I finally tried Döner Haus (5857 S Central Ave Ste 150, Los Angeles) and the total bill for one Döner kebab and fries came to a whopping $39. That was obviously because of Uber Eats fees like priority delivery, long-distance fees.. and so on. Pickup would have been $19.75 with taxes. I obviously didn’t want to spend 45 minutes in my car. I feel sorry for the guy who had to make that drive.
I found out that this place is part of a franchise. They already have 5 stores in New York, so I hope they open more locations in L.A. soon.
So how does it taste? I think it was the most authentic “Berlin-style” Döner I’ve had in Los Angeles. That’s actually what I like. I don’t need fancy bread, I like the typical crunchy crust. I don’t like places trying to create something new. That’s why this place delivered exactly what I was looking for.
I would keep switching between them and Berlins (the Döner place close to me) once they open a location near me. We need more Döner places is Los Angeles. I hope they succeed.
$19.75 for the Doner and fries itself is legit for L.A. standards. The jump to $39 is the crazy part. Uber Eats fees have gotten to the point where I’ll suddenly convince myself a 30-40 minute drive isn’t so bad. But yeah, they have to pay that guy.
That’s an interesting choice for their first German style Doner location. Let’s see how people in that area react to it. For sure something I would try.
Five locations in NY is an achievement. L.A. is for sure a slightly different market.
There are over 420k people of German ancestry in Los Angeles County. I believe authentic German Doner Kebab has actually real potential because Angelenos already understand kebab, shawarma and Mediterranean food.
The German version with Fladenbrot, shaved meat, cabbage, lettuce, tomato, onion, multiple sauces, is different enough to market as its own thing. The right marketing is key here.
I feel like the late-night potential for this is enormous. Imagine having a Doner after a night of drinking. My half-brother, who lives in Leipzig, once told me that this is actually a big late-night thing in many German cities.
True, but they would have to adjust their hours for that. A friend had a pizzeria back then (Roma Specialty Pizza) and at one point he decided to stay open until 3 AM (online orders only). People started ordering like crazy because there was almost no competition around that time.
I would love to see the Döner Haus franchise near the Westside or Hollywood at one point.
But yeah, they have to pay that guy.
