The late, great Anthony Bourdain famously raved over the Middle Eastern-style quail kebabs at Joseph Abboud’s restaurant Rumi, gleefully ordering two serves of the “delicious little birdies” in the Melbourne edition of his No Reservations TV show. While Rumi has moved to smart new digs in East Brunswick Village, the delicious little birdies remain on the menu. Marinated in saffron and basted in verjuice and grape molasses, these skewers are swoon-worthily good. All they need is a serve of the fluffy Persian rice pilaf and a glass of the cheekily named Leb-Nat sparkling wine to make your whole night complete. 2 Village Ave, East Brunswick Village; rumirestaurant.com.au

Plant-eaters of Melbourne – rejoice that this isn’t a kebab shop run by a guy named Kevin, but an all-vegan kebab shop. Melbourne’s first, and possibly only, in fact. The Turkish-style kebabs here sub in spiced faux meat (will it be not-chicken or not-lamb?) and wrap it in pita exactly as the kebab gods intended with a whole bushel of crunchy salad ingredients, including sumac sprinkled red onion and tursu (Turkish pickled vegetables). The Sydney Road operation also has an ever-changing selection of vibrant salads pinging strongly on the healthy food pyramid, and they do a mean gluten-free chip as well. 89 Sydney Rd, Brunswick; @kevabsbrunswick

This tiny joint run by second-generation kebab master Emir Uker had a huge uplift when YouTube star Mark Wiens gave its adana kebab the thumbs up to his millions of supporters. Follow your nose to the 20-seat spot where the charcoal grill keeps the sizzle on the long, wide skewers essential to the Turkish specialty of spicy ground lamb amped up with lamb fat (visit on Wednesdays, when those patties are magicked into a burger). Kömür is now on the global kebab pilgrimage trail, with all that entails – keep your eye on their socials for special chef collaborations and DJ nights. 446 Mt Alexander Rd, Ascot Vale; komur.com.au

This close approximation of the perfect neighbourhood day-to-night cafe and wine bar always has something interesting going on in the skewered, smoky meat department. Cooking on a Brick Chef custom hibachi, you might find juicy wagyu intercostal with sansho pepper and pickled sunchoke, or rugged lobes of WA octopus with a red miso glaze, tender and charry in all the right places. The snacky menu here has plenty of simpatico options to chase it, including the housemade buttermilk ricotta with focaccia. You’ll need a drink, too; Gemini co-owner Tresna Lee recommends a glass of Rongo Rhapsody skin contact riesling. 158 Sydney Rd, Coburg; geminimelbourne.com/

Chef Faty (Fattie, geddit?) brings Persian bling to the local kebab scene. Order the signature koobideh, a skewered and flame-licked combination of beef and lamb shoulder, either wrapped in bread or plated with fluffy saffron rice, sumac onions, grilled tomato and a squeeze of lemon. But joojeh (chicken) and lamb backstrap both make equally worthy alternatives, if you’re struggling to decide. Load up on the garlic sauce, hummus and sprightly shirazi salad; or order a basket of loaded seasoned fries with meat, cheese, sauce, tomatoes and guacamole, and you’ll understand why this joint is a favourite with local uni students. 526 Swanston St, Carlton; fattieprince.com.au/

Ismail Tosun has been a big presence in Melbourne’s Middle Eastern food scene, from the late-noughties days of his trendsetting restaurant Gigibaba on Smith Street to Carlton’s Babajan cafe. He might be a little harder to find these days, but follow your GPS to an industrial lot in Campbellfield where plumes of charcoal smoke perfume the air and the Mikşa (pronounced ‘mishka’) caravan dishes up some of the best Turkish kebab rolls in the biz. A crusty white roll is the unexpected carbohydrate delivery device for adana kebabs with sumac onions, bullhorn peppers and charred tomatoes, and you can pretend you’re sitting by the Bosphorus in Istanbul with the tahini-dressed snapper version. 78B Merola Way, Campbellfield; @miksafoodtruck

Transport yourself to a sun-bleached Greek island simply by taking a trip to Taverna, which does exactly what it says on the label with its honest, gutsy menu that celebrates the simple things in life. Saddle up with charry-good grilled skewers of juicy marinated pork or chicken that are almost impossibly tender. A lick of lemon is all they need, but the abundance of Hellenic goodness here makes it impossible not to order them some tasty companions like the fasolakia (braised white beans in a tangy tomato sauce), chickpea fritters and salt-dusted potatoes fried to crispness in herby olive oil. 434 Lygon Street Brunswick East; ourtaverna.com

There really ought to be more of this kind of classic kebab all-rounder. A place where you can take a seat or take away, night or day – either way, they’re generous with the napkins for the inevitable sauce sloshing down your shirtfront – and know you’re going to be happy. The charry-edged nubbles of meat from the spit are the hero of these tasty Turkish numbers; they’re piled into fluffy bread that sops up a whole lot of sauce action. Looking to share? The grill plates are excellent value when you’ve got a family or group of hungry friends to feed. 1/372 Keilor Rd, Niddrie; Melbourne Kebab Station

If you find yourself wandering around the city late at night, do yourself a favour and make a beeline for this King Street shop that has saved more people from their worst proclivities than the Salvation Army. Open until the sun’s up on the weekends, this no-frills joint is the home of supersized kebabs sauced to the max and stuffed to the gunwales with juicy chicken or lamb – and no one will blink an eye if you go for a mix. (Hot tip: if the words ‘halal snack pack’ perk you up after a big night out, you’re in luck). 26 King St, Melbourne; queenskebab.wixstudio.com/queenskebab

Regularly ranked among the city’s best, this Turkish purveyor of fine kebabs is tailor made for those who love to stray from the canon. Its New York gourmet kebab sees shaved meat saddle up with avocado, chips, cheese and mayo; the Mexican hits a trio of grilled capsicum, olives and corn with chilli sauce; while the Aussie goes where few may dare to tread with beetroot, fried egg, grilled onion and barbecue sauce. But kebab purists needn’t be put off – less adventurous types can be assured that there are plenty of upstanding shaved lamb and chicken versions on offer, too. 549 Mt Alexander Rd, Moonee Ponds