5 to try: Döner kebabs: Shinjuku

Shinjuku: Cherry Kebab

Cherry Kebab

Farhoud, the man turning the spit at Cherry Kebab, will never need to spend a single yen on advertising; he has queue mystique, which is all any outlet ever really needs in this city. As dusk arrives, the lines begin to form, attracting yet more crowds until it's all he can do to stop the meat flying off his counter. In truth, what this Uzbeki gentleman is flogging probably wouldn't pass muster in its home country. It's a fairly bog-standard offering of beef or chicken, served in a relatively dry piece of pita bread, but with a sauce hot enough to melt your fillings — and it's for that final reason that he's on our list. His proximity to Shinjuku Station also makes him ideal for a quick stop after a hard day's shopping.

Meat: Fairly good, though we would have preferred it if it came straight from the spit, rather than from the rice cookers he keeps it warm in.

Pita: Small and fairly dry. Could do better.

Vegetables: Shredded lettuce and a few tomatoes. Standard fare.

Sauce: While it wasn't ground-breaking, it had a kick we've found hard to forget.

Price: 500 yen, but fairly small.