Kansas City area Mediterranean eatery opening spot in Johnson County

KC Doner — a Mediterranean food vendor that’s been appearing at pop-up events in the metro — has finally found a home.

The eatery will have a permanent spot in the Lenexa Public Market when its stall opens later this spring. After hosting about 50 pop-ups at the market over the past year, it will take over a stall next to African Dream Cuisine.

Run by Sami Jenedi and his mother, Nesrin Jenedi, KC Doner specializes in Turkish cuisine. “Doner” refers to a Turkish dish made with meat that’s cooked on a vertical rotisserie, shaved off, then served in pita.

KC Doner’s specialty is a German-style doner, made with meat, lettuce, red cabbage, onions, tomatoes and garlicky yogurt sauce.

It also serves hummus, tabouli salad, red lentil balls and — every Turkish person’s favorite — baklava.

At a pop-up in late February, Sami told The Star he moved to the U.S. a few years ago to be with his wife, a Kansas City native. Sami worked in restaurants in Spain and Turkey.

After arriving here, he realized there was little Turkish food in the area. When his mother moved here last year, the two decided to start selling their favorites.

“People enjoy it,” he previously told The Star. “It’s always fun to see them enjoy.”

Another favorite at KC Doner is the Turkish coffee, sold in small cups but deceptively caffeinated.

Since the Jenedis have been doing pop-ups around the area and advertising their appearances on social media, they’ve garnered a decent-sized following, with a few thousand followers on Instagram.

“I get so many questions, like ‘When are you going to open a store? When’s that gonna happen?’” he said. “We have so many good customers that come for us.”

The Lenexa Public Market is home to several vendors serving dishes, some serving dishes from around the world. Saap Saap Noodles, Sohalia’s Kitchen and Cardboard Corner Cafe are a few that call the food hall at 8750 Penrose Lane home.

The Lenexa Public Market is currently looking for something to replace Cosmo Burger, which will leave to pursue a standalone location at 1813 Locust St.

The city is asking for inquiring parties to submit a vendor interest form at lenexapublicmarket.com/get-involved.

Jenna Thompson

The Kansas City Star

Jenna Thompson covers retail news for The Kansas City Star. A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, she previously reported for the Lincoln Journal Star and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she studied journalism and English.