There shouldn’t be any FDA restrictions, the meat is kept warm enough that it can remain outside indefinately. It’s basically always cooking. You might find it as "Shawarma", the arab name for the same thing. In Montreal, the Lebanese version is ubiquitous.

I don’t know much about it, but I was thinking the center of the meat would be raw, and if you don’t to get down to it till the end of the day, you’ve had raw meat sitting out all day.

Maybe its because I live in the south, but the only time I’ve ever heard of them is in greek restruants.

Shawrma is also the Romanian name for one wraped in flat bread w/ fries.

Word.

My kid and his then-boss used to talk about opening one in Denver.
I always thought they’d make a killing with the late-night college kids.

I live in northern Cali and we have a kebab plase here, and i eat there once a week! ii just started going when i got back from Paris! Its my Dads and I’s fav. place to go together. So if ya ever come to northern, like way north, Chico, CA. Get ahold of me! I show ya where it is!

I thought donair is Greek, kebab is Turkish, and shawarma is Arabic, but all of these are basically the same thing. I can get this, under any name, at a zillion places in Vancouver.
 
I got food poisoning from a kebab in London. That’s made me less appreciative of the concept.

There is no shortage of Kebabs where I live.  The West Village in New York City has probably over 20 places alone.  Middle Eastern has become my favorite food.  Northern New Jersey also has plenty of em, and they come is all styles depending on what country the people are from. 

It took a trip to the Middle East before I really appreciated the amazingness of this particular food.  It is now one of the first things I learn how to order when going to a country!
 
Doner Kebab – Turkish, is also used in most of Europe except…
Sandwich grec - French, but many stands are run by Turkish (Doner Kebab) and Lebanese (Shawarma) immigrants 
Shawarma – Arabic, used everywhere in the Middle East…even Israel  
Gyro – Greek, or you can ask for “souvlaki in pita”
 
I’m lucky to live in a very diverse neighborhood in Seattle.  I am 5 blocks away from 2 Shawarma stands and 2 Greek resturants and 1 Lebanese resturant.  I do however miss the excellent lamb Gyros I had in Greece (I don’t miss the disgusting “Camel Shawarma” I had in Egypt… it was only 25 US cents I had to at least try it  
 
 

hey 25 cents, it worth trying!  lol. 

lol 25 cents, for camel… i guess trying camel would be worth it

i hear camel burgers are pretty good

Apparently, there is a kebab shop opening in San Diego with doner kebab and shawarma. Don’t know if it’s open yet but can’t wait to check it out! www.thekebabshop.com

Thanks for posting this.
They bill themselves as the first “real” kebab shop in the States, and they say the do not yet have a location.. Hmm.
Not sure what will make them more genuine, but I hope Yummy Cal or someone else will go and report back.[]
We had great Middle Eastern food in New Orleans, including kebab lamb.
But I agree with Short One that there are different versions, and I am certainly no expert.
I never have gotten sick but I can see how it could happen. It sure does taste good though.

where was this middle eastern place in NO?? 

I was just totally craving Doner Kebab. And I have not had it since I studied abroad in Spain 2 years ago! I typed into google doner kebab near Chico,CA. I found this site, and I read your comment!! I go to school at Chico State, and if you can honestly show me a doner kebab place that even tastes remotely like the ones in Europe, I will love you forever!!!!!!!!!

Allie

P.S. I signed up for this website just so I could get to ask you were this place is, so please don’t let me down haha.

E-mail me at Alexandria1224@yahoo.com please

I was just totally craving Doner Kebab. And I have not had it since I studied abroad in Spain 2 years ago! I typed into google doner kebab near Chico,CA. I found this site, and I read your comment!! I go to school at Chico State, and if you can honestly show me a doner kebab place that even tastes remotely like the ones in Europe, I will love you forever!!!!!!!!!

Allie

P.S. I signed up for this website just so I could get to ask you were this place is, so please don’t let me down haha.

E-mail me at Alexandria1224@yahoo.com please

Doner (not donair) is a Turkish word. The Greek word for it is gyros. These are all different names for similar pita-wrapped sandwiches. To the Greeks, it’s still a relatively new thing, as it was borrowed from Turkey during the 20th century. The Levantene Arabs (east Mediterranean Arabs: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon) also borrowed from Turkey’s kebab, to create the shawarma. Each country uses different sauces and types of meat. Contrary to American belief, pork (not lamb) is most common in Greece and Cyprus (aside from chicken gyros). But for religious reasons, pork is not used in Turkey, Israel, Jordan, or Lebanon, where beef is most common (chicken is available here too). Lamb has a much softer texture, and is much harder to cook in the same manner as the other meats, but I have gotten lamb shawarma from a kebab place in New York.

No, it doesn’t “sit around all day”. It’s constantly cooking/warmed up (and it disappears faster than you think), and by no means does it violate any FDA regulations, at least not any more so than more conventional fast foods in America like McD’s, Burger King, hot dog stands or seven-eleven/gas station hot dogs, or the miriad of informal meat-based foods popular in the South. The reason why you don’t have it in your city, is because your city does not have a well-established immigrant population from a country where this sandwich is popular. You can certainly find kebabs in New York and gyros in Chicago.

Through my experience, people are generally hesitant to try something new, certainly in America, but in other countries too. Introducing kebab (or any of its descendant sandwiches) to people in, say, Baton Rouge or Mobile…it might take a while to catch on. In the United States, certain foreign foods have become part of the local culture in certain cities after several decades of a particular immigrant community living there (immigrant opens restaurant to serve fellow expats; an American decides to try one of their dishes…over time it slowly catches on and becomes more mainstream in that particular city). And many of these foods are altered to cater to American tastes.

We call it Yiros in South Australia, so I guess that comes from the Greeks.

Zaf’s Yiros in my nearest town closed recently, but now there’s a Doner Kebab place that’s opened up near the old place. Yay!