Metet Közde Döner, Kuzguncuk, Döner restaurant in Kuzguncuk, Turkey
Metet Közde Döner is a döner restaurant on Tufan Street in the Kuzguncuk neighborhood of Istanbul, where meat is cooked on a vertical rotisserie. The menu offers several döner variations, including options served with butter or over rice, alongside a selection of traditional Turkish soups.
Döner as a street food developed in Ottoman cooking during the 19th century and has remained a constant part of everyday Turkish eating ever since. This restaurant continues that tradition in a neighborhood that still has many buildings from the same era.
Kuzguncuk is one of the few neighborhoods on the Bosphorus shore where old wooden houses still line the main street, giving the area a calm, village-like feel. Eating here tends to be a simple, unhurried affair, with locals stopping in for a quick lunch between errands.
The restaurant sits on Tufan Street and is reachable on foot in a few minutes from the Kuzguncuk ferry dock. Coming a little before the midday rush is a good idea, as the space is small and fills up quickly.
The meat is cooked in conditions with a high level of oxygen, which the kitchen says affects the final quality of the product. Herbs and spices come directly from growers in different parts of Turkey, which gives the döner a flavor profile that shifts slightly depending on the season.
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