If you have ever made a mess with sashimi, sushi and surimi you will understand that with terms such as shawarma, kebab, dürüm and company the same can happen to you.
Therefore, before recommending ten places to eat a good kebab, let's remember the basics: if "kebap", which is the Turkish name, comes to mean meat skewer, or grilled meat, shawarma is the same but in Arabic, that is, it is called that way in countries of the Maghreb, the Middle East and the Horn of Africa.
It is also eaten in Iran, Pakistan and India, and although the dishes will vary, the meat will always be minced and dressed.
The words that we add before to the "kebab" will give us more information about how it is served or eaten.
For example, the “döner kebab” refers to the fact that it “goes around”, is cooked vertically and is served with pita bread, while the “dürum kebab” is eaten with rolled bread.
Thus, "döner" refers to the way to cook a mixture of meats - lamb, beef, chicken or turkey, usually - on a vertical spit that turns slowly for several hours.
On one of the sides is the heat source that, like a grill or barbecue, roasts the meat little by little.
The grace is that it is cut by hand into slices - depending on the animal, one thickness or another will be possible - and that the meat is well marinated.
That said, we present fourteen places to eat a good kebab without leaving the country.
MADRID
Sumer
Zaza, the owner of Sumer, arrived from Turkey at the age of 14 and did not imagine the success he would have with his small restaurant on Magallanes Street.
So much so that in a short time he was able to open the Bravo Murillo store, with even more success than the first, and that is because a terrace in Chamberí is not mucus.
His is Mediterranean cuisine, but especially Turkish food, and his doner kebab is well worth the visit.
The pita bread is tender and tasty, and the meat, cut into very thin strips, is outrageous.
That in general a Greek souvlaki is infinitely closer to a kebab than the one that they sneak into the menu of a bar with dubious cuisine at dawn is a reality, but luckily there are Zaza and his doner kebab, to show us what a comb is worth .
In addition, their falafel are the size of a tangerine and with half a portion (four units) you will be belly in glory.
Sumer. Calle de Bravo Murillo, 17, Madrid. Tel .: 911 80 57 38. Map.
Sumer's falafel.
MARIA SANAHUJA
Yunie
This Lebanese restaurant serves what has often been called the best kebab in Madrid.
The key is Georges, the cook, who was De Funy's, the Lebanese restaurant par excellence of the Madrid pijerío of the 70s and 80s, where diners did not know at first how to behave because they had never been to the Middle East nor had they tried similar food.
Georges buys the beef and chicken fillets himself and packs them in marinade the day before grilling.
He takes his time to make each sandwich, and with a ham knife he assembles the plate.
On more than one occasion the Royal House has called him to prepare menus when Arab kings visit Madrid, but he is still in his small cafeteria-style place, which serves non-stop kebabs with Amal, his wife.
And for many more years.
Yunie. Calle de Meléndez Valdés, 64, Madrid. Tel .: 915 43 08 77. Map.
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BARCELONA
The Damasc cuiner
We have asked Òscar Broc for advice and he has been as restrained as ever: “At the Cuiner in Damasc they prepare the most delicious shawarma in Barcelona”.
Patapum.
“The place is small and humble, with arabesque tiles as the only decoration.
In the kitchen, the meat is prepared by hand (lamb and turkey) and the shawarma is assembled without haste, at the pace set by its talkative owner ”.
Adding turkey meat to the plate is not as common as it may sound, but the result is grotesquely good, and the amount of fat is very low.
“There are many legends about the mix of spices in your product;
it is said that they add cinnamon.
I don't know, but people in the neighborhood eat them in pairs.
By the way, the hummus is championship. "
The Cuiner of Damasc. Carrer dels Templers, 2, Barcelona. Tel .: 637 99 06 06. Map.
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Byblos
The recommendation to walk around the house and very successful that Inma Garrido gives us is the Byblos, in which they make a "crunchy crust on the bread that gives glory".
It is a Lebanese restaurant -Biblos, in Greek or Ǧubail in Arabic- and takes its name from this small city, about 30 kilometers from Beirut.
It is precisely from that Greek name that the words library and Bible derive.
In fact, the first Bible was made on papyrus that came from Byblos.
But back to the yanta, to the eating: her lamb shawarma continues to enamor everyone who goes into her little green-painted place, and a great advantage is that it is open until two in the morning.
Also highly recommended is the labneh, which is prepared with mint.
Byblos. Carrer de Marià Cubí, 209, Barcelona. Tel .: 934 14 31 61. Map.
