Doner kebab from Urfa Tomato Kabob (Alicia Mazzara).

Dish of the Week: Doner kebab

Ahh, the elusive doner kebab. A close relative to the gyro, doner kebab is a popular late-night snack in Europe and the Middle East, but remains relatively obscure in the U.S. This Turkish specialty is typically made with slices of lamb, stacked on a vertical spit, and basted in its own fat as it roasts. The meat is then served with vegetables and stuffed inside warm pita. The accompaniments vary widely by location — Japan likes theirs with mayonnaise, France puts fries inside the sandwich, and Norway piles on the Thousand Island dressing. Unusual variations aside, doner kebab is generally served with lettuce, tomato, onion, and tzatziki or hot sauce.

There are a number of restaurants offering doner kebab in a sit-down setting, but we like this meal best as good old street food. The closest we’ve found is Urfa Tomato Kabob, a newish carry out spot in Chinatown. Urfa serves chicken doner, lamb and beef doner, and falafel on home-baked bread. The sandwiches come with the typical vegetable trimmings, as well as tzatziki and roasted tomato sauce. For 6 bucks, it makes for a cheap and filling lunch, or a late-ish night snack (Urfa is open until 11 p.m. daily). If you can’t make it to Chinatown, Cafe Divan in Georgetown, Meyhane in Capitol Hill, and Nizam’s in Vienna also serve doner kebab, though we haven’t tried their versions yet. Do you have a favorite doner kebab joint? Let us know in the comments.