The falafel bowl at Breeze & Bites Credit: Photos by Haris Qureshi
Although you can find tons of shawarma, gyro, and al pastor in Austin, döner, those dishes’ Turkish predecessor, has been a bit more difficult to find.
Two local Turkish entrepreneurs seek to reintroduce this world-renowned street food at Breeze & Bites, a food truck located at the Pink Flamingo Food Court at 7221 McNeil.
Döner kebabs date back to Bursa, the fourth most populous city in Turkey. The word döner means “rolling” or “rotating” in Turkish, which refers to the meat’s rotisserie cooking method. That cooking style has since spread to the rest of the Middle East (where it is known as shawarma), Greece (becoming gyro), and even Mexico, where it was brought by Lebanese immigrants and eventually morphed into the pork dish of al pastor.
Ali Berkay Altunbulak and Huseyin Aktas, the owners of Breeze & Bites, are childhood friends who moved from Turkey to Austin a few years ago. They decided to take the plunge into opening their own food truck after working in local hotels and becoming frustrated with not being able to find much döner in the Austin area.
Breeze & Bites’ döner wrap
“You have sub sandwiches or burgers that are popular in America,” explains Altunbulak. “Döner is like our burger or taco in Turkey.”
The food truck, located near Highway 183 in Northwest Austin, offers döner dishes including wraps, rice bowls, and even a new döner burger they recently debuted. The meat is primarily beef, but “we use lamb fat to make it more flavorful,” Altunbulak says. Breeze & Bites also has vegetarian options like salad, falafel, sarma (rice-stuffed grape leaves), and hummus, as well as crispy chicken for a leaner meat option.
I stopped by recently to try their wraps, rice bowls, and Turkish coffee, and left impressed at the food truck’s fresh and high quality ingredients. Although they’re currently open from 11am to 8pm six days a week, Altunbulak and Aktas plan to serve food til late night once a nearby bar opens and local foot traffic increases.
Though döner isn’t as prevalent as burgers and barbecue, “People here are really open minded and they are willing to try new things,” Altunbulak says. “They’re always with [a] good vibe and it’s also motivating us because they love to come and support and try the different kinds of foods [we have]. I’m really thankful for the neighborhood and the Austin people.”
Breeze & Bites Mediterranean Kitchen 7221 McNeil
www.breezeandbites.com
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Dining and Cooking