Waltham Abbey, Turkish - Restaurant Guide

“The jewel of Cockfosters” at the northern end of the Piccadilly Line – this vibey self-styled ‘Anatolian with attitude’ serves “posh Turkish food” in a “great atmosphere” (“like you’re in a central London restaurant”, according to fans). The grilled meat is “very good”, and “on Saturday night there’s a DJ and people really dress up”. There’s a second branch at The Grove spa hotel near Watford and also (as of July 2025) an outpost in the West End (inside the Horizons Casino in Leicester Square).

“Always a hit” for its “excellent lamb ribs and chargrilled bread”, this Crouch End “favourite” has built a strong local reputation over a decade for “very well prepared and presented Turkish staples”. Top Tip: – “go on Monday to Thursday: it gets frantically busy on Friday and Saturday nights”.

“A Dalston institution” since 1991 – this “tightly packed and vibrant, old-school Turkish grill” is famous in foodie circles and “delivers on delicious kebabs and smoky meats, all very reasonably priced and you can also BYOB”. “So many grill places have followed in its footsteps but have failed to recreate the quality of the sumptuous grilled meats, never mind the extraordinary value offered by the BBQ, salads and breads”. (“Hadn’t been for a while and it’s even better than I remembered!”). Top Menu Tip – “surprising dishes such as grilled quail and lamb sweetbreads and liver are great”.

“Lively” Turkish fixture in Dalston which shot to foodie fame when brothers Ferhat and Sertaç Dirik took over from their father Ali in 2000, heading off in a funky new direction with “incredible, unusual flavours”. But there’s a growing mismatch between repute and feedback – perhaps a consequence of Copenhagen-trained chef Sertaç leaving the business a couple of years back to pursue new projects, including a prestige cookbook for publisher Phaidon. Most reports still say the food is good, but it risks becoming “overpriced”.

2022 Review: It’s a bit less nook-like than it looks, if you head to the larger basement of this summer 2020 Highbury newcomer: a deli by day and neighbourhood café in the evenings. With a vague connection to Linden Stores (RIP), which it replaced in 2020, there’s a Turkish twist to the contemporary European small dishes and sharing plates. Limited early feedback, but very positive all-round.

2025 Review: 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”.

2024 Review: This “cheap ’n’ cheerful Turkish operation” has been an atmospheric fixture on Upper Street for more than 25 years, offering “well cooked and presented dishes in generous portions”. “The smaller Gallipoli has gone, so all efforts have been put into this larger branch”, which has “a relaxed style, with different areas to sit in depending on the occasion”.

2023 Review: The “exquisite kebabs” at this family-run Turk in Kentish Town (which takes its name from the original Victorian sign above the door) have “set the standard in north London for years”. Don’t be put off by the “limited menu and basic amenities (more like a local chippy)” – the food is “fresh, good quality and delicious”, while “service is cheerful”.

2022 Review: With its swish, spacious metropolitan styling, this 100-seater brasserie on one of Shoreditch’s main drags does little to advertise the fact that it’s part of the Hart Shoreditch Hotel London (part of the Curio Collection by Hilton), which opened in early 2020. Knowing this helps explain the slightly over-plush styling – at odds with the strenuously hip neighbourhood – and also the wilfully un-corporate menu: inspired by the flavours of Levantine coastal towns (Levantine weekend brunch is a feature). Early reports are too limited for a rating, but all-round very good.

“A reliable chain – mainly in the City” – these big, affordable Turks are popular “especially for lunch” and provide a relatively comfortable environment for a sit-down meal that’s a little different. Cynical reports were more in evidence this year though: critics feel “they know they will get the office trade and don’t really try” (“downhill since I visited a few years ago” with some “bland and unseasoned” dishes).

2022 Review: In a quiet, pedestrianised square in the City’s sprawling Broadgate development – near Broadgate Circle – this January 2020 arrival occupies a swishly decorated unit, and has a large terrace outside for a warm day. The rustic Anatolian cuisine – much of it on the open-flame mangal – is cosily at odds with all the surrounding modernity, and is washed down with a more metropolitan selection of cocktails.

“A reliable chain – mainly in the City” – these big, affordable Turks are popular “especially for lunch” and provide a relatively comfortable environment for a sit-down meal that’s a little different. Cynical reports were more in evidence this year though: critics feel “they know they will get the office trade and don’t really try” (“downhill since I visited a few years ago” with some “bland and unseasoned” dishes).

“A reliable chain – mainly in the City” – these big, affordable Turks are popular “especially for lunch” and provide a relatively comfortable environment for a sit-down meal that’s a little different. Cynical reports were more in evidence this year though: critics feel “they know they will get the office trade and don’t really try” (“downhill since I visited a few years ago” with some “bland and unseasoned” dishes).

“A reliable chain – mainly in the City” – these big, affordable Turks are popular “especially for lunch” and provide a relatively comfortable environment for a sit-down meal that’s a little different. Cynical reports were more in evidence this year though: critics feel “they know they will get the office trade and don’t really try” (“downhill since I visited a few years ago” with some “bland and unseasoned” dishes).

“A reliable chain – mainly in the City” – these big, affordable Turks are popular “especially for lunch” and provide a relatively comfortable environment for a sit-down meal that’s a little different. Cynical reports were more in evidence this year though: critics feel “they know they will get the office trade and don’t really try” (“downhill since I visited a few years ago” with some “bland and unseasoned” dishes).

Aiming to “disrupt the conventional norms of what it means to fine dine” is the stated mission of Le Bab’s weird, no-longer-secret 10-seater in the basement of their Covent Garden branch. The concept includes no cutlery or plates for your £110 menu (the wine flight is £65 per person): instead you grab each of the nine courses with your fingers after it’s been dolloped onto a custom-designed heated counter. This entry is for completeness: yes it has 27K Instagram followers, but it provokes little feedback in our annual diners’ poll.

2025 Review: “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”).

An upmarket take on Anatolian cuisine – with an “intriguing selection of food, including the expected Turkish dishes plus plenty of others” – wins praise for this “friendly local restaurant” in Marylebone, which also provides “interesting” Turkish wines on the international list. Top Tip – “really good-value set menu” served until 6pm.

2025 Review: 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.

2023 Review: This “excellent local” Turkish restaurant just off Islington’s main drag offers a classic and extensive menu of “good food at a very reasonable price”, served up in a “buzzy and friendly setting”.