good donairs, don’t eat here. you will be dissapointed.
I ordered a Lamb donair, and after a few minutes they asked me if I had ordered a chicken. Then they asked me what I wanted inside, and I told them everything except the spicy jalapeños. When I started eating it, I noticed that it was dry inside, so I went and asked the worker to put some sauce inside. His answer was, but you told me not to put any sauce… The attendant was a very distracted man.
Maybe its different in each city, but I was dissapointed that they didnt have any donair sauce. To me, the sauce is what makes a donair taste good. Instead they put zatziki sauce inside, which made it not taste like a donair.
Other people might like it, but to me it was not a good experience at all. The donair wasn’t good in my opinion.

the chicken donair and falafel donairs are outstanding, I think it is their sauces that do it, but of course the other toppings are great and plentiful as well. their hot sauce is amazing!

My first time going into this place (and first time on Unilocal). I got a lamb donair. He asked if I wanted «spicy». I said «really spicy” — and he obliged. The meat is really juicy, the pickled radish adds the perfect touch, and the flavour is amazing. Would *highly* recommend.

This is my favourite place in Vancouver to get falafel. The falafel is prepared fresh, portions are generous, and the price is right. The restaurant itself is clean, and the people that work there are friendly. This is a weekly lunch spot for me, and would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Over the past 6 months or so, I’ve watched this restaurant evolve from Silk Road, a Kitsilano institution, to Doner Kebab. I want to note that my previous review was for Silk Road, not Doner Kebab — it appears the name of the restaurant has changed on the Unilocal page, and I don’t want my previous review to be attributed to this new establishment.
I have to admit that I have not eaten recently at Doner Kebab, but over the summer I did go in a couple of times, and there were a few red flags that indicated that something was changing.
#1 — The amazing guy behind the counter, who always made the most delicious kebabs, and seemed to never take a day off because he was ALWAYS there, had suddenly been replaced by a new staff. At first I thought this was great, and that this business owner was doing well enough to hire some help and actually take some time off.
#2 — Then I noticed that the tomatoes on top of the rotisserie meat were gone — this was a small detail, but I swear the tomatoes added such a new level of flavour to the meat as they literally had their juices seep down and marinate it all day long.
#3 — The last time I was there I had ordered the mixed wrap, which used to be a delicious combination of shredded chicken and falafel. The chicken, falafel, veggie and sauce ratios in the Silk Road days used to be perfection, however, the last time I ordered this wrap it was dry, and I think it was even missing the falafel. I had ordered it to go, so didn’t realize the error until I was home and couldn’t ask for a correction… either way, it was not the wrap of Silk Road, and it was enough to make me not want to go back.
#4 — Lastly, over the past couple of months, the décor inside has changed. What used to be a really charming, older space, complete with a vintage cast-​iron stove, and bookshelf of lonely planets for you to flip through dreaming of far away vacations while you ate, has become a harshly lit, green-​walled, giant TV kebab spot. Its charm is gone, and so was my appetite when I saw the colour of green they have decided to cover the walls with. The lonely planets are still there (for now).
I used to tell everyone about Silk Road and how I swear it was the BEST kebab in the city, but I think that era is over. The sad part, I didn’t even get to say good bye.
As for Doner Kebab… Meh…

If you’re after a delicious falafel, don’t come here.
This was the most disappointing falafel sandwich I’ve ever tasted. It was so bland that I would guess that salt was not an ingredient in any component of the meal. The hummus, tzaziki and tahini were tasteless. I asked for hot sauce and I think I got ketchup. Turns out they defaulted to their mildest hot sauce for me… When asked, they produced something with a bit more spice, but still basically ketchup with cayenne pepper mixed in.
I thought about returning it but couldn’t bring myself to confront the staff.
I can’t get over it. How could anyone make something so bland and think that it’s a good idea to sell it? We had to go for ice cream to satisfy our taste buds and recover from the feeling that our meal was devoid of pleasure.
Have you ever had to use little iodized salt packets to boost the flavour of a falafel? Well if that’s on your bucket list then by all means go here. If not, don’t even think about it.

Ok, so I am a Döner snob. Having lived in Berlin for a few years, you eat enough of them to know when they are good, when they fill your belly and when they are bad.
This place made an authentic, fresh and tasty Döner. I appreciated (but didn’t eat) the pickled neon magenta turnips, and fresh vegetables.
The sauce selection is missing a Garlic flavour, IMHO, but the hot sauce was a nice addition to the tzatziki.
Highly recommend it to any visiting Berliners or people wanting a good meal at a reasonable price.
Can’t wait to try the mixed chicken and falafel one next!

