Döner

This piece first appeared on The-Binge.com and is published with permission.

For quite a while now, Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebap has been a cult favourite in Berlin. Almost every traveller or foodie who stops by this city adds it to their list of must-tries.

This, despite the 20 minute line. And that’s a positive estimate, by the way. We tried the popular döner ourselves to see what the fuss is all about, and to tell you whether it’s worth lining up for.

The famous döner stand is right by the U-bahn station, Mehringdamm‘s exit. As soon as you emerge from the underground, you’ll be greeted by the smell of spiced meat, followed by a line of waiting customers.

It’s not the only thing this stall is selling, but people are lining up for the Hähnchen Döner mit Gemüse (Chicken Döner with Vegetables). When you finally arrive at the counter, take a moment to congratulate yourself for having the patience to wait. Then, marvel at the colourful salad selection and the sauces as your mouth waters, and one of the guys asks you what you want.

Kräuter (herb), Knoblauch (garlic), and Scharf (a little spicy) are the choice for sauces. We suggest you ask for all three and let them go wild piling your crispy on-the-outside, soft-and-warm-on the-inside pita bread with all the veggies they have.

The usual salad mix with tomatoes and onions gets an added oomph. This, through a couple of grilled potato wedges, and some other veggies like paprika and carrots.

Mustafa’s prides itself on a mystery sauce that some say is the secret to their döner’s success. However, there are also a couple of extra things that, when added to this sauce, make it a little more special than the average Berlin döner. A bit of lemon juice is freshly squeezed onto the döner right in front of you. You also get a sprinkle of crumbly, feta cheese.

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