A SHOREDITCH takeaway has unexpectedly snatched the top prize at this year’s British Kebab Awards, fending off fierce competition from across the capital.
What The Pitta, based in Boxpark Shoreditch, was crowned ‘Best Takeaway in London’ by a 24-strong panel of industry experts, politicians and journalists at a star-studded event in Westminster.
The Hackney takeaway was the underdog in its category, as the only vegan kebab house to be nominated.
Co-founder Cem Yildiz told Hackney Post: “We were an outsider being a vegan kebab restaurant alongside all these meat eaters. We’ve probably made a lot of people pretty sad here.”
The awards are a prestigious event in the political calendar, with over 100 MPs crossing the Thames for an evening of lamb koftas and Cobra beer at Westminster’s Park Plaza hotel.
Radio 1’s Scott Mills and Chris Stark hosted the prize-giving, and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and London Mayor Sadiq Khan addressed attendees.
Another Hackney kebab house, Testi, was nominated for ‘Best Kebab Restaurant in North and West London’, but lost out to Barnet-based Kabul City.
In his acceptance speech, Mr Yildiz announced that a new What The Pitta site would be opening in Manchester later this year.
He said: “It’s outside of London. People have been asking for us to come outside of London. Obviously we’ve got our place in Brighton but the next spot we’re branching out.”
The kebab house was praised by the judges for promoting sustainability in the takeaway industry.
Mr Yildiz said: “We obviously have no meat and we try to reduce as many of the plastics in our shop as possible.
“We make everything ourselves in house, we use brands of beer that used recycled bread and different types of hopes. We try to keep it as ethical as possible.”
“Obviously there’s always room for improvement but we do as much as we can.”
Asked how he would celebrate, he said: “I’ve got to go to Rome in the morning so I’m going slow on the drink.
“There will definitely be big celebrations for the team, though.”