Best kebab in the city. Hands down. Wonderful, friendly service too.

Nothing but love (and a full belly). Mixed doner… can’t be beat!

Nice, clean donair spot with a great vibe. Amazing food. I asked the owner what kind of Persian tea they serve, and he gave me his special recipe and a big ol’ sample to take. I live two blocks from another donair restaurant, but I always walk the extra distance to go to Doner Kebab.

Fresh, simple, tasty ingredients; fast and friendly service; and Doner Kebab is very clean and smells great, while you are waiting for your food.

We stumbled across this place while in Kits. It was the MOST amazing food I have ever had! My boyfriend and I both ordered the Chicken plate and seriously were amazed at how good the food was. We came back the next day even though we live in Richmond. I’m writing this review in the restaurant and just so excited to get my food and EAT!

This place is a good option for cheap eats in kitslano area. Falafel is prepared fresh as advertised, very decent portion, clean and warm environment. Food quality is above Par, though not quite impressive

Not only is the food some of the worst I’ve ever had, the owner is extremely cheap. I ordered the chicken on rice mini-​dish. I hadn’t realized it’s literally just chicken on rice, so when it was ready I asked for a little bit of parsley and turnips — the owner says to me that’s not included, it’s an extra $ 1. What kind of place is that cheap to not even include a little bit of vegetables? Doesn’t deserve the business, and I would never go back.

Décor ⁴⁄₅
Clean
Clean washrooms
Well lit
Quiet
Minimal
Service ⁴⁄₅
Friendly polite
The owner takes his time to carefully make your meal you can tell he cares.
Glasses and pitcher of ice water near the back
Food ⁵⁄₅
Chicken wrap for ~7 $ after tax
Pita Bread kept in warmer — thin, light, warm, chewy, not dry and crumbly, awesome! ++
Meat shaved to order not kept in warmer ++
Good portion of meat ++
Chicken was moist, didn’t taste too greasy
Fresh fresh toppings — the various pickles were very flavorful
Tzatziki was really good, can really taste the dill inside
Sauces included in wrap looked like hummus, Tzatziki, tahini and hotsauce
There are bottles of at least 3 – 4 different hot sauces on the side you can help yourself to++
One of the better places ive tried, I’ll be back!

Wowzzers. Best falafel I have ever had ! I have always been more into the wraps with chicken. My partner got the falafel plate and offered me one, not really being into falafels I turned it down. She finally sold me on the idea and I tried it. After finishing that bite I went and ordered a 3pc falafel plate if my own and probably will never get chicken or beef again.

Still about as good its it gets for of a Kebab Warp on the west-​side of Vancouver. I prefer the chicken over the beef but both are very good. Open during 4 ave construction

My favorite shawarma place down the block just sold it’s store front business, and adding insult to injury, it is now becoming a branch of the place which served me the worst shawarma that I ever had
. So now I am on the hunt for a new go-​to for my shawarma fix.
Doner Kebab has fallen a little bit short of becoming my shawarma replacement destination. Mr. Shawarma was my favorite because all the components that were added to the chicken in the pita had their own independent level of spicing. The tomatoes and cucumbers were marinated, even the onions were dusted with paprika. After they were combined with all of the other ingredients, there was a bounty of spicy flavor in the wrap which meshed well and exploded in your mouth. At Doner Kebab, the vegetables are plain and the components that have some flavor intensity are used sparingly, so the end result is more like a North American chicken wrap than an eastern Mediterranean shawarma.
If you want a large portion at a reasonable price you could do a lot worse than Doner Kebab, your wrap just won’t be packing a flavor punch.

Only tried the chicken plate, but it’s easily the best of its kind that I’ve had in Vancouver.
Fresh tasting, delicious, a mixture of flavors. Hummus and bread taste homemade. Hidden chunks of buttery potatoes mixed in with the light rice. People working there are friendly.
For what it is, inexpensive delicious food, you can’t really beat this place.

Excellent doner kebabs, possibly the best in the city, fresh ingredients and a friendly proprietor. This place is a gem!

