Istanbul Doner 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

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 kebabsCons:-None reallyFood: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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.