Now, there's another fresh addition to its lineup, and it serves something that you can't find anywhere else in the metro area: Berlin-style döner kebab.
Berliner Haus has moved into the stall that was occupied by Bowls by KO, which recently "graduated" from the food incubator and is opening a standalone brick-and-mortar near Sloan's Lake.
The Berliner Haus concept debuted at last year's Christkindlmarket and was a quick hit, says owner Niko Diamantopoulo. So much so that he ended up spending the rest of the winter building out his Berliner Haus food truck, which has also proven to be popular. Then in June, Diamantopoulo got an unexpected email from Avanti's director of operations, Travis Christ, who'd tried Berliner Haus's döner kebab, liked what he tasted and offered the concept a space in the food hall.
"People at the market and the food truck are always asking, 'Where can we find you full-time?' And now they can find us [at Avanti] every day," says Diamantopoulo.
Though he grew up in Greece, Diamantopoulo spent a lot of time in Germany. "Ever since I was a teenager, we'd go skateboarding in Berlin and then eat döner kebabs," he notes, so he has a passion for making them right.
While döner kebab's roots are Turkish, its popularity has soared in Germany, where it's "the number one selling street food," Diamantopoulo notes. These days, it's sold all over Europe, but it's very difficult to find in the U.S.
It's taken a lot of testing to get Berliner Haus's döner kebab just right, and a lot of research to track down one of the key components: pide bread, which is sort of like a pita complete with a pocket, but with the chew of a good pizza crust. Diamantopoulo gets his shipped fresh from a bakery in New York weekly. "You cannot make this bread in Colorado because of the altitude," he notes. "You can't get the air pockets right."
Also key: "Fresh ingredients," Diamantopoulo says. "There is no cutting corners in a döner kebab. The meat we use, for example, isn't gyro meat. This is real döner meat, so it's 70 percent beef and 30 percent actual layers of leg of lamb that then emulsifies into the meat as it cooks," on the rotating spit.
"The third important component is the consistency of the sauces," he continues, which includes a white garlic sauce and a curry-spiced red chili sauce. "Once you mix those two together, it makes the spicy sauce more mild and then tangy sauce more spicy, so it's a good balance."
The Mediterranean Grazing Board includes whipped feta-stuffed dates, dolma, grilled haloumi and more.
Molly Martin
Diners can also opt for döner boxes with rice, salad or fries as the base ($15). For dessert, dig into house made baklava ($6), fried bread with honey ($5) or a decadent custard pie ($7).
Diamantopoulo plans to continue running his food truck and serving from a tent at events, including this year's Christkindlmarket at its new location at Auraria, while his director of operations, Jason White, will oversee the Avanti stall.
"It's crazy because it's a Turkish food that became popular in Germany in the '70s and is now being sold by a Greek guy in the States," Diamantopoulo concludes. We'd say it's just crazy delicious.
Berliner Haus is located on the first floor at Avanti at 3200 North Pecos Street and is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit avantifandb.com/denver-berliner-haus.
