Kebab is a dish of meat cooked on a skewer or rotisserie, originating from ancient Mesopotamia. In Poland, 'kebab' almost always means döner kebab — thin slices of meat carved from a vertical rotating spit, served in flatbread, tortilla or a roll with vegetables and sauce.

What Is Kebab? Types, History & Best Kebab in Poland

Q: How much does kebab cost in Poland?

The average kebab price in Poland in May 2026 is 32.87 PLN (approx. €7.60) — up from 31.19 PLN the year before. Kebab is still cheaper than a burger (37.61 PLN) or pizza (51.39 PLN).

Q: Where is the best kebab in Poland?

It depends on the city and your preferences. KebabRank analyses Google Maps reviews from 2,300+ places across 69 Polish cities, updating the ranking every week based on AI sentiment analysis.

Q: What are the types of kebab?

The main types are döner (vertical rotisserie, most common in Poland), shish kebab (meat on skewers), dürüm (tightly wrapped in thin flatbread), Adana (spiced minced meat on a wide skewer), Iskender (döner on pide bread with tomato sauce and yoghurt) and yaprak (hand-carved slices).

Poland eats over 5 million kebabs a day, and the market has exceeded 2.5 billion PLN in value. With 25,000 spots across the country, the question is: how do you tell a great one from a mediocre one? KebabRank analyses Google Maps reviews from 2,300+ kebab places in 69 cities — ranking updated every week, no paid positions.

help_outline What is kebab?

Kebab is a dish of meat cooked on a skewer or rotisserie, served with vegetables and sauce in bread, tortilla or on a plate — the earliest records trace to ancient Mesopotamia, around the 17th century BC. In Poland, "kebab" almost always means döner kebab — thin slices carved from a vertical rotating spit, served in flatbread, a roll or on a plate.

Döner is just the beginning. The word "kebab" covers dozens of varieties — from Turkish shish kebab (meat on skewers) to Lebanese lamb kebab and a whole family of flavours. In Poland the street-food version dominates: flatbread or tortilla with meat, lettuce, tomato and garlic or chilli sauce.

travel_explore Where does kebab come from and who invented it?

Kebab's roots go back to ancient Persia and Mesopotamia — the first written record dates to 10th-century Baghdad. Poland's first kebab shop opened in 1973 in Sopot, run by Iraqi immigrant Muhi Al-Nakshabandi — "Kebab Sopocki" still operates today.

The modern history of döner kebab is shaped by two figures. Iskender Usta from Bursa in the 19th century invented the vertical rotisserie — and döner was born. A century later, Kadir Nurman, a Turkish immigrant in Berlin, wrapped the meat in a bread roll with salad — creating the street-food format that conquered Europe. Today Berlin alone has over 1,500 döner spots.

restaurant_menu What are the types of kebab?

Döner is the most popular type in Poland — meat on a vertical rotisserie carved into thin slices; the name comes from the Turkish dönmek, meaning "to rotate". Beyond döner, there are several clearly distinct varieties — the table below shows the key differences.

Type	Meat & preparation	How to recognise it
Döner	Layered meat on a vertical rotisserie, carved into slices	Rotating cone by the counter
Shish kebab	Chunks of meat on skewers, grilled	Metal skewers, cubed meat
Dürüm	Döner tightly rolled in thin flatbread (not tortilla)	Compact roll, no filling visible
Adana	Spiced minced meat on a wide flat skewer	Elongated shape, intense flavour
Iskender	Döner on pide bread with tomato sauce and yoghurt	Served on a plate, never to-go
Yaprak	Hand-carved thin slices — no machine	Irregular, thinner slices, juicier

According to Pyszne.pl 2026 data, flatbread (lawasz) accounts for around 25% of all kebab orders — the most popular format for the second year running.

bar_chart Kebab in Poland — by the numbers

Kebab is Poland's most popular street food — one in four restaurants serves one, and the market has reached 2.5 billion PLN. Pyszne.pl data shows that 21% of all online orders are kebab — the #1 dish on the platform.

2026 trend: craft kebab. Pyszne.pl forecasts a 43% rise in premium kebab orders — consumers increasingly choose meat quality and house-made sauces over the lowest price. The number of kebab spots on Pyszne.pl alone grew 30% in three years to over 3,300.

Where do Poles eat the most kebab per capita? Not Warsaw — the podium goes to Kołobrzeg, Luboń and Pszów. Among cities over 100k, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Rzeszów and Zielona Góra lead the way.

payments How much does kebab cost in Poland?

The average kebab price in May 2026 is 32.87 PLN (~€7.60) — up from 31.19 PLN the year before, according to dlahandlu.pl analytics. Since 2018 the price has nearly doubled, with the biggest spike (+20.6%) in 2022.

Kebab is still the cheapest fast food in Poland. For comparison: the average burger costs 37.61 PLN and pizza 51.39 PLN (dlahandlu.pl). This is one reason kebab holds its position as the top online food order.

emoji_events Where is the best kebab in Poland?

It depends on the city, the neighbourhood, and whether you prefer flatbread, dürüm or a roll. Rankings based on a single YouTuber or one Google review show one place — KebabRank approaches it differently: the algorithm analyses Google Maps reviews from 2,300+ places in 69 cities using NLP.

The ranking updates every week, so a new star doesn't wait months for recognition. No place pays for its position — the data is fully algorithmic. Check the current top in your city:

Warsaw Kraków Wrocław Gdańsk Poznań Łódź Katowice Szczecin All 69 cities →

my_location How to find a good kebab nearby?

Three options: Google Maps (but it doesn't filter fake reviews), Pyszne.pl (sorts by delivery availability, not quality) and KebabRank Radar — a geolocation feature that shows the highest-rated kebabs around you based on AI analysis.

Radar considers review sentiment, not just star count. A place with 4.3 stars and genuinely positive reviews can rank higher than one with 4.8 built on 20 generic five-star reviews.

spellcheck Kebab or kebap — which is correct?

Both spellings are used, but "kebab" is standard in English and Polish. "Kebap" is closer to the Turkish original (kebap from Arabic kabāb), and appears mainly on restaurant signs emphasising Turkish authenticity. In everyday use and dictionaries, "kebab" is the accepted form.

In Polish the word declines as: kebab, kebaba, kebabem — not "kebab'a". The form "kebap" shows up mainly in contexts stressing Turkish authenticity, e.g. on shop signs.

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Data: KebabRank AI · sentiment analysis of Google Maps reviews from 2,300+ places in 69 cities · updated weekly.
Author: KebabRank — kebab ranking platform for Poland since 2024.