Kebab of the week: Teddy Hall Special

The Tab is on a mission to find the best kebab in Oxford; it’s the fatty finale to nearly every single great night you’ve ever had here. Everyone has their own niche preference, colleges have dogged loyalty to the van nearest them. It’s big business.

Ahmed’s BBQ Bar and Grill is a favourite of both Queens’ and Teddy Hall, and given its prime reputation (and also the fact I happened to be going past there at the time), I chose it as the place to begin my kebab odyssey.

A couple of keen regulars queueing in front

Like you, I don’t tend to eat kebabs much when I’m not drunk, but in the spirit of great journalism I ate this kebab almost completely sober. To my surprise, I found when I arrived that there are other people who do this normally – I’m not sure why.

The Teddy Hall Special is a sort of mega-mixed kebab with enormous helpings of doner meat, chicken, cheese, chips and pitta bread. All of the things. It wasn’t adventurous but it was really slamming home on the key ingredients and you can’t say fairer than that.

Inside the kebab matrix

If, like me, you’re health conscious, you’ll get some salad on top. Balance is really important, and this was no exception. The salad deceptively covered the mountain of meat beneath. As I began to tuck in, the overpowering whiff of garlic mayo over sweaty meat heaven came through.

Described by one online review as ‘not just a kebab van, more like a mobile restaurant’, I was expecting big things.

Alas, the kebab was a bit too much. Amount of stuff certainly trumped taste in this case. On the plus side, it’s good value for money. You’d be hard pressed to finish one of these badboys wanting more. The service was friendly and fast but they did look at me a bit weirdly when I started taking photos of the food and posing by the van for pictures. I suppose that’s to be expected.

One satisfied customer

It’s not for the faint hearted but if you’re in the market for a lot of hot greasy meat with dual layer carbs, look no further than the Teddy Hall special. Amateurs need not apply.

Where: High Street

Kebab: Teddy Hall Special

Score: 7/10

Price: I don’t remember (about 4 quid)