Istanbul Doner Kebab

Absolutely, spectacular. Really, words can’t describe how completely and utterly satisfying. That pizza thing made me melt with every bite. We are very impressed.

We had a lovely experience at Istanbul Doner Kebab. From the moment we walked in, Fatima made us feel welcome with her warm and friendly service. She was attentive, kind, and truly brilliant throughout our visit. We ordered the family kebab platter, which came with a delicious variety of kebabs, rice, and fresh salad. Everything was full of flavor and cooked perfectly. We also added a few doner portions, and they were just as enjoyable. During our meal, my daughter accidentally broke a water glass, and Fatima handled it so kindly and calmly, which we really appreciated. The food, the atmosphere, and especially Fatima’s service made it a great experience for the whole family. We’ll definitely be coming back.

San Diego is so lucky for having this place. Delicious food, nice atmosphere, and clean. Pide, doner were really delicious and big portions. The fries were so fresh salty and crispy.

Delicious food! Big restaurant. Clean and well furnished. They made some mistakes in our order, though we were the only family in their restaurant. Parking is hard.

The owner is an incredible man - incredibly hospitable and generous. The food was absolutely incredible. Hands down the best falafel in San Diego and the most flavorful Kebab I’ve had in the US. Honestly, it’s better than most places I’ve been to in the Middle East. 100% will be coming back to Istanbul Doner Kebab!

Fast service. Attentive and helpful staff. We were excited to try two of their pide! One had seasoned beef with onion and bell peppers. The other was chicken with caramelized onions. Both were tasty! Note that the beef was seasoned well but more on the spicy side. We also ordered a beef wrap. Tasty! Came with a side slaw type salad which had hot jalapeños in it. Appetizer was roasted eggplant. We are looking forward to coming back! 😀

Update: We came back here to dine inside and tried their family platter for two. Well presented, delicious and good service. The manager was attentive and apologized for the previous wrong order and compensated accordingly. Previously: Via ubereats Ordered lamb shish Kabab and got lamb shank instead! Ordered pistachio milkshake and got simple milkshake instead.

Excellent food. Really enjoyed the family patter for two. Beautiful lighting and amazing music. Customer service was wonderful. We will come back.

Never had Turkish food before visiting but I enjoyed my experience and the food was great! The portions are very generous. The service was responsive and our waiter was nice. The restaurant was also very clean.

Dropped by for lunch since it was close to our hotel in the Gaslamp District. The interior is clean and modern. The menu was a bit confusing for someone not super familiar with the cuisine so it would've been helpful to have photos. I ordered the special beef döner, which came with a salad. The meat was flavorful and I liked the veggies inside the sandwich. We also got a falafel plate which was fine but probably could have used a sauce. The main downside was the service. It felt really cold and unwelcoming. No greetings or welcomes, just someone standing silently at our table waiting for us to order.

if you are here just for the food, then it's pretty good. in terms of service and atmosphere I would say it's not the best. the AC did not work in 80 degree weather , and the service just wasn't there. there was only one server working, and she was nice but definitely overworked. I would recommend choosing someplace else.

The service was pretty bad. We weren't properly greeted at the door, the server just held up her fingers and pointed in the direction of tables. She showed up quickly but was slow with drinks, removing plates to make room on the table, and disappeared frequently. The food was great. I was surprised and we almost left due to service and questioning whether the food would be good or more of a tourist trap. The restaurant was dark and the e lights seemed to flicker, it had a few flies pestering us, but overall seemed clean. Would recommend but be patient and expect a slower service but good food.

Very nice place, very close to gaslamp district. Looked very clean. I ordered döner kebab, it was cooked very well, although it was a little salty for my taste. Service was good. Overall positive experience. I don't know about parking because I walked, downtown San Diego is always trouble for parking.

Came here for a pre-concert dinner. Right across the street from the HOB venue. Had a doner sandwich meal as I watched the entry line shorten through the high top window. Though there weren't many people in, I imagine this place gets busy later in the evenings when people filter out of the shows or wind down their night out. 3.5

A true mom and pop place located in downtown San Diego gas lamp quarter! My girl and I stoped in for some fresh juice smoothies! The man working was so sweet and hooked us up! The service was great! Also the restaurant was just beautiful! I'm sad we didn't eat anything here! The whole place was a huge vibe! Our smoothies for a large was HUGE! Would come back immediately! Need a fresh juice -try this place!!!!

