Hollywood’s diverse and burgeoning dining scene continues to flourish with the opening of Kebbros, a brand new craft casual doner concept, landing along the Cahuenga Corridor on Wednesday, August 1. Featuring a highly customizable menu with delicious wraps, salads and bowls using shawarma-style proteins, Kebbros is a certified Green Restaurant Association member and will serve locally sourced and certified organic ingredients to give diners a high-quality spin on the incredibly popular European doner kebab.

Kebbros is the brainchild of brothers and Co-owners Romeo and Sergio Syfrig, along with Sergio’s wife, Tiziana “Ana” Syfrig. A true family operation, the concept began as a spark in Romeo’s mind, who had always dreamed of opening a high-end, organic doner kebab restaurant. The dream began to take form when he first arrived in Los Angeles in 2013 on a language stay and became a full-fledged reality when the family immigrated to the United States from Switzerland in 2017. The story of Kebbros also lies in the name: KEB (kebab) + BROS (brothers) and is a business that wants to welcome everybody into the Kebbros family.

“I fell in love with Los Angeles the moment I first stepped foot here, and I knew this city, with its constantly shifting landscape of incredible food, would be the perfect place to introduce a high-quality restaurant featuring a cuisine that many here are not familiar with,” says Romeo. “I wanted to take something that many in Europe think of as fast food, and put an organic, healthy spin on it, served in a beautiful, stylish and comfortable atmosphere. I am deeply passionate about living a healthy lifestyle, and I strongly believe that our restaurant should reflect that – I want to provide our guests with fast service and slow food.”

Doner kebab, which usually consists of deliciously seasoned meat prepared on a rotating spit licked by flames, carved into slices and served atop pita bread, has long been a mainstay of European food culture. Available at almost any street corner across Europe, doner is fast and easy to prepare and incredibly tasty, making it ideal to enjoy as a mid-day meal or as a late-night snack. Now, the dish is poised to take the US by storm, with only a handful of restaurants catering to the doner-loving audience and even fewer, if any, providing an upscale dining experience.  

Adding some theatre to the open kitchen, Kebbros will be the first restaurant in California utilizing a unique, fully automated robotic machine to carve meat off the rotating spits. Designed by German robotic systems developer Alkadur RobotSystems GmbH, the robot can slice meat directly off the spit without ever coming into contact with the hot metal itself. Not only does this allow for a more comfortable and hygienic preparation process, it also creates a safer environment as staff are not exposed to direct heat. Cuts are also more precise, which ensures consistency and higher overall quality, and the integrated gas fired barbecue helps to reduce gas consumption by 30-40%, saving precious energy as a result.

The Syfrigs all bring individual talents and skills to the table, which has proven highly effective in this new business venture. Romeo, who was a professional athlete in his home country of Switzerland, understands the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and the value of sourcing organic ingredients. To prepare, he spent several years training with a variety of chefs, including Europe’s top chef Roland Schmid of the

Michelin starred Äbtestube at the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, before embarking on his own culinary adventure. Sergio spent two years as a practicing lawyer but much preferred bringing people together over healthy food, in turn creating a better planet around him, and Ana has 14 years of hospitality experience, most recently having served as the Operational Manager of Thermalbad & Spa, the largest spa in Zurich. 

At the culinary helm is Los Angeles’ own Dave Northrup (Rush Street, City Tavern), who serves as Kebbros’ Executive Chef and brings with him more than 20 years of culinary insight and experience running multiple successful restaurants in Los Angeles. Northrup has designed a menu with limitless combination options for diners. Guests can select from a variety of bases, including a Pita Pocket, Flatbread Wrap, Organic Black Rice Bowl or Farmers Market Salad, select a spit of deliciously seasoned organic beef, Mary’s Organic Chicken or even a seitan-based vegan doner, and top it all off with up to five farm-fresh seasonal toppings and a drizzle of dressing or sauce. All dishes can be prepared Kebbros Style, featuring chopped tomatoes, red cabbage, romaine, pickled red onions, feta, crispy onions and the signature Kebbros sauce, or wholly customized based on each individual diner’s personal preferences. Side dishes include the Hummus Sampler (trio of organic chickpea hummus, pita crisp and seasonal vegetables), the Housemade Pomme Frittes or the Kebbros Gravy Fries – have fun, live a little: its organic! To round out the delectable menu, Kebbros will serve a number of refreshing drinks, including a range of organic sodas such as the Blood Orange Organic Soda or the Lemon Ginger Ale Organic Soda to help quench any thirst. The restaurant will also offer a variety of organic, USDA certified beers and biodynamic wines for those interested in imbibing in something a little more adventurous. 

 

 

The 2,100-square foot space was designed by George Kelly and Kelly Architects (Clifton’s Cafeteria, Hinoki and the Bird, Mama Lion, Salt & Straw) and can seat up to 25 people within the main dining room, with an additional 24 on the enclosed patio. Exposed brick walls surround the restaurant, with exposed lightbulbs adding to the ambience and an open beam ceiling that adds height to the beautiful space. The patio features lounge style seating, perfect for groups to sit together and enjoy their meals, while the interior dining space makes use of larger tables, including high tops, to create a comfortable dining experience for all.