The Kebab Club: Marmaris

Walking into Marmaris is like going into your local coffee shop. It’s never too busy and you can always expect a warm smile from the man behind the counter. Unfortunately that man is never the owner, who spends his time enjoying Turkish TV in the background. Little known fact: Marmaris is the nickname of the owner from his family. If you know him well, you may call him that too. If you didn’t already know the fact, don’t even think about it.

In recent months, Marmaris himself has grown quite a fetching moustache. When I tried to compliment him on it, he pointed out that he’d had it for some time and if I had been a good customer I would have seen it already. One doner kebab with a side of guilt, please. Usually I go for the burger, because you can’t beat a good burger and fries (that’s right, FRIES, don’t hate). If you get a burger, get the spicy sauce on it. I don’t know anywhere else in town where you can get a spicy burger, at least, one that isn’t for vegetarians.

This time, however, I opted for the classic doner with the works: salad, onion, the famous spicy sauce, and some ketchup with my fries. It was actually really good, coming in at a respectable £5.70. Consuming alcohol on an empty stomach beforehand might have helped, but they gave enough that I couldn’t even finish it all. A great bonus to the fact that it’s never very busy is that they never skimp on portion size, delighting the American in me. It’s also guaranteed freshly made (granted, kebab-shop fresh).

While waiting for your food, there is nothing to keep you entertained – you literally have nothing to do except watch it being made. So, the good news is that you would know if they were ever to do something funny to the food (I’ve never seen this happen). All in all, it was the perfect way to finish up a night out: the exoticism of Turkish delights, with a friendly neighbourhood vibe.

Would eat again – 7/10