- turkish
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The Silk Road Restaurant is the best place to uplift the spirit. I go there sometimes when I am tired or need to see a friendly face, and it never lets me down. The decor takes you straight to the Mediterranean and the music, cuisine, entertainment and staff all help to create a wonderful feeling of well-being. They always have live entertainment at the weekends - catch the Brazilian/Latin jazz if you can - but you will need to book a table. It is more like a club than a restaurant - I always meet people I have met in there before. When they have live entertainment or a DJ, the atmosphere is just fantastic as the whole restaurant joins in with the dancing. I love the staff and Teresa, the host, is great. She gives the best hugs. I don't think there is anywhere like The Silk Road - in Brighton, London or even Istanbul!
Silk Road Restaurant
8 Arcade Road
Littlehampton
West Sussex
www.thesilkroadrestaurant.net
01903 722055
Destan is one of the very best restaurants in an area with plenty of them. It's just a few doors away from the better known Mangal, but better value. It specialises in lamb, chicken and fish grilled on the ocakbasi charcoal grill. Along with your main course you will be served delicious freshly prepared salads, grilled onions with parsley and pomegranate syrup and warm Turkish bread. Free tea and coffee is always offered by the owner Hassan and his friendly staff. An added bonus is that you can bring your own wine.
14 Stoke Newington Road, London N16 7XN
Tel: 020 7275 0109
Turkish restaurant on Hanover Street with some of the best mezze I have ever had. Can't recommend it enough!
73 Hanover Street, Edinburgh (also has branches in Aberdeen);
tel: 0131 225 5755;
www.nargile.co.uk
This is a really lovely Turkish restaurant with a very convenient location - next to the Globe on the south bank.
Food is Anatolian, and you get an awful lot for your money. Tas Pide is part of a chain, but to my mind it's only this branch which has such a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and such great food - possibly because everything is cooked in the big wood-fired oven.
As you sit down waiters bring over a free dish of soup, warm bread and a dip. They'll keep refilling the bread, but try not to eat too much as portions are very generous. Hot starters are fantastic, but I think that the star of the show is the main of slowcooked shoulder of lamb - lamb incik. Pide - turkish pizza - is okay, but meat and fish better. Service is friendly, and the food and drink is ridiculously cheap for the location. I think we spent £35-40 last time for way too much food and drink for the two of us. In the evenings you might want to book, and they have live, but not intrusive, music then too.
20-22 New Globe Walk SE1 9DR
020 7928 3300
www.tasrestaurant.com
Wonderful little Turkish restaurant doing simple but hearty kebabs. I have watched Gursel, owner and chef, carefully prepare his lamb, lovingly getting rid of all fat and gristle. It is then marinated overnight, with herbs wiped off before cooking to make sure they’re not burned and then added again. Delicious, big portions, very reasonable, dependable and friendly.
West Preston St; tel: 0131 667 4242
Great street to explore for cafes, restaurants and shopping. There’s Greek, Italian, Turkish and Lebanese food. Highlights are : Mediterranean Wholesalers - an Italian supermarket - A1, Tabett's Lebanese bakeries and Istanbul Meats. Just wander up and down the street and find lots of hidden gems.
North Coburg tram goes there from Elizabeth St in the City
Incredibly authentic Middle Eastern restaurant on the studenty Smithdown Road. Grills and kebabs are great but it’s best to create your own meze with a selection of starters and salads (£2-3 each). Bring your own booze and make sure you enjoy a cardamom infused Turkish coffee and a shisha to finish.
258-258 Smithdown Road L15 5AH; tel: 0151 735 1005; Buses 74,75,80,86 from city centre
Lygon Street: Italian restaurants
Victoria Street: Vietnamese restaurants
The area of Brunswick (for example, Sydney Rd): Lebanese and Turkish restaurants
The area of Richmond: Greek restaurants
The area of Armadale (for example, High St): Japanese restaurants
And obviously Chinatown for Chinese restaurants
A great Turkish restaurant with lots of atmosphere. Always busy and buzzing and perfect for a party or a date, or dinner with friends. The food is very reasonably priced and there are some delicious vegetarian dishes (don't miss the moussaka). If Gallipoli is full, try along the street at Cafe Gallipoli, or Gallipoli Again (yes, there's 3 of them!).
102 Upper Street, London N1 1QM
Dalston in East London has the most amazing selection of Turkish/ Kurdish restaurants ... homemade bread, soups and meats all cooked over hot coals ... Fill up for around a fiver.
Kingsland High Street, London E8 up to N16
Turkish cafe with open charcoal grill kebabs and salads to die for, all for between £4 and £10 a head.
10 Arcola Street, Dalston, London E8; Tel: 0207 275 8981; BR station: Dalston Kingsland; www.mangal1.com/
By far the best kebabs outside Istanbul are to be found in Green Lanes at Diyarbakir and Antepliler. Definitely the most authentic Turkish food in London. For some of the finest baklava - head to Antepliler's baklava salon just next door to the kebab shop.
Diyarbakir
69 Grand Parade, Green Lanes
Tel: 020 8809 2777
Antepliler
46 Grand Parade, Green Lanes
www.antepliler.com
This is the best kebab shop I have ever been too. It is always packed even at four in the morning and you often have to wait a while, but it's worth it. The shish kebabs and koftes are amazing and are served at decent prices. It is also a mini restaurant, serving up tasty caserole dishes. Even the doners are reasonably wholesome and soak up alcohol wonderfully after a hard night on the lash.
Holloway Road, 3 mins north of Seven Sisters Road.
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