Wednesday, July 9
Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebab: The end for Berlin’s most iconic food stall
Depending on who you ask, Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebab is either the best in the world or not even the best in Berlin. But whatever your opinion, it is almost certainly the most popular. Queues for the legendary wrap often stretch halfway down the street, and it has become something of a rite of passage for any visitor to Berlin; a few years ago, Kanye West even stopped by for a bite. But now, it seems, the hungry hordes will have to go elsewhere. Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebab is closed. Well, sort of. In fact, it’s only moving across the street.
There is something of a mystery surrounding Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebab. A few years ago, owner Tarik Kara opened another branch in Friedrichshain. Same recipe, same sauces — but while it was reasonably popular, it never attracted anything like the same queues as the Kreuzberg location. People wanted to visit the “original”.
Other kebab shops bearing the name Mustafa’s, in tribute to the Berlin original, have sprung up across the globe — there’s even a branch with the same name and branding in Barcelona.
So the question is whether the same shop can maintain its magic a few doors down. The new Mustafa’s is already open, just across the road, at Mehringdamm 33. There may or may not be a queue.