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VALENCIA
Kebap Bolsería
On Calle Bolsería de Valencia, in the historic center, is the Kebap Bolsería, Almudena Ortuño's favorite.
“Since 2002, as they are in charge of remembering on the label, what a centenary tavern in Madrid.
The meat is delicious, the sauces are homemade and the digestion is friendly ”.
Be careful with the sauces, because in addition to the white one, which is used to accompany kebabs -with yogurt, spices and a little garlic-you can choose green sauce with Valencian chillies, spicy red sauce or ultra-hot sauce.
They themselves say "you will enjoy it only if you know and love spicy, otherwise you will throw away your food crying and looking for a source to put your throat in."
In addition to the Turkish specialties that we want to find in a take-out place specializing in kebabs, we can also order Sigara borek, some fried filo dough sticks, filled with cheese and white sauce.
They are called seguirra because they resemble a cigar, or cigar, and can be filled with many things, such as feta cheese, egg, fresh aromatic herbs, mint, even meat.
Kebap Bolsería. Calle Bolsería 39, Valencia. Tel .: 963 910 287. Map.
Asking for salsa and a bite.
KEBAP BAG
SEVILLE
The Zapatazo
El Zapatazo is located in the Alameda de Hércules area of Seville.
"The kebab itself is good - Carlos Doncel explains - somewhat better than most, but the most remarkable thing is the homemade hot sauce and its owner."
The sauce, with chilli and fresh tomato, because it gives it a revitalizing point, and the owner, because his story and the reason for the name of the restaurant is fascinating: “he is Kurdish, and in 2010 he threw a shoe - the right one, specifically - As a protest to Erdogan, then Prime Minister of Turkey, when he went to Seville to collect an award ”.
Those of you who comb gray hair will remember the shoe that an Iraqi journalist (Muntadar al-Zeidi) gave George Bush Jr. in 2008 in the middle of a press conference, while saying “this is a goodbye kiss, dog”, in protest of the invasion of Iraq.
In the Arab world, and especially in Iraq, the throwing of a shoe is understood as a gesture of utter contempt.
Al-Zeidi spent 9 months in jail and our protagonist, Hokman Joma, spent three years in prison for this offense.
When he left he decided to start a restaurant, and he already has two.
El Zapatazo, its kebabs and its thin-crust pizzas are already legendary in Seville.
The Zapatazo. Peris Mencheta Street, 23, Seville. Tel .: 954 38 36 38. Map.
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LOGROÑO
Marmara
In Logroño, Turkish food is called Marmara.
In this place in the neighborhood of La Cava they serve grilled sucuk (Turkish beef chorizo) sandwiches, kebabs, falafel and different meat dishes, with a mention of the Marmara Special, which includes veal skewer, chicken skewer, chicken doner , sucuk, hummus and bulgur, which is obtained by cooking wheat grains, putting them to dry and then splitting them (also known as cracked wheat).
In the category of durums and sandwiches, we find Durum Istanbul, which has chicken meat, cheese and sauce, as well as fried potatoes, and is baked.
Marmara. Clavijo Street 32, Logroño. Tel .: 941 10 10 01 Map.
Chicken skewers also have a place in our hearts.
MARMARA RESTAURANT
BILBAO
Jazmino's
Well, yes, of course we have asked Mikel López Iturriaga, in the case of Bilbao.
And the site that recommends us, Jazmino's, has more vibes than the entire casting of Big Little Lies (Laura Dern, we love you).
“Although its name may sound like a restaurant at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Jazmino's is a pitas bar with a spartan contemporary decor, which enlivened the not too effervescent Bilbao hospitality scene with its appearance at the end of last year.
It offers refined and honest versions of classics such as shawarma, kebab -not döner, but the original grilled skewers- or falafel, and less-seen surprises like Israeli sabich.
All stuffed into pitas, and accompanied, if you like, with good hummus, baba ganoush or labneh ”.
Jazmino's. Fernández del Campo Kalea Street, 17, Bilbao. Tel .: 946 57 02 89. Map.
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PALM
Anatolia
Anatolia is one of those unpretentious places where you can fill your throat at ease for less than a movie ticket costs, and still have something to spare.
Their doner kebab is famous on the island, but it is followed closely by Lahmacun, a typical Turkish and Armenian dish.
It is a very fine flat bread -there is its grace- covered with a mixture of minced meat, vegetables and spices.
It is baked and consumed at the moment, which makes it perfect to serve as a starter in a restaurant or enjoy as street food.
