London has one of the best Turkish food scenes outside of Turkey itself. The community here—largely from Anatolia and Turkish Cyprus—has been building restaurants since the 1970s. What started as neighbourhood cafes serving homesick immigrants has evolved into a sophisticated ecosystem of grill houses, bakeries, breakfast spots, and increasingly, restaurants that could hold their own anywhere in the world.
This isn't a list of every Turkish restaurant in London. It's a list of the ones worth going out of your way for—the places I'd send my own family to, organised by neighbourhood so you can plan your eating accordingly.
Green Lanes
Harringay, N4 — London's Turkish heartland
This is the centre of Turkish London. A mile-long stretch of restaurants, bakeries, and cafes that feels more like Istanbul than England. On weekends, the street is packed with families, the smell of charcoal drifts across the pavement, and finding parking requires commitment.
Gökyüzü
The Institution | ££
The sprawling anchor of Green Lanes. Multiple dining rooms, a wood-fired oven producing fresh bread continuously, and a menu that runs to several pages. This is where Turkish families come for celebrations, where the mixed grill platters are genuinely designed to be shared by four people, and where you'll wait for a table on weekends—but not for long, because they're efficient.
What to Order: Full Platter (sharing), lamb şiş, chicken beyti, their breakfast (8am-4pm)
Pro Tip: The breakfast is exceptional and less crowded than dinner. Wood-fired bread is unlimited—ask for more.
Selale
The Refined Alternative | ££
Slightly more polished than its neighbours, Selale is where you go when you want the Green Lanes experience with a bit more breathing room. The lamb ribs are exceptional, the meze is consistent, and the service is attentive without being rushed.
What to Order: Lamb ribs, adana kebab, hummus
Antepliler
The Gaziantep Specialist | ££
Named after the southeastern Turkish city famous for its cuisine, Antepliler takes regional cooking seriously. The sogan kebab—minced lamb with pomegranate sauce and grilled shallots—is a signature. Next door, their dedicated döner house serves proper İskender, and their künefe cafe is the place for dessert.
What to Order: Sogan kebab, İskender (next door), künefe (dessert cafe)
Pro Tip: This is actually a complex: restaurant, döner house, künefe cafe. Plan to visit all three.
Getting there: Manor House or Turnpike Lane tube, then walk. The W3 and W7 buses run the length of Green Lanes.
Dalston
E8 — The original BYOB strip
Dalston's Turkish restaurants cluster around Kingsland Road and Stoke Newington Road. This is where BYOB culture thrives—bring a bottle of wine, order lamb ribs, and settle in. The vibe is more East London than Green Lanes: younger crowd, louder music, later hours.
Mangal 1
The Original BYOB | ££
The one that started it all—or at least the one that made Dalston's Turkish scene famous. Since 1980-something, Mangal has been the template: charcoal grill, BYOB, no reservations, queue on weekends. The lamb şiş is simply seasoned and perfectly charred. The bread comes from the oven in the corner.
What to Order: Lamb şiş, chicken wings, lamb ribs
Pro Tip: BYOB is the whole point. Bring good wine; the food deserves it.
Mangal 2
The Elevated Sibling | £££
Run by the sons of Mangal 1's founders, Mangal 2 is what happens when the next generation trains at places like Noma's sister restaurant before coming home. The mutton tantuni uses heritage breed meat. The döner is house-made. The natural wine list is serious. Gilbert & George ate here nightly for 20 years.
What to Order: Mutton tantuni, lamb kidneys, whatever's seasonal
Pro Tip: Book ahead. This is destination dining, not walk-in kebabs.