Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Stanbul Express!

How come kebob shops are suddenly everywhere? I’m looking at the answer here.

Fact is, you get a lot of bang for your buck. And it’s flavorful, and it's Turkey and the Middle East's and Europe's fast food du jour.

This is late night, downtown, at the Café Istanbul (921 Sixth Avenue, between E Street and Broadway, 619-544-1700). It's not far from Hustler, Larry Flynt’s store.

Not the primo spot downtown but just as old and quaint as the Gaslamp, next door on Fifth. And if you’re on a kebob kick as I am, this is probably the closest to the bus routes that run up and down Broadway.

Inside, one wall’s all mirror, so it doesn’t feel narrow.

Interior, as seen through the mirror

The other’s salmon colored with pictures of Istanbul...

...and Whirling Dervish dancers...

...and a 1513 map by a Turkish navigator named Piri Reis. It’s of the world. First scientific, accurate map, they reckon. Huh.

Masood, the one-man band here, says it has been open eight months. He’s Chaldean, but the owner’s from Istanbul. And yes, they cater to the late-night crowd hauling out of Gaslamp bars.

I see Masood has two shawarmas, gyros, döner kebabs (“turning kebab") going.

“One’s beef, the other is lamb,” he says.

I can feed my lamb fetish, though I'm almost tempted by the swords loaded with beef or chicken for the $8.49 shish kebab plates that come with “hummus, salad, rice, and home-made bread.”

The guy at the next table has the beef plate.

But no, stay loyal to my lamb. Could order the lamb sandwich or wrap for $5.99, but I go for the lamb döner shawarma plate for $8.49, because it has the hummus and the salad.

Comes with sliced, dipping bun

Of course, this is shaved lamb piled onto a spit and slow roasted, with the fat dripping off. So one, being shaved, it’s guaranteed tender; two, slow cooked means it keeps its flavor; and three, its healthy, fat-wise. It has all dripped off.

Man, there’s a lot. Yes, I love mixing it in with the hummus and salad, so a lot of oil involved, but good olive oils.

Next time, the sword kebab. Out on the little patio.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Why Unified® Review: What To Expect Dropshipping (Positive & Negative)

Next Article

Pet pig perches in pocket

Escondido doula gets a taste of celebrity

How come kebob shops are suddenly everywhere? I’m looking at the answer here.

Fact is, you get a lot of bang for your buck. And it’s flavorful, and it's Turkey and the Middle East's and Europe's fast food du jour.

This is late night, downtown, at the Café Istanbul (921 Sixth Avenue, between E Street and Broadway, 619-544-1700). It's not far from Hustler, Larry Flynt’s store.

Not the primo spot downtown but just as old and quaint as the Gaslamp, next door on Fifth. And if you’re on a kebob kick as I am, this is probably the closest to the bus routes that run up and down Broadway.

Inside, one wall’s all mirror, so it doesn’t feel narrow.

Interior, as seen through the mirror

The other’s salmon colored with pictures of Istanbul...

...and Whirling Dervish dancers...

...and a 1513 map by a Turkish navigator named Piri Reis. It’s of the world. First scientific, accurate map, they reckon. Huh.

Masood, the one-man band here, says it has been open eight months. He’s Chaldean, but the owner’s from Istanbul. And yes, they cater to the late-night crowd hauling out of Gaslamp bars.

I see Masood has two shawarmas, gyros, döner kebabs (“turning kebab") going.

“One’s beef, the other is lamb,” he says.

I can feed my lamb fetish, though I'm almost tempted by the swords loaded with beef or chicken for the $8.49 shish kebab plates that come with “hummus, salad, rice, and home-made bread.”

The guy at the next table has the beef plate.

But no, stay loyal to my lamb. Could order the lamb sandwich or wrap for $5.99, but I go for the lamb döner shawarma plate for $8.49, because it has the hummus and the salad.

Comes with sliced, dipping bun

Of course, this is shaved lamb piled onto a spit and slow roasted, with the fat dripping off. So one, being shaved, it’s guaranteed tender; two, slow cooked means it keeps its flavor; and three, its healthy, fat-wise. It has all dripped off.

Man, there’s a lot. Yes, I love mixing it in with the hummus and salad, so a lot of oil involved, but good olive oils.

Next time, the sword kebab. Out on the little patio.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Juices get running at Al Azayem

“That is lamb-shank tshreeb, like stew. It is very Iraqi. Comfort food.”
Next Article

Greek to Me

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.