Austria-wide test

Here you get the best kebap in the country

The "Krone" was looking for the best kebab in Austria. Bite by bite, the two editors fought their way through.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Peter Wiesmeyer, Stock.adobe.com)

The best kebab in Austria? Sure, that's a matter of taste. And yet there are clear differences, at least in terms of quality, service, selection and cleanliness. The "Krone" editors Peter Wiesmeyer and Harald Dworak tasted their way through Austria's kebab scene and carried out a tough quality check in all the provincial capitals.

Kebabs have been part of the Austrian gastronomy scene since the mid-1990s. Several years earlier, the fast food dish from its country of origin, Turkey, made the leap to Germany. Since then, our northern neighbors have become hopelessly addicted to the delicious mound of meat wrapped in bread. Around 3.1 million kebabs are eaten in Germany every day. 

A billion-dollar business
In 2021 alone, the kebab business generated around twelve billion euros for snack bars in Europe, with 400 tons of kebab meat being produced industrially and wrapped in bread. Together with lettuce, onion and an often spicy sauce, the kebab is ready to eat. 

A total of 3268 snack stands (kebab, pizza, sausage stands and the like) are registered in Austria. In Vienna alone, kebabs are available at 230 locations. A survey from 2019 showed that 2.8 percent of Viennese consider a kebab to be a typical Viennese meal.

The "Krone" was looking for the best kebap in Austria. Bite by bite, the two editors fought their way through.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Peter Wiesmeyer, Stock.adobe.com)

Filling the belly
The world record for kebab eating is held by Mehmet Aslan from the south-eastern Anatolian city of Sanliurta. He filled his belly with 52 pieces. The "Krone" testers didn't manage quite as many kebaps in their attempt to find the best kebap in Austria. Twelve different stores in all nine provincial capitals competed against each other in the test.