Another great experience at my still favorite Dalston restaurant. Had the hot non-vegetarian meze…read morestarter platter which featured white bait, calamari, borek (cheese filled fried phyllo pastry rolls), and garlic sausage along with falafel. Really enjoyed the borek and the halloumi was lovely. Garlic sausage was spot on as well. The hot meze was not as filling as the cold one (which we both enjoyed more) but as we are now regulars here we were given some olives on the house and extra bread which left us satiated. We were even offered extra extra bread, as from the way I was devouring it must have made them pity me (and/or made them think I was gluten-deprived and malnourished). Needless to say I sheepishly turned it down. Such an attentive staff and a full bar. We almost went for the after-dinner cocktails but decided on the digestif route, having a Baileys and Contreau liquor each. Cocktails will be ticked off the agenda next time.

Mangal 1 was undoubtedly a huge highlight for my husband and I while we were visiting London for a…read moreweek! Our local friends recommended we come here, noting that they give free fluffy pitas, they have a full charcoal grill of meats, and it's BYOB. All 3 of those things intrigued us, especially the BYOB is pretty rare in the US, at least in California. First of all....the free pita pretty much necessitates that you order a dip, because OF COURSEE you need something to dip into. We got an order of hummus and the fish roe pate and both were super good! We got a Mangal Platter which comes with a bunch of assorted meats and a side salad. It was a great way to sample a lot of variety, including chops, ribs, chicken wings, and the kebabs. The standout for me was the Adana kebab (minced lamb) - we all couldn't stop raving about how flavorful and juicy the meat was. STILL THINKING ABOUT IT AND DROOLING NOW. Service is prompt, not as warm and fluffy as their pitas but we didn't mind. The atmosphere is not fancy by any means, and wear clothes you don't mind getting smoky. We will for sure be back the next time we're in London!

We ordered the hummus, cacik (tzaziki), falafel platter, ezme, & vegetable mousaka. I would order…read moreeverything besides the vegetable mousaka thing tbh. The sauces would recommend ordering the full serving especially of the cacik it was super smooth. 40-45 min wait on a Friday night FYI.

I have to admit, it's been ages since I last ventured out to Dalston...even though it is supposed…read moreto be the new hipster central! And given that I was practically a novice to this area, I whipped out my phone to consult the opinion of my fellow Yelpers as to where they suggest a starving bloke should find consolidation for his stomach. Sömine popped near the top of the list with overwhelmingly good reviews - amongst others, one by Lizzie G, whose reviews are generally superb! I walked along Kingsland Road, with its mixture of ethnic supermarkets, trashy clothing stores and fried-chicken shops. But the further North you go (towards Stoke Newington), the more the area seems to become "cool", as you can find hip restaurants and coffee shops for the yuppies and hipsters that slowly, but surely seem to "gentrify" this area. Sömine is as low-key as it gets - in fact, it resembles a cheap cafeteria of my long-gone university days. But let's turn to the food for a minute: they mostly offer stews, which are on display already from the outside. The guy behind the counter explained to me the various flavours/ingredients and in the end decided on a vegetarian stew and a stew with minced lamb and aubergine. He ladled them both on a soup-plate and on the side he served me some pickled vegetables and rice. (I specifically asked for the rice to be served on a separate plate.) What I liked best about my dining-experience here was watching the kitchen ladies making Turkish raviolis right there in the restaurant (see photo). For some reason, this act of making food right here and there, made me believe that all their food is made with a similar passion...

Looking for a chill place to have a good conversation complemented with a satisfying meal? Then…read morelook no further...Sömine is what you are searching for! We were on our way to another restaurant up the street and we all decided we could no longer be bothered with walking, that's when Sömine appeared in the distance. We decided to gamble and eat here instead. This is when laziness actually is beneficial. The staff here is so friendly and funny. You were served with the complementary items and given recommendations based on our eating preferences. My fellow veg heads we can eat here! They have several items on the menu that cater to vegetarian boundaries (vegan I'm not so sure). I forget the name of what I ordered but it was almost like a meatless and pastaless lasagna. It was de-lish-us! The place is a bit small with the tables fairly close to each other, so be careful when moving around. Luckily for us, there was one other party there so we had room to stretch our limbs. I would definitely recommend this place

Perfect!!! Friendly people, awesome food! Was looking for a…read morelocation to chill & dine. Got the best food here this weekend. Will be back soon!

I was getting a haircut next door at Altin Makas when my belly started telling me that he was…read morehungry. Luckily, this place showed up in my search for Turkish cuisine and it was literally next door! When I entered the restaurant I saw the sign for lunch special and when I sat down I asked the waiter about. He then brought me a special menu, which highlighted the dishes that applied to this deal: I ordered the spicy lamb köfte as a main and an aubergine dip as a starter. The latter came with pita bread. It was quite tasty and the service was friendly and quick.

https://twitter.com/mangal2/status/871332608726228992…read more I'm now planning my visit for next trip to London. Can't wait!

The only problem with living in an area like Hackney with such an abundance of great, affordable…read moreworld cuisine is that it makes English food seem about as appealing as day old spotted dick. I am a sucker for a Sunday roast, but for every other day of the week I eat West Indian, Nigerian and Turkish. Mangal II is the crowning glory of East London's Turkish restaurants and displays this fact proudly on a window adorned with so many paper clippings it looks sponsored by Time Out. The menu is vast and everything on it (I go there a lot) is delicious, extra special is the vegetarian moussaka. It's a traditional ocakbasi restaurant with all the delicious meats and sauces sizzling away on hotplates and a big flame grill. This can be distracting when especially hungry, I have found myself on dates here, staring, drooling, nostrils flaring at the chefs, completely ignoring which ever poor soul I roped in to my feeding frenzy. This is one of my favourite restaurants in London, its perfect in every way and if you don't believe me, just ask Gilbert and George.

