Pamir Zeydan named as Kebab Queen head chef

The Turkish-born chef previously worked alongside chef patron Manu Canales at the creative 10-seater venture, which is hidden away in the basement of casual kebab restaurant Le Bab. 

It is understood that Canales no longer has a hands-on roll in the project, although he will continue to be a co-owner of Kebab Queen and the wider Le Bab group and will still be involved in the food to some extent. 

The restaurant has briefly paused trading following the end of Philli Armitage-Mattin’s residency​​ and will reopen on 16 August offering a dinner-only single seating Wednesday to Saturday. 

Under Zeydan’s direction the Kebab Queen looks set to return to its roots exploring kebab culture.​​

Drawing inspiration from humble origins he will seek to elevate traditional Turkish dishes to create ‘the ultimate Kebab Queen dining experience’.

The 'comforting and inventive' dishes on the chef's £85 tasting menu will include Dover sole kebab served on an ironed hispi cabbage taco with roasted red pepper purée; and spit-roast kebab of aged Dalesbred mutton with puffed pita, charred heritage tomato ragù, smoked Turkish yoghurt, charred Carlston pepper, shallot and sumac salad.

“We are so excited to relaunch Kebab Queen with Pamir. He’s the perfect successor to Manu – he has a fascinating background and his heritage couldn’t be more relevant to the restaurant,” says Le Bab group co-founder Stephen Tozer. 

“He’s a brilliant chef, but above all he is a wonderful guy with an amazing energy, and I think our guests are going to love him.”

Kebab Queen launched in 2019 and is notable for not having a plates, with dishes served directly onto a special heated counter made of Dekton. 

Founded in Soho in 2016 by Tozer, Canales and Ed Brunet, Le Bab group currently operates seven London restaurants.