The Key to the Kebab

Buying a doner kebab in the late hours of the night, or the early hours of the morning, is a sacred act. A crumpled ten dollar and five dollar note from your back pocket for a taste of heaven. At least, this is the case for a wide range of people across the country. The real test of a community (and its strength) can be seen within the four corners of your white bulb-lit, black-and-white square-tiled local kebab shop.

If you’re glassy-eyed or nearing the end of your evening, the chefs at your local spot won’t blink. If you’ve just vomited up the five shots of tequila you had at the club and need a quick sobering fix, the kebab shop is your sanctuary. Just got dumped? Your local kebab shop will fill that void. Ask for chilli sauce in your wrap so it looks like that’s the reason you’re crying. No one is too good for a kebab.

But how did this late-night culture begin?

Growing up in Western Sydney, Avanti Pizza & Kebabs in Mount Druitt was the go-to spot. I remember being 16, sitting in the backseat of my friend's Holden Commodore, red P-Plates on like a badge of honour, pulling into the Avanti car park for the first time. It was packed. Young people, old people, families, tradies, lads — the kebab doesn’t discriminate. 

Today, the shop (which has since upgraded to a larger location) is owned by a man named Chippy. It almost seems like I’m joking, but that’s his name. Chippy has worked on and off at the shop for six years, bringing 27 years of kebab crafting experience to the business. 

“I just love serving our people. Making everyone happy with food is what we love doing here,” he told VICE.

“We’re locals, we know all the locals and we look after our locals. We’re here til 1am serving the community. And it’s always the same people who come through here, it’s good.”

Fransiska, a senior team member at Metro Pita Kebab in Sydney’s CBD, shares a similar sentiment. Originally from Indonesia, she wasn’t aware of the cultural significance of the kebab until she began working at the shop three years ago. Having grown familiar with the enthusiastic drunk customers at her 5am closes every weekend, she learned that nothing goes down better with several schooners of beer than a classic kebab. 

“It's easy to get a customer, but harder to make them keep coming back. We try our best to make all the customers happy by making the best kind of food they could have late at night,” she said.

“Our kebab shop is a bit different. We put a lot of different things on kebabs that not all kebab shops have, like pickles or jalapenos. My boss created the menu and made a lot of different options available so the customer doesn't get bored.”

For a shop that honours the classics, we ventured to Banksia, south of the CBD, which is home to family-owned Brothers Kebabs. Speaking to the co-owner, Anva, it was clear that Brothers Kebabs is a culinary pillar amongst the local community. Brothers have been around long enough to know that the act of ending your night out with a juicy kebab is a rite of passage in Australian nightlife.

“Food brings people together. It's a way to a person's heart. It has become a common language. It doesn't matter who you are, if you’re hungry, we come together for you. You go to the pub, you have a couple of drinks, you come to have a kebab. It’s a way of life,” he said.

“We are Brothers Kebabs, so we greet everyone as our brothers and sisters. It doesn’t matter who you are. When you walk through those doors, you’re a brother to me.”

The power of food extends, of course, beyond late-night kebab joints, but the shared experience of eating a kebab with a group of drunken strangers is something truly cherished in Australian society.

MASTERING THE KEBAB

There are some clear fundamentals when it comes to kebab-ordering. Peter, in Banksia, says that if you want something that “actually fills you up and doesn’t make you feel like shit”, you must order a kebab (chicken, all of the salads, and the BBQ and chilli sauce combo especially). For Vito in Ultimo, the quality of the meat is important but “the sauce is the soul of the kebab”.

But we also asked the professionals, just to be sure.

Chippy, Avanti Pizza & Kebabs: Your sauce. BBQ, chilli, garlic. Then lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese. That’s your perfect kebab. And don't forget, the best part of the kebab is the bottom.

Fransiska, Metro Pita Kebabs: The meat is the main thing. And the sauce. We make our own special aioli sauce, and we’ve been told it’s the best. You gotta enjoy when things are different.

Anva, Brothers Kebabs: Just the right toppings. After 18 years of working in the kebab shop, you experiment a lot with different kinds of meats, and the quality of meats. But it’s all about the toppings. And the garlic sauce. You gotta have the garlic sauce.


Adele is the Junior Writer & Producer for VICE AU/NZ. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter here.

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