Istanbul Doner Kebab has opened in the northeastern part of the Gaslamp Quarter where a longtime fast casual Italian eatery had operated. It inherited a very large corner suite with enough dining capacity for well over 50 customers. Part of the space was converted into a juice bar to the right of the entrance when you walked in. Unfortunately, only one customer was seated at the bar when I arrived so they need to advertise to drum up more business. The menu was posted on a pillar to the right of the service counter. I had to crane my neck up and down to scan all of the offerings. I initially wanted to order a dish containing a beef kabob. The manager (owner?) told me that shoulder cut was unavailable because the meat was already down to the last pieces on the rotisserie. He did not feel comfortable serving it to me. I appreciated the heads up which changed my decision. The Lamb Chop Kebab with rice became my entree. Six pieces of lamb on the bone were served with a large serving of basmati rice, onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, and olives. The lamb chops were cooked nicely. The ratio of rice to vegetables was skewed though. There was too much rice and not enough veggies. The salad was minimal. Some of the carbs could have been replaced with hummus and pita bread slices. That would have been an improvement instead of just rice. The price was fair, and the service was fine. Overall, I gave a 3.5 star rating for my dinner at Istanbul Doner Kebab.

I went here with my boyfriend who is from Turkey and he wasn't too impressed with their doner kebab. The place was empty when we went and it took a few minutes to get greeted and seated. Even when we were seated it took a while for our drinks to arrive and forgot to bring mine which was just water. The other people that came in were served quick and right away so I wasn't too pleased with that observation. The doner kebab was not too bad. The rice was cooked well but the other miscellaneous veggies didn't really mix with the dish (plain lettuce and some pickled beets). The baklava was pretty good and got my boyfriend's approval. I was just kind of rubbed the wrong way more for service. The food was alright but the dessert is great.

Small but very unpleasant experience. Sadly. I'm a huge fan of middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. But this one didn't sit well I my tummy. Didn't order much, just a side of fries since my friends and I were waiting outside for a show at the house of blues on a Friday night, since fries would take 5 minutes to have them ready it was the best option at the time to snack while we waiting outside in line. I hadn't eaten dinner but my other 2 friends had, so I was starving. I ate the most, one of my friends picked at the fries here and there, and my other friend declined as she didn't have an appetite form eating dinner right before we met up. We didn't finish the fries up because we got to the front of the line rather fast. Get home a good 3 hours later and my stomach is upside down. Couldn't sleep from upper abdominal pain. I ended up with food poisoning!!! Noooooo!!!. Horrible way to spend a Saturday, with all the icky symptoms. Half the day my stomach felt like it was on fire. My other friend who had picked here and there at the fries also had stomach pain along with other symptoms but not as bad as mine, my friend who didn't eat any fries was perfectly fine. So here we had the common denominator. Now were they good? Were they worth it? Hmmm I mean they were fries. Shoe string cut, no seasoning, but a very strong smell of oil, very greasy, kinda like some kind of canola oil or something and I think that's what it might've been. My friend noticed the strong taste of oil on the fries as well. I had to pick myself up Saturday afternoon because I had promised my neighbor's daughter I was taking her out and didn't want to disappoint her. But it was a very hot day and I tried my best to keep it together for her. The only reason for giving it two stars because the person at the counter was very kind and welcoming. Offered a seat to get comfortable at even though I was ordering take out. Sadly I can't say I'd be wanting to come back here from this awful experience. The last time I had food poisoning I was about 10 years old, forgot how awful it is

TLDR: Kind service, pretty good food, meets expectations. Pros: -Open late -Accommodating to requests -Pretty good kebabs Cons: -None really Food: I ordered a mixed kebab plate of koobideh and chicken, both of which were well prepared and tasty. Even though it was late and few customers, the skewers appeared fresh made so that's a plus. I took it to go, which it came on a huge platter of rice and a small side salad. The menu said it includes pita but I think they forgot it. I asked for a side of tzatziki and something spicy, which they had a creamy spicy sauce that had a nice kick. Unsure what it was though. The salad was rather small, would've loved half the rice with more veggies but no real complaints. Everything was delicious and the cashier was very nice.

