The Best Kebabs in Paris

Saddling up to this kebab joint feels like being transported to Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood, home to the hot spot K’ups Gemüsekebap where Sürpriz owners Benedikt Schilling and Stéphane Brass both worked. From the blond wood biergarten tables on the sidewalk to the white-tiled countertops and neon lights, Sürpriz is an homage to Berlin and the godfather of kebab, Kadir Nurman. The shop’s chicken is sourced from the same German butcher as Mustafa’s, a döner kebab institution in Berlin. The crowd, however, is plenty local, and they flock until late for the classic marinated chicken kebab in a buttered pita, overflowing with eggplant, zucchini, and grilled carrots along with lettuce, crudités, and crumbled feta.

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Gemüse

61 rue Ramey

This pocket-size spot in the 18th arrondissement opened in 2018 with less than a dozen seats and three kebab offerings. Germanophile Noé Lazare specializes in seasonally rotating takes on Berliner kebabs nestled into breads including fluffy pide. The classic features marinated chicken, the vegetarian doubles up on fresh vegetables and cheese, and a monthly special is inspired by global flavors like Japanese curry or Swiss raclette. Lazare’s classic veers slightly from other Berliner döners, his spit-roasted chicken joined by a heftier-than-ordinary portion of grilled vegetables, including red cabbage, onions sprinkled with sumac, carrots, red bell peppers, eggplant, and zucchini. Loads of feta, parsley, mint, and lemon juice complete the bright, herbaceous dish.

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Filakia

9 rue Mandar

When locals want “un grec”—a nod to the gyros brought to the city by Greek immigrants after WWII—they come to this casual café in the 2nd arrondissement. Since 2014, chef Chloé Monchalin has served gyros and souvlaki on skewers. Both the free-range pork and chicken versions are marinated in a bright and herb-heavy secret sauce before being spit-roasted and served in a homemade Greek pita (thicker than Arabic pita and pocketless) and stuffed with the classic trinity of lettuce, tomato, and red onions. (Those in the know make sure to add an order of crunchy oregano-dusted fries.) It’s all tied together with a helping of tzatziki. This is one of the few places kebab lovers will find a fish iteration comprised of breaded cod, tzatziki, crisp cucumbers, red onions, and a squeeze of lime.

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B. Bell

74 rue de Turbigo

Samir and Stéphane Bellahcene’s shop anchors the brothers’ sandwich operation in France’s centuries-old tradition of spit-roasting meat. They spit-grill a mix of smoked turkey and milk-fed veal that’s crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, layer it with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, any number of French cheeses, and stuff it all into housemade bread with an elastic crumb somewhere between baguette and pita. Of the eight combinations, the aptly named Parisienne best shows off the French-first focus—alongside the meat and vegetables are grilled button mushrooms and shredded Comté cheese. A honey mustard sauce completes the picture. Most regulars go big and add a side of double-fried fries, which you’ll have a chance to ogle from the picnic tables out front as you wait for your own.