Cheshunt, Turkish Restaurant Guide

This “trendy Turkish restaurant in Cockfosters” has given the Anatolian grill a smart makeover over the past decade, and now “has the vibe of a West End restaurant, with a DJ at the weekend” and “faultless service”. According to its biggest fans, “Cockfosters is becoming a destination thanks to restaurants like Skewd!”

“A favourite neighbourhood spot over many years”, say fans of this Crouch End Turk, for whom it “continues to outshine its competitors on Harringay’s Green Lanes”. The ambience has improved of late with “stylish but comfortable new chairs, slick marble-topped tables and trendy ceramic plateware and cutlery” but not everyone’s wild about the “traditional murals depicting global tourist hotspots”.

“An all-time favourite...the original Dalston Turkish grill has still got it!” – “Hungry locals, TV chefs, cash-strapped diners and famous artists all cram in and loyally dine” at this celebrated grill-house: “one of the forest of old-school Turkish joints on the Dalston/Stoke Newington strip”. “It’s a bright, clattering room with meats grilled to smoky perfection”: “succulent, delicious and very reasonably priced, especially as you can BYO”. “There’s no booking: just queue up to get into this fairly cramped, jolly, caff-like place”. “Despite legions of copycat establishments that have sprung up in recent years it still leads the field!”

“Exceptionally curated, mouthwatering Turkish cuisine” – “I DREAM of the food!” – has won fooderati fame for this 30-year-old Dalston fixture, which Ferhat and Sertaç Dirik took over from their father Ali in 2020 to relaunch in a contemporary idiom. Their efforts were recognised by the publication of their first cookbook by prestige publisher Phaidon in October 2024.

Offering a combination of Turkish, Kurdish and Greek dishes, this “cheap ’n’ cheerful” grill on the Islington main drag has been “a mainstay in the neighbourhood for years, and with good reason”.

“Fresh food and an affordable set menu for lunch” are prime attractions of this cheap ’n’ cheerful Turkish chain – a fixture after more than two decades in the City, where there are now five branches, plus a more recent pan-Mediterranean spinoff in Covent Garden, Olea Social.

“Fresh food and an affordable set menu for lunch” are prime attractions of this cheap ’n’ cheerful Turkish chain – a fixture after more than two decades in the City, where there are now five branches, plus a more recent pan-Mediterranean spinoff in Covent Garden, Olea Social.

“Fresh food and an affordable set menu for lunch” are prime attractions of this cheap ’n’ cheerful Turkish chain – a fixture after more than two decades in the City, where there are now five branches, plus a more recent pan-Mediterranean spinoff in Covent Garden, Olea Social.

“Fresh food and an affordable set menu for lunch” are prime attractions of this cheap ’n’ cheerful Turkish chain – a fixture after more than two decades in the City, where there are now five branches, plus a more recent pan-Mediterranean spinoff in Covent Garden, Olea Social.

This “good neighbourhood Turkish restaurant” – which serves a “nice variety of interesting dishes” using “fresh and high-quality ingredients” – celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. It now has spinoffs in Berkhamsted and Harpenden – the latter “attracting a younger crowd than usual for Harpenden, which gives it the sort of buzz which is rare in these parts”.

“Fresh food and an affordable set menu for lunch” are prime attractions of this cheap ’n’ cheerful Turkish chain – a fixture after more than two decades in the City, where there are now five branches, plus a more recent pan-Mediterranean spinoff in Covent Garden, Olea Social.

Established in 2004, this upmarket Turkish spot in Marylebone “has maintained a high level of quality for many years”, and is “always worth a visit” for its “attentive staff and good food” – most notably mezze and charcoal-grilled meat.

Pamir Zeydan and his team spoon indulgent, vaguely kebab-inspired creations (eight courses of them for £95 per person) onto a custom-designed, heated countertop at this hidden 10-seater: Le Bab’s zany, once-secret flagship in the basement of their Covent Garden branch. The idea is for you to scoop the courses up in your fingers as part of a zeitgeistily offbeat foodie adventure. But while it has proved an enduring pitstop for those seeking something out-of-the-ordinary – and won excellent ratings last year – it generated little feedback this year either in our survey or the press. It’s still well-followed by the Insta-crowd though, with dishes, menu-changes and chef holidays regularly updated.

“Middle Eastern (Istanbul) dishes that are a little different” and can be “very good” win fans for this ambitious Soho three-year-old, which had to cope with the passing in August 2023 of co-founder and chef Esra Muslu. It has the same downsides that it has always had though – for some reporters “value just isn’t there and while it may be delicious it’s far too expensive”. Top Tip – go as a couple and sit in the “stunning, central tiled bar downstairs” (“groups often sit upstairs and/or in a dull mezzanine area”).

Following success in Istanbul, London-trained chef, Civan Er opened this stylish if fairly straightforward Soho operation in 2019. The focus is using British produce to create Turkish-influenced dishes cooked over open fire: “super-tasty food at a very reasonable price”. Many dishes are to share, and ‘Manti’ (a type of filled dumpling) are a menu feature.

“A go-to place for consistently good-quality kebabs” and “good Turkish food” in Ladbroke Grove. There’s a “lively atmosphere” – “more civilised upstairs” – and the BYO policy keeps the bill under control.

“Fantastic Greek and Turkish dishes, including unusual items, create a memorable meal” (buoyed up by wine from Turkey, Greece Georgia and Armenia) at this “very popular and buzzy (if also crowded and noisy)” two-year-old ocakbasi near the top of the Portobello Road from chef Kemal Demirasal. In April 2024, he opened a sequel in Soho’s Kingly Street (with an ‘Under the Counter’ basement bar), where a variety of cuisines from around the Eastern Mediterranean are the inspiration.

David Carter (of Smokestak fame) has gone Greek-with-a-twist with this March 2024 newcomer, which occupies the ground floor of the two-floor site in Borough Market that was previously Rabot 1745 (RIP) – (see also Oma, which is on the floor above, and can be entered separately). The street-level part of the operation (Agora is ‘market’ in Greek) is in modern taverna style, with a two-metre rotisserie, where whole lamb and pig are cooked on the spit to deliver Eastern Mediterranean street-food plates. It opened too late for survey feedback, but in his May 2024 review The Evening Standard’s Jimi Famurewa loved its “almost illegally fun” atmosphere and “epic” dishes.

Glam new rooftop terrace, bar and restaurant – part of the swish One Warwick members’ club just off Piccadilly Circus (where Nessa, see also, is on the ground floor) – that opened in early summer 2024 (too late for survey feedback). It sounds like the ‘killer cocktails’ may be as much of a draw as the Istanbul-inspired sharing plates from chef Tom Cenci, but with this location that may not be a prime concern.

“Fantastic Greek and Turkish dishes, including unusual items, create a memorable meal” (buoyed up by wine from Turkey, Greece Georgia and Armenia) at this “very popular and buzzy (if also crowded and noisy)” two-year-old ocakbasi near the top of the Portobello Road from chef Kemal Demirasal. In April 2024, he opened a sequel in Soho’s Kingly Street (with an ‘Under the Counter’ basement bar), where a variety of cuisines from around the Eastern Mediterranean are the inspiration.