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RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Mersin Kebab's yogurt tantuni offers something different

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By Jon Dunbar
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Yogurt tantuni in a takeout container from Mersin Kebab, Oct. 25. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Yogurt tantuni in a takeout container from Mersin Kebab, Oct. 25. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Someone asked online a few months ago for the best kebabs to try in Seoul. The consensus was, "They're all pretty well the same." But I couldn't quite agree.

One of the most standout kebab places I've tried in Seoul is Mersin Kebab, located high up the hill in central Seoul's Haebangchon neighborhood. This small shop has a few specialties, the most standout being the tantuni, a specialty of the Turkish Mediterranean city of Mersin.

A tantuni is julienned beef, stir-fried and wrapped up with onion and tomato in lavash bread. Here, they seem to use a more easily available tortilla. The signature dish is the yogurt tantuni, in which it is sliced up into bite-sized pieces and drowned in yogurt and oil. It's a pretty amazing meal.

Mersin Kebab offers various other beef and chicken sandwiches, which can be ordered in a tortilla, on a baguette, in a toasted bun, on a rice plate and in a cup. The prices are not the cheapest, but you won't feel ripped off after you've finished eating.

Mersin Kebab is located high up on Sinheung-ro in central Seoul's multicultural Haebangchon neighborhood, Oct. 25. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Mersin Kebab is located high up on Sinheung-ro in central Seoul's multicultural Haebangchon neighborhood, Oct. 25. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Unlike more typical kebab shops, Mersin Kebab keeps shorter hours, opening only from Tuesday to Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. It's not a place for grabbing a late-night meal, but that makes sense considering the surroundings. Visit @mersinkebab on Instagram for more information.