I visited twice in 24 hours, and the tacos are the best!! Highly recommend the lingua and abodaba. They are many variations you can request, such as adding pineapple or veggies.

Best place to get tacos in SD. Providing a variety of proteins, some you can’t find in other taco places. We come here every time we visit SD and it never disappoints.

Noelle Chacon

Found my happy place. The food is great and atmosphere & service are really good, too

Reihaneh Malekian

Friendly people, great food, large portions. My favorite in beautiful San Diego! Highly recommended!

Two Rivers Explorer

Istanbul Doner Kebab delivers exactly what you hope for when you walk into a place carrying that name—authentic flavors, generous portions, and food that feels rooted in tradition rather than adapted for convenience. The doner itself is the star. The meat is well-seasoned, tender, and cooked with care, with that balance that’s hard to get right: flavorful without being greasy, hearty without being heavy. Portions are substantial—this is not a place where you leave still hungry—and the bread and accompaniments complement the doner instead of distracting from it. You can tell the kitchen respects the fundamentals. Beyond the doner, the menu offers a solid range of Mediterranean staples, and everything feels thoughtfully prepared rather than rushed. The baklava deserves its reputation—it’s rich without being overwhelming, crisp, and clearly made with attention rather than as an afterthought. The space itself is warm and inviting. The interior design strikes a nice balance between modern and traditional, with a relaxed atmosphere that works equally well for a casual meal or a longer sit-down. Despite being in a busy downtown area, the restaurant manages to feel grounded and unpretentious. Service can take a little time during peak hours, but it feels proportional to the care going into the food. This isn’t fast food pretending to be something else—it’s a place where quality and portion size matter more than speed. Overall, Istanbul Doner Kebab stands out as a reliable, satisfying spot for anyone craving real Mediterranean food in San Diego. Honest flavors, generous plates, and a comfortable atmosphere make it a place worth returning to—not just once, but regularly.

shafi Ahz

The food is amazing, the taste is excellent, and the environment is very pleasant. I truly loved all the kebabs you offer everything was delicious. Highly recommended!

Lisa Rhodes

I was visiting from Texas and had doner in Switzerland 9 years ago and have wanted it again. I was not disappointed and next time I visit San Diego I will be back. Staff was friendly and helpful. Blessings we will spread the word much Aloha

+1

Saeide Vahedi

The food was excellent. The restaurant was very busy when we visited, and only two kind but clearly tired staff members were handling everything, which made the service a bit slow..

Darin Coble

Don’t judge my picture of an empty restaurant- Great Döner!! The bread was soft, absorbed the juices and flavors of the meat, vegetables and sauce perfectly. Every bite was amazing. I could drink their homemade sauce. The salad was fresh and light. Fries were crunchy. I wish I had more time in the city to come back to try more of their menu. Next time! FTR- Don’t judge the picture of an empty restaurant. I came for a really early dinner (5:15) after my conference wrapped up. The DoorDash and Uber Eats drivers were constant throughout my meal.

Farz

Nice atmosphere. Good service. Big portions. Tasty food. I’m happy that have discovered this place and will go back again!

Armin Vanquish

We had an amazing dinner! I got the wrap kebab, which was super tasty, and my fiancée ordered the chicken and beef kabob with a side of rice - absolutely delicious. We also had baklava for dessert and tried their Turkish coffee and tea - both were one of a kind. The staff were so friendly and made us feel right at home. Definitely recommend!

Cip A

First visit and I’m already planning to return! Delicious, well-prepared food and exceptional, friendly service made for a fantastic dining experience. Highly recommended.

Connected bangla

I had an amazing experience at Istanbul Doner Kebab. The food was absolutely delicious—fresh, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. The staff were so friendly and welcoming, and their service was first class.The atmosphere is warm and inviting. Highly recommend this place if you want authentic Mediterranean flavors and great hospitality ( I would say must try category restaurant). Also they serve halal food for the Muslims.

