Istanbul Kebab & Pizza, Queen Street, Auckland City

 I had to hold my bowel throughout my very first experience trying a "middle eastern pizza" ... *gulp*

because there's "NO TOILET" at Istanbul Kebab & Pizza

(Yeah right... I'm sure there's a toilet somewhere in the shop. You just don't want me to use it! :( *sulk* that's so mean )
Anyway,... the temporary torture's worth it :)... for no where else in Auckland is there a kebab shop that sells "middle eastern" pizza 

Being a good cook, the woodfire pizzas are probably something that I can easily make at home, but I have a soft spot for good food presentation. The pizzas, baklava, falafel + other food items at Istanbul Kebab & Pizza are just too appealing that I couldn't resist the temptation to try them :)

The only item that I wouldn't buy is the Turkish Delight candies, which have way too much carbs + sugar. Bad, bad, bad for your waistline!

(Errm... since when did "Wedges, Sour Cream & Hot Chips" became dessert items?)

What I like most is the busy atmosphere of that little kebab shop on Queen St. You can go there anytime (it's open 24 hours) and the staff will still greet you with a cheerful smile
.

Even when you're queuing up or waiting for your meal to be prepared, there's enough entertainment to keep you amused.
The little kebab shop has its very own photo library!
While waiting for my pizza, I had to try hard not to giggle at the photo of a fat semi nude man sitting on a motorbike, wearing nothing else but a pair of sunglasses (see pic above)
(I didn't want to be seen as rude,...just in case it could be a pic of the shop owner, you see ;p lol. I was also worried that if I were to giggle, it'll increase my urge to urinate, which would have been disastrous since they claimed that there are no toilets in the shop)

The sight of woodfire oven is very comforting:)

(No Carbo meals?? You must be kidding! Falafil or falafel & Turkish bread have loads of carbo, my dear)

 While munching on the mayonnaise-free, MSG-free but oily middle eastern pizza upstairs I was entertained by the amusing sight of the staff giving each other a good massage. Ah... how caring!:)

I will go back to Istanbul Kebab & Pizza to try every single item on the menu...and after that I probably will never return again. The items are slightly overprices compared to other kebab shops, and the meat quality aren't half as good as Noora's Mediterranean Kitchen at SkyCity Metro (Noora's probably the most authentic middle eastern place in Auckland City)

Istanbul Kebab and Pizza

96 Queen Street, Auckland Central, Auckland City

Tel. (09) 337 0518 

Comments by other reviewers:

by André Taber

(Source: http://www.viewauckland.co.nz/review_3127.html)

3 out of 5

Turkish pop music blaring, Brylcreemed man in a bold soccer jersey behind the till; from the Queen-Street footpath Istanbul Kebab & Pizza can, depending on your preferences, look either like a riotous good time or an intimidating ethnic experience.

Don’t worry about either of those scenarios, and taste the food instead.

What lifts Istanbul a notch or three above any other kebab house in Auckland is its bread.
Shaped at the counter continuously throughout the day and night, and baked in a wood-burning oven till the crust has a few burnt spots here and there, it’s fluffy and oh-so-tasty.

This bread saves what, in any other wrapping, would be very average fillings. For example, a small portion of dull meat and salad in the lamb doner kebab ($7.50):

The guy in the soccer jersey waved for his assistant to start making the kebab before I even finished ordering it and then made a genuine attempt at small talk to fill the minute or two before it was bagged and I was out the door.

The Turkish pizzas ($7) are faultless: a single-serve size, made with that same bread dough which is stretched to a lozenge shape and then topped with a restrained portion of lamb mince, chicken, mushroom, cheese or spinach.

If you want to eat in, there are two small tables on the footpath, or if you want to retreat from the madding crowd, head past the bread oven, up the rickety stairs to a small, yet oddly comfortable, mezzanine.