Kebabi — Restaurant in Karlsruhe

The perfect example of a good local business with a great product that has outgrown its location.

Lines A bit tricky with rain, traffic, bikers, smokers, and social distancing. Also a bit confusing for some people since the line is constantly changing directions. Only reason I don’t give them 5 stars.

Waiting They could use more staff, but they’re not slow. They opened 10 minutes late, but already at the 11:45 opening time there was a line with 5 people ahead of me. By 12:02 on a Thursday there were already 19 people waiting in line. Each person took an average of 3 to 5 minutes depending on the order. Eventually 2 people tended to 2 customers at a time, which helped a little bit…

My order: 2 kebab wrapped to go, no drinks. Took 4 minute and 45 seconds to prepare.

The Meal The food is fresh, vegetables were cut and bread made as we waited in line. Vegan and vegetarian options available. “100% Halal”. The kebab itself is delicious and well prepared with the staff asking how you want to build your order. I ate one and was very satisfied. The bread is perfectly spongy and tasty, and the fresh ingredients compliment each other and are placed in order so it doesn’t all spill out.

Price At 6€ per kebab, it is a bit pricier than most options but tasty and big enough to be worth it.

The Location Store is small and does not have seating areas or bathrooms, so def a place to grab take out and sit somewhere else. Easy to get to with plenty of trams stops and bike parking around.

The Staff Friendly and focused, as they must be to deal with such a large customer base. I tried speaking bad German, but thankfully they spoke English too.

Payment Cash only. No card, apple or Google...

After waiting 25 minutes in the line, I still had no idea what to order. In fact, I didn't even know what they sold beyond a guess. The menu is positioned inside so that you have to already be in the store being helped to see what is on the menu, or the list of ingredients they had prepared. Instead of preparing my order during the long wait time I stood watching nothing while the line ahead of me stagnated.

The bread is made fresh which avoids some of the usual toughness of a Doner, though the airy bread made me feel a bit more like I was eating a hamburger or a Sloppy-Joe. There was an impressive selection of choices that I was so rushed through the actual making process I wasn't really able to decide what I would have liked on my meal. The Kebab was good, but with the lineups I had seen here I expected something amazing.

At 6Euro, it doesn't seem better than local similar offerings. In my few days here in town I have had a series of incredible meals, and this wasn't one of them. Even if the lineup is shorter, I'm going to get one of the other...

Du/Ihr überlegt euch in Karlsruhe einen leckeren Döner zu essen und seid auf Kebabi gestoßen? Gute Bewertungen, ansprechende Bilder - das muss ja gut sein.

Die Realität sieht anders aus. Kleine, laute, stickige Bude, direkt an der Fußgängerzone, KEINE Sitzplätze weit und breit und das allerbeste - KEINE KARTENZAHLUNG!! 2024…. Keine Kartenzahlung! (…) Bei einem Laden mit so viel Durchlauf gibt es dafür nur eine offensichtliche Erklärung, die sich ja jeder selbst denken kann. Soviel dazu. Jetzt könnte man ja meinen, dass der Döner zumindest seinen stolzen Preis von 10 € (!) wert ist. Spoiler: ist er nicht. Es wird dauerhaft viel zu viel Fleisch abgeschnitten, dass dann so lange unter dem Spieß im alten Fett liegt, bis sich ein Idiot findet, dem man die schleimige, lauwarme Masse im Brötchen verkaufen kann. Fertigsoße, ein paar wässrige, farblose Tomatenstücke und ein paar welke Blätter Rucola dazugeben und schon hat man einen „Premiumdöner“.

Lasst euch von der Masse an guten Bewertungen nicht täuschen. Wer davon ausgeht, dass die Meinung vieler ein Garant für Qualität ist, sollte einen Blick auf die Wahlergebnisse oder die aktuellen Charts werfen.

Nachtrag: Sehr professionelle und schlagfertige Antwort vom Inhaber auf meine „Fake“ Rezension. Zumindest passt sie von der Qualität und dem Niveau zum Döner Alle gute Bewertungen sind natürlich echt und die negativen fake....