Turkish food is a big part of London's food culture, and almost every neighbourhood will have its own restaurant or takeaway joint, especially if you're somewhere like Green Lanes, where they come by the dozen times ten. Grilled charcoal-cooked kebabs, crispy lahmacun, creamy cacik and freshly-baked pide are just a few of the dishes you can expect to see on most Turkish menus around London. The city is chock-a-block with terrific Turkish restaurants, from casual takeaway spots to fine-dining institutions. Here's our guide to the best Turkish restaurants in London.
Guide to the best Turkish restaurants in London
In this guide
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The best Turkish restaurants in London
- Mangal Ocakbasi – The OG Turkish spot
- Gökyüzü – A London icon
- FM Mangal – One for a big group
- Meze Mangal – Your Turkish fix in Lewisham
- Mangal 2 – The fancy sister to Mangal 1
- Cirrik 19 Numara Bos II – Go for the sharing platter
- E. Mono – A Kentish Town fav
- Umut 2000 – Classic ocakbasi
- Durak Tantuni – Traditional Turkish and Kurdish cuisine
- Antepliler Restaurant – One of the oldest
- Zahter – Upmarket Turkish
- 01 Adana – A Green Lane mainstay
- Le Bab – Kebabs with a difference
- Ustun Lahmacun – Dedicated to lahmacun and pide
- Hala – Glitz and glam
- Liman Restaurant – Welcoming modern restaurant
- Selale – Award-winning Green Lanes restaurant
The best Turkish restaurants in London
The OG Turkish spot
Mangal 1 Ocakbasi is an open-grill restaurant in the heart of Dalston that's gained a solid reputation amongst London foodies throughout the years. It's bring your own booze, so you can save your pennies for trying even more of the delicious dishes on the menu, like the grilled meat platter and aubergine moussaka.
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10 Arcola St
- 020-727 589 81
- Read more on Thatsup
A London icon
Gökyüzü has a cult following amongst Turkish food lovers in London. This casual eatery has several branches located around the city and offers dishes for every kind of diner. Opt for a pide or a hefty grilled platter to share amongst the group with a side of garlicky cacik. The restaurants are all large, making them a good choice for a group meal.
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1 Leisure Way, Barnet Southend Road, Walthamstow/Waltham Forest 42D Selborne Road, Walthamstow/Waltham Forest 26-28 Grand Parade, Green Lanes, Haringey 339 Kentish Town Road, Camden TownGökyüzü Finchley
1 Leisure Way, BarnetGökyüzü Chingford
Southend Road, Walthamstow/Waltham ForestGökyüzü Walthamstow
42D Selborne Road, Walthamstow/Waltham ForestGökyüzü Green Lanes
26-28 Grand Parade, Green Lanes, HaringeyGökyüzü Kentish Town
339 Kentish Town Road, Camden Town -
Gökyüzü Finchley
gokyuzurestaurant.co.uk/finchleyGökyüzü Chingford
gokyuzurestaurant.co.uk/chingfordGökyüzü Walthamstow
gokyuzurestaurant.co.uk/walthamstowGökyüzü Green Lanes
gokyuzurestaurant.co.uk/harringayGökyüzü Kentish Town
gokyuzurestaurant.co.uk/kentish-townGökyüzü Finchley
020-849 216 62Gökyüzü Chingford
020-852 749 27Gökyüzü Walthamstow
020-852 029 98Gökyüzü Green Lanes
020-821 184 06Gökyüzü Kentish Town
020-307 600 62 -
Gökyüzü Finchley Gökyüzü Chingford Gökyüzü Walthamstow Gökyüzü Green Lanes Gökyüzü Kentish Town
One for a big group
This Camberwell-based restaurant is the perfect spot to bring a big group for dinner. It's located on Stoke Newington's iconic Church Street, with bars, pubs and independent boutiques. It consists of three floors where you can feast on the menu of fragrant Turkish fare like freshly-baked bread and melt-in-your-mouth kofta served with salads, starters and sides.
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54 Camberwell Church St, Camberwell
- Website • 020-770 166 77
- Read more on Thatsup
Your Turkish fix in Lewisham
Traditional Turkish kebabs come by the dozen at Meze Mangal, a laid-back family-run restaurant in Lewisham. It's kitted out with a wood-panelled dining room and a counter that displays all of the delicious food. The menu is chock full of tasty dishes, but a few favourites are the freshly-baked pide topped with minced meat, onion and peppers and the lamb skewers cooked on the charcoal grill.