I visited Turkey over New Years and had the most delicious food ever especially the Mercimek (Lentil Soup) so naturally coming back to my hometown of San Diego I scoped out Turkish restaurants to have some of the same delicious food I missed so much. I first step in on a Sunday evening only one other diner was in the whole restaurant. The decor and ambience was stunning and Turkish music videos were playing on the plasma TVs made me feel like I was in Istanbul again. But that was where the comparisons and good feedback ends. I wasn't greeted by anyone and I wasn't helped right away. It took over 5 minutes for someone to finally. walk up to the register to ask me for my order. Even though only one person was dining. I then only ordered the Lentil Soup (Mercimek) to go. Simple. It was 7$ on the menu a little steep but it came with pita bread. With taxes it was 7.34$ on the pos machine however the hostess verbally told me it was 8$ I hand her 8$ and she doesn't give change back. I sit down waiting for my food average wait time of about 10 minutes. She then stands by the counter doesn't walk up to me with my order. I awkwardly grabbed my things purse, shopping bags, and backpack (I Just came from out of town via train so I was carrying alot of stuff from travel) and head to her I would think you would atleast meet me halfway since where I was sitting was so far from where she was standing. When I finally get home (10 minutes later) the soup was disappointing. Cold and watery very low on flavor nothing like what I ate in Turkey and the pita bread was hard like chips not soft! I was beyond disappointed. Service was terrible food was terrible. The only redeeming quality was the ambience. Might also be worthy to note I am a young black woman and I can't help but think if they could've played apart in poor service or not.

If you're intrigued by this place or overwhelmed by the menu, just get the special beef döner kebab and finish it with a coffee and the best baklava I've ever had. Going back home to Greek and generic Mediterranean versions of these foods will be hard. The in house made bread was just as good as the perfectly seasoned and flavorful meat. The coffee was perfectly matched by sweet but not too sweet baklava. The owner was humble and so nice. Please support this business if only for the fact that I'll know where I'm going first when I get in to town; Istanbul Döner Kebab.

We ordered the Greek Salad and added doner kabob to it for protein. The salad was packed with a variety of fresh veggies. My friend ordered the Special Istanbul Adana Kabob... it was delicious. It was juicy, flavorful with a kick of spice. It was amazing. I almost stole his plate. The tea and bakhlava also hit the spot. The walnut bakhlava was my favorite. My friend really liked the pistacio. Can't wait to go back! O yeah and very nice ambiance.... chill and clean

Oh. My. God. Didn't think I'd get the best Turkish food in Gaslamp but that is what happened. The staff took time to patiently explain their offering despite my ignorance of Turkish cuisine. Sorry for no pictures because I gobbled everything up too fast. My recommendation would be the chicken breast kebab that is grilled to perfection although the beef kobideh was not too shabby. Oh and they make their own bread unlike most kebab serve store-bought bread. As Arnold said, "I will be back" for more food.

Thursday at 11am arrived and found the place closed. Nothing aggravates me more that checking a website the indicates hours "10-10" and the doors locked and closed after driving to downtown and parking.. I lived in Turkey 2 years and was hoping to make this a regular stop. UPDATE your damn website! They modified their website and opened at 11am today! Wife and I ate there. The ambience is upscale middle eastern. Food was 7 out of 10. I had Adana kabob and wife had salad. Family owned and very good service. Give it a try.

The worst service I've ever experienced. I'm not sure if the waitress couldn't hear, didn't speak English, or had some other complications going on. After we sat down, we waited around ten minutes before she came over to get our drink order. I asked her which Iced Tea was unsweetened- Green or Black or both. She said, "Yes, iced tea". After a few tries to get an answer I got the black tea and some falafels as an appetizer. After another five minutes, I noticed the table next to us was looking around for the waitress. They didn't have drinks and they were there before we got there. They ended up leaving (Smart Move) before our waitress came back. The iced tea had no ice and it was cool at best. I asked her if I could get a glass of ice, and she said, "Yes, iced tea". I finally got her to understand the word "ice" and she came back about five minutes later with a glass. We ordered and then I put the tea into my ice glass. Holy cow, I've never had a drink that tasted like meat before. I had my wife try it and she couldn't identify the flavor. So I'm parched and waiting for our food because the waitress was too busy talking with the cooks to come over and check on us and the other two people in the restaurant. About ten minutes later our food arrives. I ask the waitress if my tea was the black tea because it was greenish. She said, "No, that's black tea". I told it was funky and asked if I could have the green tea instead. My wife had a chicken wrap but she was not impressed. I had a chicken kabob which was meh, and a beef Lula kabob which was good - hence 2 Stars. But the portions were small and the prices are high. I would not go back just on that alone, but the service is another thing. After we finish out dinner and waiting around for the check the waitress drops a water on my table and says, "Green Tea". I replied with, "Are you kidding? We're done eating, could I just get the check." I look at the tea (Pictured) and it is barely darker than the water. She comes back with lighting speed not seen before in that establishment. I notice that she charged me for a green tea and a black tea, even though I didn't drink either. I didn't even care and just wanted to leave the post apocalyptic hell scape. Needless to say, I am never going near this place again.