Samira Ghayekhloo

We came from Arizona to visit San Diego, and since we really love Mediterranean food, we decided to try this Istanbul restaurant. Honestly, it was the best food we had during our stay in San Diego! The flavors were authentic, fresh, and full of taste. The service was warm and welcoming, and the atmosphere made us feel right at home. Highly recommended for anyone who loves Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine!

Kevin Haynes

Absolutely, spectacular. Really, words can’t describe how completely and utterly satisfying. That pizza thing made me melt with every bite. We are very impressed.

Sema Ulu

San Diego is so lucky for having this place. Delicious food, nice atmosphere, and clean. Pide, doner were really delicious and big portions. The fries were so fresh salty and crispy.

+6

Lia Sowers

The owner is an incredible man - incredibly hospitable and generous. The food was absolutely incredible. Hands down the best falafel in San Diego and the most flavorful Kebab I’ve had in the US. Honestly, it’s better than most places I’ve been to in the Middle East. 100% will be coming back to Istanbul Doner Kebab!

Bilal Bariz

We had a lovely experience at Istanbul Doner Kebab. From the moment we walked in, Fatima made us feel welcome with her warm and friendly service. She was attentive, kind, and truly brilliant throughout our visit. We ordered the family kebab platter, which came with a delicious variety of kebabs, rice, and fresh salad. Everything was full of flavor and cooked perfectly. We also added a few doner portions, and they were just as enjoyable. During our meal, my daughter accidentally broke a water glass, and Fatima handled it so kindly and calmly, which we really appreciated. The food, the atmosphere, and especially Fatima’s service made it a great experience for the whole family. We’ll definitely be coming back.

Cristina Mariano

Fast service. Attentive and helpful staff. We were excited to try two of their pide! One had seasoned beef with onion and bell peppers. The other was chicken with caramelized onions. Both were tasty! Note that the beef was seasoned well but more on the spicy side. We also ordered a beef wrap. Tasty! Came with a side slaw type salad which had hot jalapeños in it. Appetizer was roasted eggplant. We are looking forward to coming back! 😀

This is a hectic, fast paced taco stop but a must visit any time you’re passing by! The food is unbelievably fresh, flavourful and cooked in front of you. It’s quite a melting pot if you’re there at night but all the better for a local experience. Absolutely delicious, mouthwatering choices and generous portions of beautifully seasoned meat (tacos).

We stopped by the Gaslamp District location of Tacos El Gordo after hearing all the hype — and it definitely lived up to its reputation for flavor. The line was long and the space was packed, but once you get inside, you can immediately smell the grill and hear the sizzling from the open kitchen. We ordered a mix of tacos — carne asada, cabeza, lengua, and a couple of mulas. Every bite was fresh, hot off the grill, and full of that classic, smoky street taco flavor. The meats were perfectly seasoned, and the tortillas were warm and just the right texture. That said, the ambiance isn’t great — it’s crowded, loud, and the limited seating makes it more of a grab-and-go spot than a place to relax. The service, however, was quick and efficient despite the chaos. Food: 4/5 – Authentic, flavorful, and satisfying. Ambiance: 2/5 – Crowded and noisy with minimal seating. Service: 3.5/5 – Fast and organized. If you’re looking for top-tier tacos and don’t mind waiting in line or standing while you eat, this is absolutely worth a stop when you’re in downtown San Diego.

Some tips on ordering and seating! As people can glean from some of the other reviews, it’s a little confusing how to order and/or where to seat. Seating is a bit problematic, but there is a room upstairs that a lot of folks did not seem to know about! So try to make your way up there! For ordering, there is somebody who comes through the line and funnels you toward different lines based on what you are ordering.So, I was really hoping this would be a five star review. And it was very very very good, maybe a 4.5. But it certainly wasn’t a five star review. Here is why. I wanted to order Cabeza, and so I was sent to a quicker line, and then nobody really waited on me. It was very confusing. I was trying to ask them for two tacos to go, and they were waiting on the people that were behind me. So, my husband (who ordered in the longer line) had his tacos finished much before I did. I think they followed me to a spot that they thought I had already ordered? It was really unclear. And then they gave me the tacos and they were not “to go.” And I did say it in Spanish and in English. Now, keep in mind it was super chaotic, line was out the door, and loud, so I completely understand that maybe they did not understand my order needed to be “to go.” And the tacos were excellent! But people were saying there were some of the best they’ve ever had, and I used to live in San Francisco, and I had tacos like this in the mission district on a regular basis. So I don’t know what I was expecting, but all of the reviews made it sound like this was just a “wow” moment, and it was not. It was very very good. It was a very solid excellent taco with lots of good toppings, but was it the best taco I ever had? No. We also travel to other countries, including dipping into Mexico and Argentina and so perhaps that was also affecting my expectation? All that said, it was a solid taco with good flavoring, but I especially heard the Cabeza was excellent, and maybe it was because I got it “to go”, and so it dried out a little bit, but it just wasn’t the excellence that I had hoped and heard.

