Döner 97 in Lincoln Park offers crave-worthy Turkish-German fusion with juicy döner kebabs, crispy pide sandwiches, and loaded baked potatoes.
"The staff at this small Turkish street-food spot will probably greet you with giant knives in hand, slicing up vertical cones of juicy, roasted lamb, beef, and chicken like they’re grooming a juniper tree. It’s ideal foreshadowing, since the slivers of peppery döner kebab are exactly what you want. Like fast-casual places that rhyme with “shmipotle,” you can get those slivers of meat in a bowl, but the handhelds are the best things here. Order yours in a pide sandwich, which gets pressed so it's crispy and marked up like a zebra, then packed with spicy chili and garlic sauces, plus lettuce, tomato, and onion." - sam faye, adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru
"Doner 97 is a family-owned kebob space with seriously delicious Turkish-inspired food. The flatbread is thicker than you’d expect, but when pressed, it does a valiant job of holding the juices from tasty shwarama. Baked potatoes and bowls are also available at the fast-casual spot." - Ashok Selvam
"The staff at this small street-food spot will probably greet you with giant knives in hand, slicing up vertical cones of juicy, roasted lamb, beef, and chicken like they’re grooming a juniper tree. It’s ideal foreshadowing since the slivers of peppery Turkish-German döner kebab are exactly what you want. Order yours in a pide sandwich, which gets pressed so it's crispy and marked up like a zebra, then packed with spicy chili and garlic sauces, plus lettuce, tomato, and onion." - nick allen, john ringor, veda kilaru
"This casual counter restaurant in Lincoln Park produces a stellar doner with meat carved from a vertical rotating spit. The bread is custom-made from an offsite bakery. Doners vary in Europe and the restaurant doesn’t claim to be from a specific country or region, though it’s easy to see Turkish influences. Doner 97’s perfect textures and well-seasoned meat prove the sandwich isn’t just for a late-night meal. Grab a sandwich and walk to nearby Fullerton Avenue Beach." - Ashok Selvam, Naomi Waxman, Eater Staff
"We recently checked out Döner 97. Read our review here. The premise at Döner 97 in Lincoln Park is simple: choose between some spit-roasted beef, lamb, or chicken in a salad, bowl, or pide sandwich. Those all look pretty great, but what really caught our eye is the kumpir, a Turkish street food involving a baked potato piled high with butter, cheese, and sour cream…plus carrots, cabbage, peas, pickles, hard-boiled eggs, a creamy mayo dressing, and white garlic sauce." - john ringor, veda kilaru, nick allen