chloedickensonLast Updated on 9th May 2023
This post about Döner Summer York contains affiliate links.
For the longest time, I avoided vegan food like the plague; I was convinced that it was gross, mushy vegetables and some weird mushroom-based dish that I would absolutely hate.
That is, until Matt decided to try veganism for a few months a couple of years back and we started to implement more plant-based, vegetarian and vegan ingredients and dishes into our lives and I realised that a lot of vegan food was actually quite delicious. I’m still not 100% on board with everything (I’m not keen on plant-based milk and I’m not sure I’ll go 100% vegan until there’s an exact like-for-like steak substitute), but I’m a huge fan of most Quorn products and I’m happy to implement as many changes into my life as possible, even if it’s only veggie stuff for now.
My first experience of eating at a veggie/vegan place was Source restaurant in York which I was pretty apprehensive about at first, but I’m now a huge fan of the restaurant and many of their dishes. So, when the relatively new Döner Summer restaurant opened in York and one of my oldest and closest friends turned vegan, we thought we’d try it out to see what everyone seemed to be raving about on social media.
We were both mightily impressed with the food and drink options at Döner Summer York and today’s post is all about our dining experience there and whether it could be deemed as the best vegan place in York!
Döner Summer York has both indoor and outdoor seating and it’s actually much bigger than you’d think. Situated on the busy street of Gillygate, you’d be forgiven for walking past it without giving it a second glance, but if you know where it is, then you’ll be in for a real treat!
We were seated outside under their sheltered seating area, which we were grateful for as it looked like it was about to rain again!
The courtyard area is absolutely beautiful and even during the day, there are twinkly fairy lights all around and beautiful plants and flowers everywhere, giving it a truly magical and relaxing ambience.
There are also plenty of places to sit, so it’s a great place to eat in York regardless of whether you’re on a romantic couple’s date, or if you’re dining with a larger group of friends.
Döner Summer menu York – vegan junk food
In terms of the menu at Döner Summer York, you’ll find a vast range of incredible vegan dishes, ranging from classic kebabs with a vegan twist to awesome trays packed with delicious “kebab” and fries, as well as plenty of side dishes too, including tater tots and garlic fries, all suitable for vegan diets. There’s also their highly coveted “fried chicken” dish where you can choose from a range of six different flavours, plus an accompanying eight different sauces to serve with it.
As well as an incredible food menu, Döner Summer York also has a great drinks menu, offering a range of fancy, fruity cocktails, gins, sodas, beer, wine and more.
I opted for a small glass of Pinot Grigio (£3) which was served in the biggest wine glass!
For food, my friend went for the ‘Bad Girl Kebab’ which consisted of doner and garlic chilli chicken, leaves, pink cabbage, peppers, cucumber, tomato, pickles, spring onion, scotch bonnet, garlic chilli sauce, pink aioli and sesame seeds.
As you can see from the picture above (and the extensive list of ingredients!), this dish was positively loaded! I didn’t actually taste any of it, but my friend said that it was absolutely delightful and I think the fact that there was nothing left by the end of the meal says an awful lot!
While I didn’t try it, I couldn’t get over how real the kebab meat looked, I honestly think that if I didn’t know it wasn’t real kebab meat, I could never tell for myself!
I opted for Döner Summer’s famous Buttermylk Fried Chick’n which again, was absolutely superb. I decided to make it into a combo platter so it was served with skin-on fries, pickles (which I gave to my friend because I can’t stand them!), vinaigrette slaw and a choice of sauce that was coated on the “chicken” (I opted for the Korean BBQ sauce).
In terms of the flavours of this dish, I was truly blown away. The Korean BBQ sauce was absolutely scrumptious, although I did find some pieces a little too saucy, it really wasn’t too much of an issue as I’d rather them be a tad too saucy than too dry!
As you can see from the picture below, it’s almost impossible to tell that it wasn’t real chicken and if anything, I’d argue that it was better than the real thing as you don’t get the weird gristly bits or veins that you sometimes get with real chicken.
The only slight qualm I have about the fried “chicken” is that it wasn’t quite crispy enough for my liking, usually, when you think of fried chicken, you’ll probably think of KFC which is normally really crispy, but this wasn’t really at all.
However, that didn’t ruin it for me at all and I still thought that it was so delicious and I love that it was all vegan and that I could hardly tell the difference! My accompanying slaw and fries completed the dish perfectly and I’d happily reorder it again and recommend it to you guys as well. I think next time I’d like to try a different sauce coating on the chicken, but that’s only because there are so many awesome flavours to choose from (including salt & pepper, honey butter, Buffalo hot and more).
If you’re looking for a wonderful place to eat in York that’s vegan, has a beautiful seating area and gorgeous atmosphere, as well as lovely, friendly staff, I’d highly recommend adding Döner Summer to your list of places to eat in York!
Related posts:
- Source Restaurant – Best Places To Eat In York
- The Ultimate Guide Of The Best Places To Eat & Drink In York
- Pitcher & Piano York – The Best Places To Eat In York
- THOR’S Tipi York Sól Ást – Things To Do In York
- Dinner At The Ivy St Helen’s Square, York
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Have you been to Döner Summer York? What other places are your favourites for vegan food in York? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram at @imjustagirl_16.
