The Tuesday Ten Dolla Holla: The Berliner

The Seattle, and more specifically the Pioneer Square, sandwich world is full of ancient riches. There’s Salumi and Tatt’s. There’s Delicatus and Rain Shadow Meats. But on the demure corner of First Avenue S and Main (makes Seattle sound like quite the small town) lies The Berliner, an eatery featuring the interesting concoction known as a doner kebab that quite possibly could have been the late-night choice of Babylonian royalty. The sandwich’s origins trace back to Turkey, and the fundamental element is the meat (generally lamb) that’s cut in layers from a rotisserie. What follows is then up to the culture or shop. You’ve probably known the doner kebab under such other aliases as that of gyro or shawarma.  

The Berliner’s German version throws all of that goodness on what is known as a fladenbrot, a very light, seeded flatbread similiar to focaccia. To be honest though, by the time you’ve gotten halfway through the sandwich, the bread will probably be tossed aside because all of the meat’s juices and the shop’s signature sauces and crisp veggies will have moistened it to the point of uselessness.

Enter, the fork.  

My doner of choice is the restaurant’s namesake, and along with my meat preference (chicken and lamb) it comes with a garlic yogurt sauce, cucumber, tomato, onion, pickled red cabbage and cilantro. Along with its smoky lamb, chicken and beef offerings, there are solid tofu vegetarian choices, too. The sandwiches are so large that from bite to bite you’re bouncing between meat and veg, but both are so well flavored and fresh it feels like two different meals, which kind of makes it a complete dining experience.

Meyer’s meal of choice at The Berliner

The fladenbrot forms what I consider to be the tastiest plate in town; to try and hold the flavorful monster results in cubes of tomato and cucumber cascading onto the table. Best of all, this very filling sandwich will at most run you $7.89. Now that’s German efficiency at its best.

The Berliner, two locations: Pioneer Square 221 1st Ave. S, 206.838.0339; and South Lake Union 428 Westlake Ave., 206.838.5032