Real Döner Turkish Food - Petaluma

The food was a fantastic blend of flavors, many subtle, and everything was made fresh on site (chicken kabob, falafel and rolled cheese pastry). The chairs at the tables were really comfy for restaurant chairs, instead of wanting to get up after 30 minutes, you could relax and enjoy your meal.

Good Turkish food, served by a Turk, who really knows how to cook! My only complaint is that he no longer makes Iskender kebap, which is my absolute favorite. Apparently stupid americans don't know a good thing when they eat it.. The food was fresh, tasty, and authentic. The service was fast and friendly. The atmosphere reminded me VERY much of a small eatery in Ankara.

A little hidden gem of a place. Very casual but relaxing atmosphere. Covered patio or sidewalk tables. I had the Lamb Kebob entree and it was delicious. Will come again.

Went to Real Döner Turkish Food in Petaluma. We saw some reviews saying it was halal, so didn’t think much about it. By the time the food came out, we had some doubts about the halal status of the meat. It’s our fault we didn’t do our due diligence since one review on yelp did mention the owner’s reluctance in answering a simple question: is the meat sourced in your restaurant halal? At any rate, I went up to the guy and asked if the meat is halal. I paid for the meal regardless since it’s not his fault we didn’t do our research. What annoyed me is his response. He said, brother just say bismillah before you eat. I asked him if this was said at the time of the slaughter, and he said just say this before you eat. With all due respect to restaurant owners, they know their craft well, but I don’t go to them for fiqh and interpretation/implementation of Islamic rules. There are certain requirements that need to be fulfilled before an animal is slaughtered to make it zabiha and these are wajib (obligatory (e.g. must be facing the qibla, the name of Allah is said, etc. . Saying bismillah before eating is mustahab (recommended , but not wajib. Wajib acts must be observed whereas mustahab acts are optional. To the restaurant owner: just be straightforward and tell people the meat sourced isn’t halal.

There were 30 minutes until closing and refused to serve us in person. Was super disappointing. We drove just for this place.