The best kebab in East London! You can go or you can order online. Just love it!read more

Being half Turkish, I love to eat my beloved Turkish food. Iskembecisi has been around for a long…read moretime, and when I first remember going there, it was quite elegant, this was around 10 years ago and the décor has not changed at all, so it is now kind of looking dated. I recall it being quite busy as a youngster but custom seems to have dropped. This is probably due to the amount of Turkish restaurants that have opened up in the area, which is uncountable. Nevertheless, I do pay the occasional visit, and on my last few visits, I have had the lamb chops, which are brilliant. I past buy today in my car, and the first thing I thought of were those chops. So on our way back through Newington Road, we stopped off and I got those chops, nothing has changed, it's great. I also just discovered that it stays open up till 5am!!

The ocakbasi experience is the best and only way a kebab should be eaten in my opinion. Grilled and…read moreseasoned to perfection served on a bed of rice, brilliant mezze salad sides and fresh Turkish bread. After discovering Anatolia in Mare street Hackney, this is now my base standard for Turkish cuisine. The Days of regular kebabs on a slow turning skewer dripping with fatty oil are long gone. The meats cooked here are quality and the portion is very generous. It comes with fragrant rice and bread which just makes the meal wholesome and completes the Turkish cuisine experience. The staff are friendly and although busy most nights, can easily handle seat ins and takeaways. Staff are always on point, and everyone is working hard. The resturant is fairly big, used to be one shop, but because of popular demand, expanded into the next shop. It is a casual vibe, and a place for serious meat eaters. I enjoyed Anatolia very much.

I came to this restaurant on a Saturday evening with my service dog and they were very rude even…read morethough I provided ID for my service dog I will be writing or calling a manager about the situation because their staff members were absolutely horrible. My service dog is there because I have severe anxiety and I provide provided identification they did not want to look at it and they near enough hurried ME out of the store. I will not be going back there.

This review is based on my a New Year's Eve event that took place here. The ambience, food, and…read moremusic was amazing! It was a really fun Turkish NYE celebration. My partner and I were definitely the only non Turkish people at the restaurant but we felt welcomed and didn't feel out of place. With our tickets we received a big mezze of appetizers that were also super delicious and very filling. We the also received entrees of kebabs and finally baklava with icecream. It was a lot of food and so worth it! The music and belly dancing show was also super cool and fun! We would definitely come back here again!

This is the best restaurant in dalston'.wow very good food . You must try it…read more Amazing

I have such fond memories associated with shish kebabs and this place brought all of those memories…read moreback in the best way possible. I had the chicken shish and it was massive, first of all, but also it paired so well with everything it came with. So happy I came here!

I'm going there more than twice a month, you can't imagine before going how delicious is the food…read more Whatever you choose, they give you starters for free and if you are greedy like me you'll finish the starters and won't be able to eat what you ordered. You will always have large portions so you can ask for doggy bag because it's unbelivable to not eating up. It's more than cheap so you need to be prepared to see a busy restaurant but I never had to queue up. From Monday to Friday between 12 and 3 o'clock , the lunch menu is at £6.95. They also prepare take-away orders and believe me it's good to know when you are hungry but don't have the motivation or simply when you receive friends at the last minute.

I've never had turkish food, and i'm glad that I was able to try it here. We tried a handful on the…read moreoptions on the menu and liked it all. My family and I were around the area when we stumbled upon this gem. Not only is the food delicious, but the service goes above and beyond. The servers are attentive, so you won't have to worry about long waits & the food comes out in a timely manner. There was a specific gentleman that made our night even better! (I wasn't able to catch his name but he was wearing a black NY Yankees hat) He was very friendly, checked up on our table throughout the evening, and even escorted us out upon our departure. To be honest, I'm visiting from Las Vegas and service in the UK (and all over EU) is so different compared to home. However, the staff here definitely reminded me that you can get the same great service in the UK. The actual set up of the restaurant is great. It's fairly large, and extremely clean. The restroom was spacious, and even had a diaper changing table in there (this is definitely hard to find in the UK). Also; the restaurant itself is disable friendly, the entrance door is on a ramp, and there's plenty of space to go around the place with a wheelchair. Plus, it's only about a 7-10 minute walk from the nearest underground station.

After one of those busy days when you forget to eat, we needed food - late. Urfa Ocakbasi was…read morethere, shining like a beacon, with its light-up red on black lettering. Ok so the decor wasn't trendy - it was essentially faux-wood tables crammed into a large rectangular hall - but that wasn't what we needed. We ordered starters to share (free additional bread with the tzatziki much appreciated) and then various versions of their shish. Unfortunately I hadn't considered all the extra delights that come with a main course - a mountain of delicious salad, salsa, bread and more - and was essentially stuffed before I reached the actual food. Ordinarily in these circumstances I'd advise ordering less, but the friendly staff were happy to give us our left over wraps packaged up. Along with the food I also took away the knowledge that tzatziki is pronounced with a G. So in summary, visit Urfa Ocakbasi, order more than you need, feast for days on delicious Turkish food!