What Does A "Doner Kebab" Look Like In 17 Cities Around The World

Because eating a greasy meat pile on a sidewalk at 2 a.m. is a universal language.

1. Athens, Greece

Flickr: bionicgrrl

What do they call it? Souvlaki if it's skewered or gyros if it's sliced and wrapped.

Who makes it? Local Greeks.

When do you eat it? Any time of day, but it can definitely be a late-night food.

Is it drunk food? Oh yeah.

What's in it? Meat with tomatoes, onions, some french fries, with tzatziki, wrapped in Greek pita.

2. Berlin, Germany

Flickr: lukewalkerlukewalker

What do they call it? Döner.

Who makes it? Turkish people.

When do you eat it? In Berlin, döner is the most common street food. You can eat it any time of day or night, but it's definitely popular late at night.

Is it drunk food? Definitely.

What's in it? It comes with thinly sliced meat, like veal, chicken, or sometimes pork, with onions, lettuce, tomato, and red cabbage, covered in hot sauce or yogurt sauce on a white bread with sesame.

3. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Flickr: jhiggs

What do they call it? Bánh mỳ döner kebab.

Who makes it? It's been localized by the Vietnamese.

When do you eat it? It's street food, typically eaten at night.

Is it drunk food? It's not NOT drunk food, if you know what I mean.

What's in it? The Vietnamese are new to the kebab game, but it's becoming really popular there. Instead of beef and lamb, they mostly use pork. The meat is topped with sour vegetables and a spicy chili sauce and served on a baguette.

4. Istanbul, Turkey

Flickr: r888888888

What do they call it? Doner.

Who makes it? Turkish people.

When do you eat it? All day, any day.

Is it drunk food? It can be.

What's in it? Comes in a wrap with all the fixings in a yogurt sauce. People get it with french fries too.

5. Karachi, Pakistan

Valters Krontals / Via Flickr: themoonkeeper

What do they call it? Kebab and there's lots of them! Seekh kebab, bihari kebab, gola kebab, reshmi kebab, shami kebab.

Who makes it? Pakistani people.

When do you eat it? Nighttime.

Is it drunk food? Nope! Not really. In Pakistan, it's actually more of a special family dinner meal.

What's in it? It's usually minced meat heavily seasoned with herbs and spices, like garlic and ginger. It can be grilled or pan-fried. And sometimes it's coated with flour so it's crispy. It's usually eaten with tandoori bread (naan), or an oilier South Asian bread called paratha. As for condiments, you got to try it with mint chutney and this spiced yogurt called raita.

6. London, England

Flickr: stefz

What do they call it? Kebab or doner kebab.

Who makes it? Turkish or Pakistani people.

When do you eat it? After 9 p.m. for sure, but usually closer to 2 a.m.

Is it drunk food? Oh god, yes.

What's in it? Thinly sliced lamb, chicken, or beef usually. Comes in a pita with tomatoes, cucumbers, pickles, chilis, and cabbage, with lots of garlic and chili sauce.

7. Madrid, Spain

Flickr: pixeleden

What do they call it? Kebab.

Who makes it? Turkish people.

When do you eat it? It's a nighttime thing.

Is it drunk food? You got that right!

What's in it? It's usually lamb or beef and it comes in a pita or a wrap with veggies.

8. Mexico City, Mexico

Flickr: mrzeon

What do they call it? Tacos árabes.

Who makes it? Lebanese people.

When do you eat it? You actually have it in the daytime.

Is it drunk food? Not really, you usually have it for lunch.

What's in it? It's usually lamb and it comes with lettuce.

9. Moscow, Russia

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What do they call it? Shaurma or Shaverma.

Who makes it? Armenian people.

When do you eat it? It's eaten for lunch or dinner.

Is it drunk food? Nope!

What's in it? It's thinly sliced meat and veggies in a lavash bread and the Russians cover it in mustard and ketchup actually.

10. Mumbai, India

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What do they call it? Shawarma.

Who makes it? Indian people.

When do you eat it? All day, all night, baby.

Is it drunk food? Yep.

What's in it? It's shredded chicken with lettuce, beetroot, carrots, fries, and you cover it in a super spicy chili sauce and garlic mayo.

11. New York City, New York (specifically Astoria)

Flickr: pabo76

What do they call it? In New York, it depends on what neighborhood you're getting it in, but shawarma or gyros are probably the most common ways you'll see it advertised.

Who makes it? Turkish, Afghan, or Pakistani people.

When do you eat it? Lunch or dinner.

Is it drunk food? You got that right.

What's in it? It can be ground meat that's been packed together, skewered, and grilled, or it can be your more European-style greasy meat pile. It often comes with lettuce, tomato, rice, and falafel. And it's definitely worth the indigestion to ask for lots of "white and red."

12. Paris, France

Flickr: djou

What do they call it? Kebab, but you also might hear the people of Paris refer to it as "Grec," which means Greek.

Who makes it? Typically North African communities.

When do you eat it? Nighttime, for sure.

Is it drunk food? Oui.

What's in it? It's shredded meat with white sauce on a pita, and they eat it with french fries.

13. Quezon City, Philippines

Flickr: chewychua

What do they call it? Kebab.

Who makes it? Turkish (or sometimes German) immigrants.

When do you eat it? Lunch or dinner.

Is it drunk food? It's more of a sit-down sort of thing.

What's in it? It's the skewered kind of kebab. It comes with veggies and sometimes rice. Some places will serve it in toasted wraps, though.

14. San Francisco, California

Flickr: spine

What do they call it? You want a gyro if you're looking for thinly sliced meat, a kebab if you want chunks of meat on a stick.

Who makes it? The Greek or Afghan communities are making the gyros, the Turkish community is making the kebab.

When do you eat it? Lunchtime.

Is it drunk food? Sadly not in San Fran.

What's in it? You don't get it with french fries, either. A gyro is usually just a pita pocket stuffed with meat and veggies and covered in some sauce.

15. São Paulo, Brazil

Facebook: PauloNeChurrascoGrego

What do they call it? So, in Sâo Paulo, this is actually kind of complicated. The city is starting to get places that do kebab as we think of it. But if you want a local take on greasy, beautiful meat piles you should try ordering "churrasco grego".

Who makes it? Churrasco grego is made by Brazilians.

When do you eat it? Any time of day or night really.

Is it drunk food? Well, you eat it a lot at soccer games, so...

What's in it? It's thinly sliced meat, some bread to soak up the juice, and a thing they called vinaigrette, which is like a sweet and tangy, non-spicy salsa.

16. Sydney, Australia

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What do they call it? Kebab or doner kebab.

Who makes it? Turkish or Lebanese people.

When do you eat it? Most Australians will say you eat it in the very early hours of the morning.

Is it drunk food? You betcha.

What's in it? It's meat, lettuce, tomato, tabbouleh, humus, onion, sometimes cheese, on a toasted wrap. As for condiments, you've got a bunch of options: usually chili sauce, garlic sauce, or sometimes barbecue sauce.

17. Tokyo, Japan

Flickr: toyohara

What do they call it? Kebab.

Who makes it? It's more like a Japanese spin on the kebab formula.

When do you eat it? Nighttime.

Is it drunk food? Yes sir.

What's in it? In Japan, they've simplified a few things. First up, they mostly use beef instead of lamb and instead of lettuce, they use cabbage. As for condiments, some places have the traditional garlic and chili sauce, but more often than not, it's usually just a mix of ketchup and mayo.