Syriana Falafel (Augsburg, Germany)

 Fuggerstraße 14, 86150 Augsburg, Germany

 

Syriana Falafel is a small shawarma and falafel place in the center of Augsburg that does mostly wraps and plates. Everything looks pretty fresh, which is also what they promise: fresh Turkish food.

 

I get a Big Falafel Wrap (€6) for which the falafels are freshly made. They ask for “spicy” or not and I, of course, say yes. The wrap is long and thin, is more European than Arab (i.e. lettuce, tomato, onion), and is a bit messy to eat. However, the falafel are really moist and the wrap has a nice kick to it.

 

VERDICT: 88/100

Not authentic but tasty

Wurstteufel (Weißenburg in Bayern, Germany)

Eichstätterstrasse, 91781 Weißenburg in Bayern, Germany

 

 

Wurstteufel is a chain of sausage stands across Germany. I visit one at the parking lot of a small mall, outside the center of the small town of Weißenburg in Bayern. It has fries, sausages, meat balls (though not today), and somewhat surprisingly burgers. Interestingly, for the first time in my life, the people working in the stand ask me to take a picture without them in it.

 

I get a Currywurst with Fries and Mayo (€6.10) and get a choice of different levels of spice (I choose 2 out of 3, mainly because 3 is habanero, and I don’t like that flavor much. The sausage is overcooked (has been laying there for too long), the curry sauce has small pieces of bell peppers in them, and the powder has a serious kick. The fries are small but crispy. All in all, quite good.

 

VERDICT: 87/100

Original Currywurst with a kick

Athos (Günthersdorf, Germany)

06237 Leuna OT Günthersdorf

 

Athos is a gyros place in the food court of the enormous NOVA mall on the outskirts of Leipzig. It actually serves a wide range of Greek dishes, more similar to a restaurant than a food court fast food place. I get a Pita Gyros (€4), which is a weird kind of combination of pita gyros and Döner Kebab. On top of the shaved Greek seasoned meat, cabbage, onion, tzatziki, tomato, they also add lettuce and some weird kind of salad dressing. All of this comes in Turkish bread, not Greek pita. The bottom, which is mostly Greek, is pretty good. The top is kind of gross.

 

VERDICT: 70/100

Cheap but suspect. Would ask without dressing and lettuce.

Fugger Imbiss (Berlin, Germany)

Fuggerstraße 17, 10777 Berlin, Germany

 

Fugger Imbiss is a Döner place, rather than a traditional Imbiss, in Nollendorfkiez, Berlin. Fugger serves the usual staples: Döner kebab, Turkish pizza, meat skewers, but also grilled chicken from the skewer, Currywurst, and meat balls.

 

I get a Turkish Pizza with Salad (€4) and a Döner Adana (€7). The Adana is well grilled but the sandwich is a bit sompy. The vegetables don’t taste too fresh and it all just morphs into a decent but not really very good sandwich. The same goes for the Turkish pizza.

 

VERDICT: 80/100

Fine but just fast food Döner fare. You can do much better in Berlin.

Smash Burger (Berlin, Germany)

Wittenbergplatz, 10789 Berlin, Germany

 

Smash Burger (or Smash) is a stand at the Wittenbergplatz just off the famous KaDeWe, which is part of the Hauptburger chain. It serves three types of smash burgers, one type of fried chicken burger, and fries. I get the Double Fried Onion Chili Burger (€8), which is two extremely juicy smashed beef patties, thin sliced onions, jalapenos, homemade pickles and chipotle sauce on a brioche bun. Not sure where the chili comes in. But this is a very juicy and tasty burger, despite the rather minor kick.

 

VERDICT: 89/100

Excellent smash burgers and not too expensive given the location.

Fritpleintje (Zaventem, Belgium)

Heidestraat 3, 1930 Zaventem, Belgium

 

Fritpleintje is a frituur in downtown Zaventem, just a mile from Brussels National Airport. It has the old name outside and the new one inside (odd). They have a pretty modern operation going with all the usual snacks but few homemade stuff.

 

I get a Small Fries (€2.90) with Mayonnaise (€0.90) and a Grizzly (€3.00) with Samourai (€0.90). The fries are thick and perfectly fried. I enjoy them although I miss something extra (which might be because I have COVID). The Grizzly is standard: spicy mystery ground meat in a thin coating. The sauces are good but I prefer them fresh on my snacks rather than in prepared little cups.

 

VERDICT: 87/100

A very solid frituur. Worth a visit.

Balkan Grill Ideal (Mainz, Germany)

Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring 56, 55118 Mainz, Germany

 

Balkan Grill Ideal is a small Bosnian restaurant in a busy street off the main railway station of Mainz in a mostly immigrant neighborhood. The outside tables are full with Bosnian men who probably spend their whole day there talking to each other. The menu is limited but classic: cevapcici, pleakavica, grilled chicken, various soups.

 

I get 7 cevapcici (€7), which come with onions, aivar, and bread. The cevapcici looked more like sausages but have a nice taste, just like the bread (more Turkish than Bosnian).

 

VERDICT: 87/100

Unpretentious but good Bosnian food.