Kebs Baba Krutenau

This is what you’d call a kebab with serious groove. On weekends, a disco ball (shaped like a kebab!) spins beside the DJ booth, while the flame-grilled spits stay tucked away in the kitchen. “I wanted to create a place that feels like me,” smiles Özgür Ucmaz. “The first spot, on rue du Vieux-Marché-aux-Vins, channels a Mediterranean vibe. This one riffs on the atmosphere of 1970s kebab shops. TV series from that era are projected on the wall, a nod to the sets that were always humming away in old-school kebabs.” It’s just one of many playful tributes to street-food culture. Studio Petit Martin, the mastermind behind the décor, has had fun with every detail: vintage-style tables and chairs, custom-designed funky wallpaper, and cheeky slogans on the walls — “call me chef” or “onion is power”… A great look, with a sense of humor that never takes itself too seriously. And then there’s the bread. “It’s naturally leavened so the kebab doesn’t sit heavy for three days,” continues Özgür Ucmaz. “The meat is French — beef or chicken — always fresh; we don’t even have a freezer. We assemble the spit ourselves. And we use strained yogurt with no preservatives for the sauces.” On the menu: the “gemüse” kebab (vegetable, in German), Berlin-style; the “bled,” more traditional; and the “kipik” (need we say the sauce is spicy?)… All best paired with mezze like smoky eggplant caviar, chickpea purée, or red beans in olive oil. With Kebs Baba, Özgür Ucmaz has come full circle to the flavors of his childhood. His father ran Strasbourg’s third-ever kebab shop — and strongly advised him not to follow in his footsteps. Just goes to show: you don’t always have to listen to your parents.