Döner kebab is an iconic street food sight: a conical stack of meat cooking on a vertical, rotating spit. Immigration patterns meant that while döner was sticking closer to its Turkish home, becoming ubiquitous in European cities like Berlin and London, its derivative cousins headed to North America. Döner kebab inspired not only Greek gyros and Avengers-approved shawarma, but even, via Lebanese immigrants, the Mexican al pastor preparation.
I was once a 20-year-old American in Europe, delightedly devouring döner. So the first time I ate at Spitz, at its birth home in Los Angeles, I wasn’t quite a neophyte. It was, however, my first time in LA. And even then, nearly a decade into Spitz’s reign, it was frequently recommended to me by the locals. That local passion has since turned Spitz into a small chain with locations in four states.
Angelino and Spitz vet Fernando Del Valle, along with Portlander Christopher Retzer, have now brought Spitz to Portland, where they churn out the döner with consistency and speed. (The food comes out quick, though it may take a while to place an order. Spitz is large, but only offers counter service, and typically with only one register. Expect lines at unpredictable times.)
The basic döner is wrapped in thin flatbread and tightly bound with waxed paper, but still packed with lettuce, veggies, and, for some reason, never quite enough sauce. The street cart döner comes with aioli and fried lavash chips inside, but the Döner with Pommes—packed with fries—is the jam. There’s a Mediterranean one with a sweetish hummus and olives, and a spicy döner with pepperoncinis and chili sauce (all $9.75 meat/falafel, $9.25 veggie).
The meat (lamb/beef, chicken, or a mix) is complexly seasoned, juicy, and plentiful—though it’s kept in a closed kitchen, which undercuts the spectacle of spinning döner. (Watching it rotate as they carve long strips off is borderline hypnotic.) The falafel isn’t as flavorful, but it’s not bad by any means, and neither is it dry or chalky. Across the board, the wraps are tasty but undersauced. (I asked my friend how spicy his spicy döner was, and he answered, “I don’t know, how spicy is a pepperoncini?”)
