Marinated lamb or beef layered onto a vertical spit, slow-cooked beside charcoal until the outer layer crisps, sliced thin into bread or onto rice with yoghurt and grilled tomato.

Döner kebab was invented in 19th-century Bursa by Iskender Efendi's grandfather, who turned the horizontal grilled kebab vertical to capture rendering fat. The Istanbul cooks refined the technique through the 20th century: today the canonical Istanbul döner uses thinly sliced and pounded lamb leg layered with fat between sheets, marinated in onion juice, milk and spice. Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi, Çiya Kebap and the Karaköy Lokantası lineup all serve the city's reference döner.

3 editor picks for Döner kebab in Istanbul, ranked by editorial score. All Istanbul signature dishes · Döner kebab across every city.