The food was absolutely delicious. Meat had all the flavor it was supposed to as if you were in any place in Turkey. The portions were perfect and we appreciated the good customer service. I would definitely recommend to any person. I would return to this restaurant if I came back to San Diego for vacation again. I would recommend adding a slice of pita bread and less rice so you could really experience a Turkish plate as if you were in Istanbul. Otherwise I wouldn't change anything!

Great service. Greeted with a warm welcome and smile. Recommends the best items on menu, if you are not sure what to try. Highly recommend.

Have been wanting to try out this spot that took over Biga's place. Came on a Thursday at noon, and we were the only 2 in the restaurant. Ordered 4 beef skewers, with rice, salad and bread. Took a bit to get our food, but good flavor, and friendly service.

the food was very yummy. the service was good too. the tea was very good make sure to get that. the kunada as well. matter of fact get the tea and kunafa together

It was my first time coming and the restaurant was empty. Cashier lady took us to our table however I don't think speak English much and she does not smile even. Any how: we ordered the Combo for two people. The food came and the quality and quantity amazing very delicious food cooked very well. The spices and taste really good. The only thing it was very expensive. But we enjoyed the experience I hope the cashier smile more.

Just TRIED to eat a Chicken Donner wrap form this place they call a restaurant. I threw 70% of it in the garbage. Meat was cut off of the rotating spit and then put in the microwave. Have you ever had chicken out of a microwave....rubber! How about throwing it on a grill like every other donner place. The wrap was horribly constructed, I picked it up and it immediately fell apart. Meat had little to no authentic middle eastern spice flavor you should get. Woman that made the wrap, I'm sure is a nice person, but seemed clueless. Restaurant had 1 table of 2 people sitting at it in the heart of lunchtime at 12:30. Zero chance this restaurant is here in 6 months. Go to Shawarma Guys, Falafel Cali or any other real good places downtown. Waste of $ here.

Bomb kabob!!! Very impressed. We only ordered take out, but it was amazing. Got the Adana kebab wrap.

Wonderful ambiance and excellent food! The rice and all the kabobs were delicious. Additionally, the tea with cardamon and bakhlava was an excellent combination.

Stopped here for a quick bite before a concert and it was delicious! Super friendly staff and the falafel was so fresh! Definitely will remember the next time I'm downtown for a concert!

This place is absolutely amazing the food is the best, deserts are out of this world I totally recommend this place if you're in San Diego you should try their food for sure

The family platter was the perfect plate for a large group. We enjoyed the lamb shank the most!! Love the decor and vibes of the place too! Def recommend!

Stopped by here for dinner while we were staying in SD for the week and it was very tasty. Service was great, and it was nice and clean. I ordered the mango juice and it was kind of like a smoothie and quite aromatic, really enjoyed it. GF and I got wraps and mine was beef and hers was kebab. The beef actually had a nice chew to it, not overly tender and I liked it. The wrap was super thin and light, not heavy like a pita can be. The veggies were all fresh and flavorful. The sauce may be a bit much for some people, I'd think maybe offer a couple sauce options. Otherwise was very fresh and flavorful. Had to get the baclava. It was actually pretty flaky and airy, sometimes it can be a little too much candy like but these ones were great. Walnut beat out the pistachio in my opinion. Sucks we're leaving SD soon, this is a great little spot, wish we could come back.

Unbelievably awesome service. Delicious, fresh Halal option near the convention center. The lamb shank indeed fell of the bone, the chicken was light, the rice fragrant with a hint of cardamom and every component in the salad was fresh. The food was 9/10, the kind brothers who were preparing and serving the food are an 11/10.

The food was very blend and way different from the picture on the menu. I got Adena kebab. In the picture, it comes with grilled tomato and saffron and berry rice. I got an undercook white rice and no tomato. The salad was so bad that it went directly to garbage.

Great food, tea, and service. That lam and wraps are amazing the rice is fresh and zesty.

