Turkish döner and Greek gyros: close relatives

Across the eastern Mediterranean you will find the same scene: a vertical spit turning slowly and a knife carving the meat into thin slices. In Turkey it is called döner; in Greece, gyros. At Campisi's we make Turkish döner, so it is natural to wonder whether it is the same as gyros. The short answer: they are close relatives, but they are not the same dish.

What they have in common

Turkish döner and Greek gyros are close relatives: meat roasted on a vertical spit and carved into thin slices.

Even their names tell the same story. Döner comes from the Turkish verb dönmek, 'to turn', and gyros is the Greek word for 'turn' or 'circle'. Both dishes are named after the turning spit.

Each cuisine, and each household, has developed its own recipe: the meat, the marinade and the way it is served vary from place to place. In Greece, for example, gyros is often made with pork or chicken. They are two neighbouring traditions that share a technique while each keeps its own identity.

Our döner: Halal Turkish Döner (Yaprak Döner)

On our menu the dish is called Halal Turkish Döner (Yaprak Döner) and it opens our Halal Menu, home to Campisi's authentic Turkish cuisine.

The meat

Beef and the fatty part of the lamb, carrying its supplier's halal label.

The preparation

Yaprak means 'leaf' in Turkish, and the name describes the method: the meat is cut by hand into thin sheets, which spend 36 hours in the marinade before being stacked by hand on the vertical spit. When you order, the döner is carved by hand with a knife.

How we serve it

On a plate: 200 g of döner with Turkish rice (pilav) and tomato and onion salad. Fries on request. Price: €20, VAT included.

If you have any allergies or food intolerances, please let our team know: we have detailed information about allergens available.

What to know about the Halal Menu

All meat on our Halal Menu carries its supplier's halal label, and for these dishes we use separate knives and a separate plancha. For transparency: the stone oven is shared with our main menu, which includes pork, and the restaurant does not hold its own halal certification and is not a fully halal establishment. If you have any questions, our team will be happy to help.

Looking for gyros in Marbella?

We do not have gyros on the menu. If you enjoy it, döner is its closest relative in our kitchen: meat roasted on a vertical spit and carved into thin slices, made to our Turkish recipe with beef and lamb.

You will find all the details of the dish on our Turkish doner kebab in Marbella page.

More relatives at the table

The kinship between Turkish and Greek cooking goes beyond döner. Our Halal Menu includes other Turkish dishes with sister recipes or similar dishes in Greece:

• Izmir-Style Meatballs (İzmir Köfte). In Greece a sister recipe is called soutzoukakia smyrneika, also named after Smyrna (İzmir).
• Grilled Köfte with Rice. Similar to Greek grilled biftekia.
• Karnıyarık (Stuffed Aubergine with Minced Beef). Aubergine stuffed with minced meat; Greece has a similar dish, papoutsakia.
• Clay Pot White Beans with Beef (Kuru Fasulye). White beans in tomato sauce, from the same family as Greek fasolada.

These dishes keep their Turkish names and recipes. And if you are after Greek dishes, our main menu includes Greek salad and Greek-style fried courgette.

Come and try it

We are at Marbella's Puerto Deportivo marina, at Real Club Marítimo Marbella 3. Book a table on our reservations page or call us on +34 951 21 97 72. If you are coming especially for the döner, give us a call beforehand and we will confirm availability.