Doner is one of these things in the Turkish culture. It is like the hot-​dog from a cart equivalent of the NY. It is freshly cooked in thousands of little buffets sprinkled all around the country. Here’ a little info I wrote in a Unilocal talk;
Word Doner means ”something that is able to turn” Humans were cooking protein on sticks to avoid burning themselves. One handicap was the flare ups with fatty meat. One day one guy comes up with a great idea of turning the whole thing vertical. Not only there won’t be any flare ups, but the melting fat would baste the meat as it drizzled down by gravity.
There are two traditional style of Doner. This shop offers the ”Yaprak Doner” (Leaf Donair). Traditionally it is made out of eye of the round of the beef leg and light ground meat that is rich in fat content. The eye of the round is sliced to proper thickness across the grain and marinated in special herbs and onion juice and what not which again will differ region to region and will be spicier towards south east Turkey. The next day meat slices will be layered on a stick with a thin layer of ground beef in between. This will retain short length strands of shaved beef for ground beef acting as a glue. On the very top of the meat tower, there will be caul fat and a large tomato. It is called the leaf donair because slices of shaved meat fall down resembling falling leaves. Really hardcore doner shops use wood burning doner stands. Instead of coils there will be empty spots for short size cut wood, blazing and stacked on top of each other, which requires technical ability of temp control. The flavor idea behind donair is caramelized strands of beef basted with fat. Traditional donair sandwich will be served in a semi-​chewy mini loaf cooked in high heat which gives the bread a creamy texture. The bread is dipped in drippings and stuffed generously with meat. And it is all about the meat. The other usual suspects of a donair sandwich are; charred whole tomato, charred chili, sliced lengthwise, french fries and raw red onions, sliced pickles would be seen every once in a while. Ketchup, mayonnaise or any other condiment is a big no no.
The second style is the kebab of Iskender, which is a whole other ball game for some different time to talked about.
When I first saw the sign of this store, opening soon, I was a bit more than excited, passing by 2 times a day. There are really good chicken doner all around the city for sure, but lamb and beef varieties are sad sad examples of this classic.
First time I visited, no beef donair… tsk…tsk…tsk. Tried the chicken in a pita wrap. Seasoning fell a bit flat, it was crying for some acid. Best Falafel on the drive is still the number one.
Second visit; the beef is right there. I can spot a good doner from miles. This one looked a bit like the underdog, but at least it is not that god awful ground meat mixture, over worked, meatloafy with dried spices. Chunks of meat are layered. The defined and thick grains tells me it is flank steak. Turkish cows do not have impressive flanks, which we call in Turkish butchery, yumurta; the egg cut. So it might work here with our glorious cows. This time I will try the house-​made sandwich bread also, which gets my respect.
The garnishing is not traditional, but what the heck, we live in North America, being over the top is more important than the actual context, so load up. As he was prepping, he asked; Turkish? Yes I am. And he says ”these guys invented Doner” to another cumstomer. I am assuming his heritage is Iraqi. Do you know how hard it is to hear a thing like that from another middle eastern, as most of the world tries to claim the meat on a stick concept. Hats off to the kindness and humbleness.
The condiments are festive (sigh), masking the artistry you would offer with your meat skills. The chew of the pide (bread) is extraordinary. Just like back home, except the oven could be a bit hotter, extended baking time made the bread slightly dry. The meat marinade contains a sweet spice which is kind of bothering, a cinnamon stick probably, very light, but it is a minor detail to be spotted by doner freaks like myself. And the meat is layered a bit off centered so some slices are not cut across the grain, some pieces are a bit chewier. Also it is a bit dry, but you have to understand, to keep it spot on, you need turn-​over, which they will have soon. And condiments and excessive sauces hide it well enough. The staff is kind and helpful as ever in a very very sincere way.
All the bitching I did, probably next time I stopped by, he will grab my flappy ears and bang my head on the counter yelling;
”IT IS MEAT ON A STICK FOR GOD’S SAKE, CUT THE FLUFF, SHUT THE F… UP AND EAT YOUR FOOD!!!”
damn straight, just like my grandpa would do.
I will be back.
Oh, the Halifax donair with condensed milk and apple vinegar sauce… Don’t even get me started… Tsk tsk tsk…

I am happy kits has a place like this. There are not enough cheap and quick eats on fourth. Cozy and clean, the food is delicious. The owner is really nice, and if you eat in, he will give you complimentary tea.
If you’re looking for something quick and easy to take down to the beach, or you just want to eat in and people watch along 4^th ave, I definitely recommend this place.

ah a new shawarma spot. vancouver can never have enough. This is turkish style and legit. The most notable thing that sets this place apart from all the other shawarma joints is instead of the standard wrap they serve sandwiches (essentially thicker pitas). The décor of the places is modern and cozy. The owner is very nice sometimes serves you turkish tea if he’s around. one thing to note with all the sauces, this bundle of awesomeness can get pretty messy, but messy is good. mmm i’m going to head out now and get another.