In March, we reported the opening of Döner Haus, on East 14th Street, whose claim to fame was authentic German-style Döner kebab sandwiches. As we noted at the time, the sandwiches, first introduced to Germans by Turkish immigrants in the 1970s, are similar to shawarma, which is to say they are made by shaving meat from a vertical spit and inserting into a flatbread.
Now a rival establishment has opened near Penn Station with the tag lines “Kebabs done right” and “The kebab of the future.” Even the name, German Doner Kebab, sounds like fightin’ words.
The menu at GDK (which the chain calls itself for short) is principally comprised of the sandwich plus a few variations thereon. There is also a doner wrap, a doner quesadilla, a veggie kebab, and a “Doner Krunch Burger,” served on a brioche bun and topped with Cool Original Doritos and cheese sauce.
The chain, which boasts more than 150 locations worldwide, already has plans to open an outpost in downtown Brooklyn.
German Doner Kebab, 1001 Avenue of the Americas (bet. 37th and 38th Sts.), 646-808-7724.
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