Wow! This food is better than the food in Istanbul! I got the chicken doner and it was so juicy and tender. The juices melted into the amazing bread. I had this with a delicious lemon and mint juice to hydrate me during the summer, This place is def a must try! This was my first time

We arrived late and they served us very well, excellent service!!! the food was wonderfully tasty and the quantity was very good!!! Unfortunately, as we arrived late and hungry, we forgot to take pictures The room is spacious and clean, with super-comfortable chairs.... I highly recommend it and hope to return soon...

This place is 10/10. But, the Prices are very Expensive. That's why I took out 1 star, which I Really hate to do so. The Location is Great, in Downtown San Diego. Next to the Antique Looking Grandfather Type Clock.... It is in an Inspiring and Diverse Atmosphere where City people are if you Like to People watch. The Triangle Beef Kabob Sandwich that was Recommended to me is SO DELICIOUS. It is a TREAT. It is of Quality. The Bread is Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The Steak Bites were Sooo Goood. I Love the peach colored sauce that goes with it. The Greek Salad is Good. However, it does tend to Become Soggy from all the Juices. The Greek Salad is Quite Simple. And, Pricey..in my judgement. I do However Love Coming Here. Side note: I do think the Bathroom is Haunted due to the Smells of the plumage. The smell is only in the bathroom though.

Wow, Usually I love the Lamb shank plates. Me and my girl stopped here for some Instabul Doner Kebabs. I got me a Chicken plate for 2. Food was delicious here, and a beautiful upscale place. NIce waiters and waitresses here. Can't wait to come back again.

Beef and chicken kebabs were authentic and delicious over rice. Sauce for kebabs was outstanding!!!

The food was delicious and the service was great! Very clean and nice place. Overall i was very happy!

I picked up two plates to go after 10pm and truly enjoyed my dinner from here. The shaved beef, salad and rice is a healthier and much appreciated alternative in this area. They serve long grain rice that has a great texture and was cooked perfectly. I was especially happy that even at this late night hour all my food was hot, cooked properly and had good flavor. The man that took my order was very nice helping me choose from their extensive menu and everyone was courteous. Definitely a place I will visit again.

Food is great! We ordered the combo meal and it was perfect. It would be cool if they added some pita bread along with it but food overall was delicious.

This place was a big disappointment. It's big and nice looking when you first walk in but the service was bad and the food was horrible. It's not even Turkish food... the owners are Afghan and it shows in their spices... it tastes like bad quality Persian mixed with Indian food... nothing Turkish. They need to change their restaurant name. I will never go again and do not recommend this place.

I was hoping to really love this place because I love Turkish cuisine, but I was disgusted by the smell of urine and trash at the entrance of istanbul doner kebab. The price for the food was not commensurate with the quality or quantity you receive. Avoid this place because there are plenty of great Turkish establishments in the area.

Amazing new spot! The kebabs are delicious and the Adanna kebab is a must try! Is a Gem in downtown that charge so much and give so poor quality food. Loved and fair prices. The Turkish server was really nice too, very attentive. Highly recommended.

Almost like in Istanbul, amazing doner finally in san diego! Loving it! Will definitely come back

The food was super good! Ordered the special beef Döner kabob The restaurant is beautifully decorated and the music was the perfect volume to have a conversation and enjoy. The service was the cherry on top, the staff is wonderful and super friendly.

Several of my coworkers wanted to step out from the office as a group and try something different. We stumbled upon this place which appeared almost empty so seating was easy. As I walked in this place was pretty large and very clean. Great music was playing and was greeted by our server who was friendly. They had a bunch of items to choose from and the server was helpful in deciding what to get. I went with the mix kabob (chicken & beef). It's came with rice and a small salad. When my plate came out I was impressed how much food it was. The rice was a big serving and was excellent. The salad was fresh and the kabobs had great flavor. I feel the price was on point and we look forward in coming back for a group lunch. I really wanted to try one of the many desserts to choose from even several ice cream flavors. So will have to return to give the dessert a shot.

The food here is delicious! We tried the doner and the special beef kobida kebab and both were excellent.

Fail! Salad was old, Lettuce was brownish, Doner was ok. Didn't check on us. Staff was disconnected, girl was just sitting in a corner, kept staring at us. This restaurant has potential, beautifully decorated and in a corner spot. Maybe change staff.

Food, service and ambience well worth the price. I saw the restauran in passing and decided to stop in. Im glad I did.