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245 Lewisham Way
- Website • 020-869 480 99
- Read more on Thatsup
The fancy sister to Mangal 1
Mangal 2 is the fancy sister to the legendary Mangal 1 in Dalston, both opened by owner Ali Dirik after he moved to London from Istanbul in the 80s. This well-known ocakbasi restaurant cooks many of its Anatolian-inspired dishes on the open charcoal grill, like Cornish mutton loin with grilled carrots and house chilli sauce and Devonshire duck with offal bulgur.
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4 Stoke Newington Rd, Dalston/Stoke Newington
- Website • 020-725 478 88
- Read more on Thatsup
Go for the sharing platter
Cirrik 19 Numara Bos II is just one of the many excellent Turkish restaurants in Stoke Newington. It's an old-school joint serving classic Turkish dishes cooked on an open grill, like their sharing platter, ideal for sharing amongst a group. It comes with lamb shish, minced lamb skewers, chicken shish and lamb ribs, plus more depending on which platter you opt for. Their starters, like the deep-fried pastry pockets filled with cheese and the spicy Turkish sausage, are also pretty special.
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34 Stoke Newington Road, Dalston/Stoke Newington
- Website • 020-724 904 00
- Read more on Thatsup
A Kentish Town fav
This Turkish restaurant and kebab shop is a Kentish Town local that got its name from the sign hiding underneath the wall's exterior when the owners stripped it back. They serve a simple menu of kebabs, shawarma, wraps, falafel and kofta, which you can enjoy in-house or take away. The smells of the meats grilling on the charcoals will be enough to lure you in to enjoy a meal in this laid-back, stylish restaurant where mosaic flooring steals the limelight.
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285-287 Kentish Town Road, Camden Town
- Website • 020-748 597 79
- Read more on Thatsup
Classic ocakbasi
Umut 2000 is a classic ocakbasi restaurant just off Kingsland Road. They serve a menu of hot and cold starters, meat and fish dishes and plenty of vegetarian options at this Dalston institution. Menu highlights include stuffed vine leaves, falafel and spiced aubergine and juicy lamb ribs. It's casual and very no-frills, with the option to eat in or take away.
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6 Crossway, Dalston/Stoke Newington 551 Green Lanes, HaringeyUmut 2000 Dalston
6 Crossway, Dalston/Stoke NewingtonUmut 2000 Harringay
551 Green Lanes, Haringey -
Umut 2000 Dalston
020-724 909 03Umut 2000 Harringay
020-834 096 91 -
Umut 2000 Dalston Umut 2000 Harringay
Traditional Turkish and Kurdish cuisine
This authentic Turkish restaurant on Turnpike Lane is the place for traditional Turkish and Kurdish cuisine. They mainly specialise in tantuni, a famous dish of Mersin City, made with cubed stir-fried beef or lamb stuffed into a wrap. It's open all day and late into the night, so you can get your Turkish fix at most times throughout the day.
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390 West Green Road, Haringey
- 020-888 960 01
- Read more on Thatsup
One of the oldest
Antepliler is one of Green Lane's oldest restaurants, located in the heart of Harringey in an area chock with Turkish restaurants. Expect a buzzy atmosphere and a fresh menu of Turkish classics made to a high standard. Baskets of freshly baked Turkish bread come free-flowing here, along with bowls of creamy hummus.
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45-46 Grand Parade, Green Lanes, Haringey
- Website • 020-880 255 88
- Read more on Thatsup
Upmarket Turkish
Zahter is a premium Turkish restaurant in Carnaby Street serving an upmarket menu of aromatic dishes, such as hot and cold mezzo platters, freshly-made pide and zingy cocktails, like the zither martini made with gin, homemade vermouth and mint oil. Save this one for a special occasion since it costs a little more than its Green Lanes siblings.
