Vancouver Donair

This is a commercial drive institution. A little ‘hole in the wall’ quick and fast take out joint. There are about five bar stools for in restaurant eating, but most people just take it to go.
Run by two brothers, Vancouver Donair is always busy during lunch time. The aroma of slow cooked chicken and beef fills the air between Parker Street and the alley way. Just have you nose guide you.
On this day, I ordered the combo dish. It comes with a side of rice, meat of you choice, lettuce, tomatoes, onion and dressing. It is a donair in a styrofoam take out box. The seasoning and oils they add maybe a little greasy, but it is very flavourful. The pita is there to swipe up those flavours. If you’re a regular to Vancouver Donair, they treat you right with a few extra helping of your meat.

I used to go here all the time when I was 7 – 8 and lived with my father. That was about 11 – 12 years ago, so upon moving back to The Drive, I was uberly excited to reunite with a place that bared childhood memories.
I walked in at the same time another gentleman was walking in front of me. When he got to the counter, the guy behind the counter said hey and they began laughing together, so clearly they’re buddies. I walk in not two seconds later as he’s serving the guy, and he looks at me and says «Sorry we’re closed.»
I didn’t feel like arguing, so I left. I felt pretty crappy that he’d serve a guy who walked in literally AT THE SAME TIME as me, but not me. I looked at my phone and thought to myself, «Hmm… 5:35 pm is a really weird time to close at.»
I get home and go to their website to look at their closing schedule: 6 pm on Saturdays. So why the hell was I ushered out at 5:35? Utterly ridiculous. I’m a fairly clean-​looking individual with glasses, I’m not some slovenly-​dressed bum, so I have no idea why I was asked to leave. Maybe the guy was just lazy and didn’t want to make two donairs?
I tried again a few days later, and it was a different guy. He was really nice, and served me with respect and gusto. The donair was alright. Not bad at all, but I’ve definitely had better. I’m going to take my business elsewhere because I am still really upset about the first incident. It’s a shame you turned me down, because I live very close by, and I eat on The Drive almost every day. Your laziness just forked the opportunity to gain a loyal, reoccurring customer. I give you 2 stars instead of 1 because you guys used to be awesome 11 years ago.

Normally I wouldn’t stop at a random donair shop because I believe I’ve discovered the best one in western Canada already. That said, this place was ok. He asked if I wanted hot sauce and I’m pretty sure he applied it however I did not sense hot. Perhaps that was the flavour?! I ordered a regular chicken donair and it was fresh yet I’m still hungry! Probably not a place I’ll stop again for donair yet it wasn’t an awful experience.

«Everybody says ‘The Best in Town.’» That’s what the sign says on the wall. I guess they’ll have to change the sign now.
I got the chicken donair and my wife got the «Mexican» chicken donair.
I thought the meat was quite good, but the toppings were pretty uninspiring. There are much betterdonairs to be found on the drive. Her Mexican donair was pretty much the same as mine but with mushrooms, jalapenos and cheese. There really wasn’t enough cheese to be noticed, but the jalapenos were fresh diced, not the pickled nacho variety, which we found to be a nice touch.

I really wish this place turned out to be better because I love hole in the wall places. They always give me this impression that they could possibly contain the best food I have ever tasted, and I’d be one of the chosen few to have discovered them early. Alas, this was not the case here. I had the chicken combo platter and it wasn’t anything special. The guy behind the counter was nice though, another reason why I wish it turned out better! I might come back to try something else one day, but with so many other donair places close by it might take awhile.

I’ve enjoyed «The Mexican» twice at this establishment and both times i was delighted with the results. He’s not the Japadog of Donair but you get a really satisfying and flavourful donair with crisp veggies and a proper amount of sauce. I think it’s hard to be disappointed about eating here.
And, if you are looking for quality of character, on my last visit, i took one bite of «The Mexican» and stepped outside only to have a crow take a big dump right in the bite mark i made in «The Mexican» (it’s like i always say, «Crows are goddamn racist pricks). I returned to the chef to tell my tale of woe and, after an uncomfortable moment where we both pondered his offer to «chop off the top»… We both agreed that that was a terrible bloody idea and he made me another. That’s a swell guy, especially if you compare him to many of his peers on Commie Drive.
Also, no bad poohs after. That’s a plus!

Man, it kind of pains me to give a bad rating because the guy in there seems really nice, but I think this may be the skinniest donair/​kebab I’ve ever had. That’s counting probably fifty places in ten countries. And I ordered the mixed meat one. It was pretty decent, but very unsatisfying.

I’ve had some good donairs… frankly I have yet to find any donairs that can match the ones made in Halifax, but maybe I’m biased being a Haligonian. From the outside this little place looks like it’s out of business, and when entering it looks a little scarey, but apparently looks can be deceiving. I’ve only ever had their chicken donair and the owner does a great job with his recipes of hot sauces and condiments. Careful if you order extra chicken… insanity!

Everybody seems to know about this place. It’s hard to define what makes one shwarma better than the next, but as anyone who’s been here can tell you, Vancouver Donair always satisfies.
In a small little room with a couple chairs for keepsake, most of the customers are already on go, looking for something inexpensive to scarf down while reading a couple pages from one of the free daily papers. The ambiance is nice too, with small ornamental waterfalls that help you meditate while deciding on whether you want chicken or beef.
The meat is served in large portions with generous amounts of tzatziki and hot sauce, but can leave you with a temporary case of halitosis. Breath mints can be purchased next door, and remember to wait an hour afterwards before consuming carbonated alcoholic beverages.