It’s just shy of 4 p.m. on a gray Sunday afternoon in Istanbul, and there is a line out the door at Bayramoğlu, considered by many to be the best döner restaurant in Turkey. A sign on the corner of the building proudly proclaims the establishment to be the “pioneer of döner” and in the middle of the roof there is a human-sized model of a rotating döner, just in case it wasn’t clear what the star of the show is around here. Inside are two huge dining rooms, hundreds of guests, and dozens of employees, who are running a tight ship across a sea of controlled chaos.
There is nothing subtle about Bayramoğlu. This place is a juggernaut, spread across 1,000 square meters with four hulking döners cooking with the flames of high-quality oak charcoal, and two tandoori ovens (also wood-burning) where slices of fresh tandır ekmeği flatbread are cooked in seconds. When a guest leaves, their table is swiftly cleaned, and the next diner in line is quickly escorted in and their order taken: a single portion, one and a half, or a double?
For years we have heard time and time again that Bayramoğlu, open since 1990, is the best döner in Istanbul, and maybe even the whole country. Located in the Kavacık neighborhood in the vast district of Beykoz on the Anatolian side, the restaurant is surprisingly easy to reach. Something of an express bus (the 121BS) departs from the central quarter of Mecidiyeköy on the European side, making less than six stops before arriving in Kavacık. It’s actually a nice ride as the bus crosses the second bridge over the Bosphorus, overlooking an array of historic mansions and the 15th-century Rumeli Fortress. We hop off and are in line for our food after just a five-minute walk.
Fifteen minutes in line and we are seated at a small table next to another solo diner. Most of the huge restaurant is occupied by families that have come for a special occasion, and there is no shortage of tourists who have come to this part of the city specifically for döner, as there really isn’t much else going on in Kavacık. Both Arabic and English can be heard at the tables around us. Our waiter tells us it’s this busy every weekend, when over a ton of carefully-selected cuts of lamb and beef are sliced, loaded on to the spit, roasted to perfection and served to eager customers.
Bayramoğlu is no büfe, the small, often hole-in-the-wall kind of spot serving döner. This is a sit-down restaurant popular with families, with prices higher than what you’ll find in a büfe (though still wallet friendly).
We order a portion, which comes with flatbread fresh out of the oven. Served alongside is a plate of tomatoes and cucumbers dressed in olive oil, spicy pickled peppers, sumac-laced onions, and hand-cut fries. The döner is excellent, cooked perfectly and with the pleasant, not-overwhelming taste of lamb and the perfect char from the flames.
So, is this the best döner we’ve ever had? Coming in with such elevated expectations, we can certainly recommend it highly, but it isn’t our absolute favorite. What we were blown away by, however, were two details. Usually, tandır ekmeği comes out fluffy, soft, and chewy, but within minutes often takes on an unpleasant, cracker-like consistency, breaking easily and making it difficult to wrap around the döner. Not at Bayramoğlu – for the duration of our meal, the flatbread retained its softness. It could be the best we’ve ever had.
We went to compliment the usta and ask his secret, and he shared that the bread doesn’t dry out because it is slapped down in the tandoori oven and only cooked for ten seconds. Also delightful were the hand-cut fries, which resembled those you’d find at a fish-and-chips shop. Rumor has it that at one point the restaurant switched to frozen, pre-packaged fries, which would certainly save on time, but customers demanded the return of the original. The fries are thick, crispy on the outside, slightly mushy on the inside, and perfect with a slight sprinkle of salt and black pepper.
The dining experience at Bayramoğlu is impressive. There is constant movement and circulation. It is remarkable how efficient the waiters are in ensuring people are seated and served as quickly as possible, and no one is pressured to leave, even when there is a line out the door. The dozens of men that man the four spits and two ovens sweat it out in close proximity to the flames, but work with rhythm and intuition, ensuring that everything comes out perfect. It is quite the spectacle, and an integral part of the visit. Bayramoğlu is, without a doubt, one of the best of its kind, and the fact that the restaurant maintains its quality while churning out so much food so quickly is commendable. And since Kavacık is so accessible from the center of European Istanbul, it’s more than worth the trip.
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