British Kebab Awards: Portsmouth area businesses make final including Mehmet Kitchen, Agora, Boss Kebab and Dilan Kebab

Shish! Look who has been nominated from round here for serving up some of the best kebabs in the country.

There are four Portsmouth-area establishments hoping to skewer the opposition at the British Kebab Awards, and they have been given the nod in a variety of categories. The awards aim to recognise the contribution that the kebab industry makes to the UK - pointing out that kebabs have “undergone a transformation in public perception, from once being seen as an unhealthy late night snack, they are now enjoyed in many forms and varieties”.

The short-listed restaurants and takeaways in and around Portsmouth are:

• Dilan Kebab, in the Greywell shopping centre in Leigh Park, which is nominated in the Best Takeaway - South of England category
• Agora Restaurant, in Clarendon Road, Southsea, has the nod in the Best Value Restaurant category
• Mehmet Kitchen, in Copnor Road, Portsmouth, has been nominated for Customer Satisfaction
• The Boss Kebab, which has a permanent base at The Oaks, Winchester Road, Shedfield, near McCarthy’s shop, is in the running to be named Kebab Van of the Year

None of those are strangers to the awards. Agora was highly commended last year in the Best Kebab Restaurant Regional category, while The Boss Kebab won the van category in 2024.

In 2021, Dilan Kebab won Best Delivery, while that year Mehmet Kitchen was awarded the Best Newcomer Award.

This is the semi-final stage, and the winners will be revealed on February 23 next year at the Park Plaza.

All finalists carry forward their semi-final points, earned through public votes (two points each), MP and councillor endorsements (250 points each), Google and TripAdvisor ratings (50 points per star), and food hygiene ratings (50 points per rating, with a Scottish “Pass” counting as five).

Public voting and endorsements remain open until 11.59pm on January 31, 2027. Each person may vote once per category through the official BKA voting page, using a valid, identifiable email address. Businesses can promote voting but must not vote on others’ behalf or offer rewards in exchange. Votes will be audited, say the organisers, with invalid votes removed and points deducted or finalists disqualified in serious cases. Vote totals remain confidential during the finals.

Endorsements must come from sitting MPs or councillors and be verifiable through official email addresses or social media accounts. Each person may endorse a business only once.

An independent judging panel will meet from February 1 to 3, reviewing finalist information and conducting research, including mystery shopping. Each judge casts one vote per category, worth 100 points. Their votes remain confidential until the awards night.