‘I visited Taylor Swift’s favorite UK kebab store and obtained her precise order’
Taylor Swift is a performing juggernaut – just take a look at her 152-date Eras Tour that saw sequined Swifties swarm Wembley for three nights last weekend.
So surely the supposed Queen of Pop will need to keep adequately fuelled, right?
Although we don’t exactly know what the 34-year-old pop star shoves in her gob that allows her to use it for the impressive three-and-a-half-hour set, we do know that she’s partial to a kebab – one very specific kebab in London no less.
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Yes, a literal owner of a jet with a supposed $1.3billion net worth loves to scran a donner kebab from a humble London takeaway that she discovered thanks to actor ex-boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, and which is apparently ‘the best in town’.
So, after Taylor completed the first section of her record-breaking sell-out eight-date Wembley stint, I thought I’d give the mega pop star diet a go myself and headed to the Kentish Delight kebab shop.
Currently marked with a graffiti tag, it’s inconspicuous and looks more like where you’ll see the average post-match boozy England fan than the world’s biggest music star.
But here I am, in the spot which Taylor Swift apparently frequents – although the owner told me she hasn’t paid him a visit in a while.
Her go-to is usually a chicken doner or chicken shish, a sprinkle of salad and extra garlic sauce.
And, to be honest, it’s not far off my usual order. However, I do usually chuck on a large cheesy chips with that.
Once outside Kentish Delight, nestled into Kentish Town, it’s obvious that Taylor Swift had been there.
Not because of any fancy pants exterior like the ‘artisan’ eateries parallel that are a magnet to middle-class millennials, but thanks to the selfie of Swift and a member of staff taped to the window.
(Image: Humphrey Nemar/dailystar)
Oh, and the A3 printout reading “SWIFT KEBAB”, along with a couple of photos of when the popstar filmed part of her video there for 2017 hit ‘End Game’.
A bloke outside the takeaway, who lives by Wembley, even made the pilgrimage to Kentish Delight after only discovering Taylor Swift exists two weeks prior, he told me.
Some fans have even travelled from Australia for a taste of what their idol likes.
So it’s no surprise owner Ahmed Khan, who turned down a VIP ticket for a night at Wembley for being short-staffed, instantly smiled when I asked for a ‘Taylor Swift’ kebab.
He knew exactly what that meant and started to beam when talking about the singer – both through his love for her and the fact she’s brought him a lot of custom.
(Image: Humphrey Nemar/dailystar)
She reportedly ordered £450 worth of kebabs for her team. Ahmed giggled when I repeated the figure and teased the full cost was “a lot more” – but wouldn’t divulge the real length of the receipt.
The kebab man then got to making the Taylor Swift special – costing £7.90 for a small and £9.90 for a large – which is commonly known as a chicken doner to the non-Swifties amongst us.
I opted for the small as I don’t think my gut can handle a kebab before the hours of 1am. And I chose right.
The kebab appeared small at first. Well, that’s in comparison to the usual overflowing onion-topped hodgepodge you’ll usually find with such a kebab shop.
But, even still, the ‘small’ size at £7.90 was plentiful and on the verge of being a gut buster – so hopefully Swift eats it after a gig. The chicken actually tasted like chicken, which is always a bonus when you grab a kebab.
(Image: Humphrey Nemar/dailystar)
It was neither chewy nor charred, but the correct ratio of crispy and succulent. Ahmed doesn’t do things by halves, he filled the pita with chicken and all the salad to the point the bread was mostly hidden by the fillings.
The salad – lettuce, cucumber, tomato and onions – was fresh and the extra garlic sauce was welcomed, seeping into the pitta below making it easier to consume with a not always reliable wooden fork.
Despite gorging on a kebab in untraditional hours, it proved to be a nice lunch thanks to the lack of total grease and not having the stereotypical messy mountain of onions.
Though, there is always something off-putting about eating meat that spins on a stick to me.
After coughing up the £7.90 – which is not an awful price for London – I noticed Ahmed decorated his wrist in the hand-made bead bracelets that have become the synonymous uniform of Swifties.
(Image: Humphrey Nemar/dailystar)
In an exchange that might have just fully converted me into a Swiftie and a Kentish Delight regular, with a smile, Ahmed sweetly gave me one of his bracelets (that are often lyrics or song titles of Taylor’s).
‘Spelling is fun’ I received, which is very fitting for a journalist I suppose.
Ahmed is probably one of the most unassuming Swifties, like his kebab shop which has now become a hot spot for them. But, he’s most likely one of the most popular fans of Taylor at the moment.
But look, am I going to travel all the way into London – or across the entire world – for one of Ahmed’s kebabs? Well, not every time I’m in need of a kebab fix.
Although, I can see why Swift does – and it’s obvious why her most dedicated fans do so too.
It’s safe to say smiley and sweet Ahmed is the ultimate ‘boss man’ of the British kebab scene at the moment, and his chicken doner kebab is pretty decent too.
This is one food that lives up to the social media and Swiftie hype, and needs no Instagramable backdrop to do so.
Let’s just say Taylor Swift is right on this one – especially on the extra garlic sauce.