It is sometimes called, badly, "Turkish pizza", but we will agree that it is better not to mix concepts.
Three ingredients that are never lacking in lahmacun are lemon, fresh parsley and sumac (or sumac), a very common purple spice in the Middle East with an astringent flavor.
Anatolia. Carrer de Julià Álvarez, 3, Palma de Mallorca. Tel .: 664 09 53 60. Map.
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POMEGRANATE
Marchica Shawarma
If we talk about shawarma we have to go through Granada, where it is a dish with a long tradition.
Marchica Shawarma is on Calle Elvira, in the heart of the city by day and by night, and has won the hearts and stomachs of the people of Granada based on its good prices, the recommendations of Abdul - the owner-, and the schedules extensive (so extensive that they open 24 hours a day).
These guys are fast and serve hearty and tasty food, with special mention of the yogurt sauce, of which they did not reveal the full recipe but which has caused more than one cry of emotion.
Marchica Shawarma. Elvira Street, 72, Granada. Tel .: 604 10 59 76. Map.
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MURCIA
Zana Kebab
Go ahead that the portions of the Zana Kebab are for the brave, hungover, or both.
Sergio Gallego -our trusted Murcian food critic- identifies it as the most interesting kebab restaurant in Murcia, for its gratin, crispy and well-filled rolls.
What more could you want?
In fact, we could ask for many more things, because the menu, although from a Turkish restaurant, also serves other Mediterranean dishes, such as musaka or Tzatziki.
Zana Kebab. Alfaro Street, 6, Murcia. Tel .: 968 21 14 57. Map.
ALGECIRAS
The island
For José María González, a journalist from Gibraltar, there is no doubt that the pita they serve on the island is the best.
It is a mixed shawarma (that is, of beef and chicken) with yogurt sauce, a bit of spice and vegetables.
On the Island, which has become a place of worship for the entire Gibraltar countryside, they receive people from all over the region;
they get to it at 7pm and don't stop until 3am, with a constant flow of customers.
"We are the enemies of the bajona", they pray on their Twitter account, and faith that they will have saved the hangover and the life of more than one.
The Island. Calle Sindicalista Luis Cobos, 13, Algeciras. Tel .: 632 17 72 57. Map.
PONTEVEDRA
King Omar Döner Kebab
After a "we want an article of spider crab or seafood", and the occasional "carallo", we have managed to get a couple of people from Pontevedra to recommend the best place to order a kebab.
They have coincided in King Omar, a small place near the Mercado de Abastos, -they tell me from the earpiece that Pontevedra is the best city in Galicia, I don't get involved- the one with the green door.
Known and recognized for the kindness of Yasir -the owner-, and the crispy pita of his kebab, which is homemade and a great point in favor of the restaurant, it is worth a visit.
King Omar Döner Kebab. Rúa Sarmiento, 8, Pontevedra.Tel .: 886 09 50 20. Map.
SAINT SEBASTIAN
Cai kebab
If you have doubts about eating, it is always good to ask Xabier de la Maza, and if they are things that have to do with San Sebastián, better than better.
In this case, he recommends the central Cai Kebab, where one can also order lahmacun -the Turkish pizza that we have said we would not call Turkish pizza but that in Cai Kebab they call Turkish pizza- and kebab or dürum only with meat, without vegetables or other distractions. .
Sir, take us soon (to Cai Kebab).
Cai Kebab. Esterlines Street, 14, San Sebastián. Tel .: 943 43 49 54. Map.
MARBELLA
We end with a recommendation that José Carlos Capel recently gave on his Instagram account: the Donna Sheesh Kebab from Marbella.
"Their lamb kebabs with yogurt and spicy sauce are really delicious for me," says the EL PAÍS food critic.
"One of their secrets, freshly warm and crisp pita bread. A clue that has never failed me."
If Capel says it, it is worth visiting.
Donna Sheesh Kebab.
Ribera Street, 3, Marbella (Malaga).
Tel .: 951 56 11 54. Map.
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Street food in its purest form.
At least once during the summer I happen to enjoy some of the specialties of this Lebanese food stall @donnasheeshkebab at the entrance of @puertobanusoficial.
Their lamb and falafel kebabs (chickpea croquettes) with yogurt and spicy sauce are really delicious.
€ 6 each.
One of its secrets is the freshly warm and crispy pita bread.
A track that has never failed me
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Do you know of a place where they prepare good kebabs? Tell them in the comments and make someone who needs to be enlightened happy.