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30 - 32 Foubert's Place, Soho
- Website • 077-751 567 68
- Read more on Thatsup
A Green Lane mainstay
01 Adana is another Green Lanes institution where they plate up mouthwatering Turkish cuisine in their stripped-back space. Expect fresh meat being chargrilled on open coals and mountains of creamy cacik, perfect for dipping, dunking and mopping up with warm fluffy pitta. The restaurant is big and bright and open from early morning until midnight,
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25-27 Green Lanes, Stoke Newington
- Website • 020-735 991 16
- Read more on Thatsup
Kebabs with a difference
For spruced-up kebabs, try Le Bab, located in restaurants around the city, including Kingsley Court in Soho. This contemporary kebab restaurant serves Michelin-star kebabs, like the spiced paneer with coconut and beetroot doused in curry mayo and the slow-cooked shawarma with pickled cucumbers in fondue sauce. Even though their kebabs are premium, the space is still laid-back and casual.
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Old Spitalfields Market, Kitchen unit S2, Central Kitchens, 16 Horner Sq, Shoreditch/Tower Hamlets 25 N Colonnade, Canary Wharf/Tower Hamlets Market Halls Oxford Street, 9 Holles St, Marylebone Battersea Power Station, Circus Rd West, Vauxhall/Battersea 408 Coldharbour Ln, Brixton 231 Old St, Shoreditch Top Floor, Kingly Court, Carnaby St, Carnaby, SohoLe Bab Spitalfields Market
Old Spitalfields Market, Kitchen unit S2, Central Kitchens, 16 Horner Sq, Shoreditch/Tower HamletsLe Bab Canary Wharf
25 N Colonnade, Canary Wharf/Tower HamletsLe Bab Oxford Circus
Market Halls Oxford Street, 9 Holles St, MaryleboneLe Bab Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station, Circus Rd West, Vauxhall/BatterseaLe Bab Brixton
408 Coldharbour Ln, BrixtonLe Bab Old Street
231 Old St, ShoreditchLe Bab Soho
Top Floor, Kingly Court, Carnaby St, Carnaby, Soho -
Le Bab Spitalfields Market
eatlebab.com/spitalfieldsLe Bab Canary Wharf
eatlebab.com/canary-wharfLe Bab Oxford Circus
eatlebab.com/oxford-circusLe Bab Battersea Power Station
eatlebab.com/battersea-power-stationLe Bab Brixton
eatlebab.com/brixtonLe Bab Old Street
eatlebab.com/old-streetLe Bab Soho
eatlebab.com/sohoLe Bab Spitalfields Market
020-786 43 54Le Bab Canary Wharf
020-786 43 54Le Bab Oxford Circus
020-786 43 54Le Bab Battersea Power Station
020-786 43 54Le Bab Brixton
077-569 433 72Le Bab Old Street
077-065 275 88Le Bab Soho
020-743 992 22 -
Le Bab Spitalfields Market Le Bab Canary Wharf Le Bab Oxford Circus Le Bab Battersea Power Station Le Bab Brixton Le Bab Old Street Le Bab Soho
Dedicated to lahmacun and pide
Ustun Lahmacun is located down the Newington Green side of Green Lanes, where you'll find many Turkish restaurants and patisseries. It's a small spot dedicated entirely to lahmacun and pide. They make everything in-house, stretching the dough until it's almost transparent, spreading various toppings and then cooking in their wood-burning oven. Oh, and it's cash only.
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107 Green Lanes, Stoke Newington
- Website • 020-770 403 60
- Read more on Thatsup
Glitz and glam
Glitzy Green Lanes restaurant Hala is lively and sophisticated, with a dining room boasting lots of metallic details. A broad variety of traditional Turkish dishes are served to suit every palette. Meat from the grill is a popular choice but you can also sample hot and cold mezze and vegetarian and vegan dishes like falafel and moussaka. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are available here.
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29-31 Grand Parade, Haringey
- Website • 020-880 248 83
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Welcoming modern restaurant
Liman Restaurant is a popular pick for Turkish cuisine in Islington. This modern and welcoming space serves authentic food and is also a top local venue for events and parties. Choose from the mezze and main courses on the menu or savour a platter of mezze to share. A convenient set lunch menu is also on offer here.
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60 Penton Street, Islington
- Website • 020-358 364 42
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Award-winning Green Lanes restaurant
Vibrant restaurant Selale has won awards and is a bustling spot to eat in Green Lanes. This vast and modern restaurant is known for its prompt and friendly service, as well as the authentic Turkish recipes on the menu. Start your day with a Turkish breakfast or try out hot and cold mezze, pides, seafood, and grilled meats, paired with complimentary bread and salad.
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1-3 Salisbury Promenade, Green Lanes, Haringey
- Website • 020-880 016 36
- Read more on Thatsup