Here’s the scoop on the tasty new fast-casual joint at the intersection of Elgin and Somerset.
As a student in a city with a diverse cuisine scene, I’m constantly on the lookout for new restaurants to try, and recently, the new German Doner Kebab on Elgin Street caught my eye. My diet generally consists of pre-packaged salads from Shoppers Drug Mart and lots and lots of iced coffee (I’m fine, I promise), so this looked like a fun spot to try out with my coworkers.
Located at the intersection of Elgin and Somerset, German Doner Kebab is a trendy joint with chicken, beef, and vegetarian options. (They also currently have student-friendly discounts, including a 2 for 1 promo on selected meals Monday-Thursday, and 15 per cent off the rest of the time for students.)
The atmosphere was pretty chill – it’s obviously meant to be a quick stop, rather than a fancy eat-in restaurant – and the service was quick and very friendly. The staff was quick to answer any questions we had and made our first experience a positive one.
To get the full experience, we sampled several things on the menu:
The Original German Doner Kebab: This is their best-seller, so of course we had to try it. We sampled the chicken and the beef version.
Y’all. The bread is FIRE. I and my fellow Fulcrum-ites, Paige and Bridget, really liked the bread (and would go back again for more of this bread exclusively). It’s a special sesame bread imported from overseas that’s then waffle-pressed on the premises. It’s a little chewy, a little crispy, and very tasty.
We preferred the chicken to the beef, but both were pretty good, especially dipped in the speciality sauce that comes with the kebab.
The Veggie Kebab: The main bean-based substance in this one, though a little dry, was good once paired with sauce. Plus, it was nice to see that there were options for vegetarians.
The Doner Quesadilla: Dissenting from the rest of the Fulcrum staff, I actually really liked this one. We tried it with the chicken; it’s pretty spicy (there’s some sneaky jalapenos tucked inside), but I wasn’t mad at the cultural fusion going on inside the tortilla. This is the one I’d go back to try on my own.
Doner Box with Fries: This one was only okay. It’s a poutine-style box of fries topped with doner meat. We agreed it needed something else – sauce, maybe, or more vegetables – but its major two components were still tasty. Super salty.
Doner Durham Wrap: This was voted by the group to be the best, most balanced thing we sampled. We agreed that it tasted “the most like a meal,” and appreciated how packed this one was with vegetables as well as meat. This one’s served in a flatbread instead of the special sesame bread, but we still really liked it (this was the dish we finished as “lunch”).
Doner Fries and Cheese. Drunk students will rejoice. It’s fries and melted American cheese and absolutely nothing else. (Our visuals director, Dasser, really liked this one.)
Personally, I’d go back here for the bread alone, or maybe the quesadilla. I’m not sure German Doner Kebab will enter my personal roster for quick meals, but if I were to find myself on Elgin Street after a night out (a memory of the pre-COVID times, I suppose), I’d definitely stop here.
I’d have to rate this one a solid 3.5 Audis out of 5. Join us next time for another round of Testing Restaurants @ Fulcrum!
