That could be about to change with the launch of a restaurant in Sunderland that is aiming to elevate the kebab from a post-pub snack to a slap-up meal. And it has turned to Germany, the country often credited to being the birthplace of the doner, for inspiration.
The German-inspired Döner Haüs is the brainchild of restaurant company Bavava, which will launch its first site in the north-east city later this year.
“In the last few years burgers have become virtually a fine dining offering because the quality has improved so much,” says Nathan Alexander, brand development manager at Bavava.
“This is now what we intend to do with kebabs, which really will bear no resemblance to those that people eat on the way home after a night out.”
Alexander and his team travelled to Berlin to research the market and saw how kebabs were eaten at any time of day – not just after a few pints.
The restaurant will serve a range of German beers to accompany its kebab offer.
Bavava is planning a rapid growth of Döner Haüs, with a second site set to open in Glasgow by June.
The company is also set to roll out its Papadoms Indian restaurant brand, with openings lined up in Bradford and Glagow.
The launch of Döner Haüs comes after a number of premium kebab restaurants have opened in London in recent years, including Le Bab in Soho’s Kingly Court and BabaBoom in Battersea.