Doner & Gyros – Canary Wharf, London

When thinking of successful doner brands in the UK, the one that immediately comes to mind has to be German Doner Kebab (GDK) who, since having launched in 2015, have gone on to open over 30 branches across the country.

Earlier this year, The Halal Guys from NYC made their European debut in London’s Leicester Square, before quickly opening a second in Earl’s Court, as they sought to grab a good slice of the doner market here.

In between these two big boys, however, a third contender has appeared in the form of Doner & Gyros – a global brand that covers Dubai, USA, India, Canada, Bahrain and other places – which is now available to franchise in the UK.

If you haven’t heard of them, then their first branch, which launched in Buckinghamshire’s Aylesbury in 2017, only recently was voted ‘Best Newcomer’ at the prestigious British Kebab Awards 2019. The branch we visited though, was their second in West India Quay, Canary Wharf.

According to their menu, Doner & Gyros appear to be a hybrid of both GDK and The Halal Guys, with their doner being served in bread similar to that of the former, while also making available the option of gyros à la the latter.

Classic Berlin Döner (beef) – with fresh lettuce, tomato, red cabbage, onion and custom blend of sauces in a flatbread, £7.49

And this was it! Plenty of what were, we have to be said, succulent and flavourful strips of beef covered in a deliciously tangy sauce, with an edge of sweetness to it, the clever addition of large onion rings, which offered a good textural contrast, tomatoes and crunchy red cabbage, all wrapped up in a delightfully soft and chewy flatbread.

Honestly; we were completely taken aback by how good this was. And it all came down to the quality and taste of the doner, which was far better than GDK (they use venison which means that it simply doesn’t compare to the full-bodied flavour of beef), along with a seriously good sauce.

And with the meal coming with drink and fries, this is a seriously good doner wrap!

Classic Chicago Gyros (beef) – prepared with tomato, onion and traditional Tzatziki sauce, on a pita brushed with olive oil and grilled, £7.49

Given this beef Classic Chicago Gyros simple make-up, it was a good idea on our part to ask for the addition of jalapenos just to give this a satisfying hit of heat.

Again coming with drink and fries, the difference between the pita bread and the flatbread, and thus the overall experience between the two versions, is quite significant.

The former is altogether firmer and chewier in texture, which means that if you’re looking for some bite, this is the one to get. Also, we found the Tzatziki sauce not nearly as memorable as the sauce used in its counterpart, thus the idea of adding jalapenos to it.

Otherwise, the beef was again fantastically good!

Dönermite Fries (beef) – A combination of fries and BBQ beef, red cabbage, and custom blend of sauces, £5.50

As mentioned above, when you have beef doner that’s this good, all it takes to make a good dish out of it, is some half decent sauces and some condiments, in this case jalapenos and red lettuce, all plonked on a bed of well made fries. This Dönermite Fries was another exceptionally good one.