“It’s a family business; I’m really interested in serving quality food and to keep on improving it” Kebaba owner Eser told me as we sit down at his new location on East Row Street in Civic.
A carpenter by trade, he successfully changed career paths overnight and has been serving traditional Turkish food to Canberrans for over a year from his original store on Bunda Street.
Kebaba is a place that is serving Turkish delights (pun intended) year-round.
Recently opened on East Row Street in Civic, its second location aims to deliver traditional Turkish food in a fresh and modern way and at reasonable prices. In truth, this ‘kebab shop’ is much more than that, and is sure to become a regular for the late night Canberrans looking for a place to sit down and enjoy a meal at their own pace while they decide where to head to next. This new venue has a function room upstairs that seats between 30 and 35 people and they also do catering.
The upstairs function room seats between 30-35 people comfortably
We were invited to visit Kebaba during lunch and enjoyed a culinary feast that transported us to Turkey itself.
Their extensive menu has Turkish favourites like kebabs, pides and gozleme. And with recipes originating from Turkish families and passed down through generations since at least the 13th century, Kebaba aims to improve dishes while still maintaining original and familiar flavour profiles.
The Sujuk pide, is a balanced amalgamation of sujuk (Turkish sausage) and cheese – oozy, stretchy, melted cheese.
Sujuk pide
The garden salad is fresh and a perfect accompaniment to some of the richer dishes.
Garden salad
The Iskender is an intense dish of thinly sliced lamb, served over Turkish bread that has absorbed much of the rich tomato sauce. It is served with a big dollop of yogurt which mellows and cools the flavours creating an insanely delicious dish.
The recipe for the Iskender dates back to the 13th century
What you need to know:
Kebaba is open 7 days a week (check for public holidays):
- Monday to Wednesday 7:00am – 11:45pm
- Thursday to Friday 7:00am – 4:30am
- Saturday 8:00am – 4:30am
- Sunday 8:00am – 10:00pm
You can find them at
- Shop 4, 88-96 Bunda Street, Canberra City
- 11 East Row St, Sydney Building, Canberra City
We were invited to visit and enjoy a meal at Kebaba but all opinions are our own.