The Al pastor tacos were incredible. There was a really long line but they manage it really well with a system. Gets busy with convention goers so there was limited to no seating. Found somewhere upstairs ate quickly then left since people were waiting for the table. I got an horchata to drink and it was good but it was from a fountain. Same with the other aguas frescas. Overall would definitely come here again especially if I found a time that was after the lunch rush.

Tacos El Gordo on F Street is an absolute staple for authentic Tijuana-style street food in San Diego. The carne asada is a standout, featuring a perfect smoky char and a generous topping of fresh guacamole. For those who appreciate traditional cuts, the lengua is exceptional—slow-cooked to a melt-in-your-mouth tenderness that is easily some of the best in the city. The atmosphere is high-energy and fast-paced, centered around a unique system where you join a specific line for each type of meat. While the setup is no-frills, the quality of the handmade tortillas and seasoned meats makes it well worth the wait.

Decent tacos and a no frills atmosphere. Prepare to just walk up to the various stations to order and then pay at the end. Adobada was the best compared to the nopales and asada options.

Neko Cat

The food was very good. The linage was excellent. The waiter was nice and friendly. The prices were a bit expensive tho.

Al Ectric

My new go-to Turkish joint. Made it here 3 days in a row. Döner and adana dishes are superb, reasonably priced, and very generous. Also, you must order their hand-made pistachios & zarftan ice cream 🍨. It’s to die for! Atmosphere and service are fantastic. I highly recommend.

+3

Nagham Basheer

Delicious food! Big restaurant. Clean and well furnished. They made some mistakes in our order, though we were the only family in their restaurant. Parking is hard.

+4

The separation the line by meat order was efficient, but the people making your order weren’t really putting in much effort. Besides the lack of acknowledgement and response, the tacos are slopped on to the plate. But the above wasn’t the entire reason for my rating. The adobada was just ok, it was really dry and didn’t have much punch to it. Overall it was ok, so landing right in the middle.

I used to LOVE getting Tacos El Gordo anytime I was in San Diego, but on my latest visit, I unfortunately found myself quite let down and disappointed... As a popular destination, you can often expect for Tacos El Gordo to have a wait - especially during late night hours. So that wasn't surprising...what did surprise, however, was the lack of quality or flavor in any of the ingredients for both the Tacos and Mulas that we ordered. The asada taco meat was dry, overcooked, and quite flavorless. They seemed to have attempted to make up for that by just utterly drowning the thing in salsa and guacamole - the problem is that (aside from being WAY too much) these also tasted very bland and flavorless. There were definitely not-so-fresh ingredients comprising them. The tortillas were also all very dry, crumbly, and will fall apart while you try to eat the Tacos or Mulas. Another thing I noticed - the tacos are now almost FIVE DOLLARS. This was supposed to be a great spot for grabbing some solid & cheap tacos.....now the tacos aren't even cheap OR of decent quality! One more thing to keep in mind is that there is limited seating inside, and the environment isn't necessarily conducive to a relaxing space to eat within. This is best as pick-up/take-out! But regardless of where you plan on eating your tacos, I can no longer say I necessarily recommend Tacos El Gordo...for pretty much ANY situation. They were never easy to order with the chaos of the environment and the long lines, but now you're waiting all that time for overpriced tacos with low-quality preparation and ingredients.